Creation By The Word

Creation  By  The  Word

Martin Cecil   December 19, 1976

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” “In the beginning was the Word.” These two Biblical statements say virtually the same thing. The universe is created and sustained by the Word of God. This is a way of describing something that is indescribable. In our own experience on earth we have begun to become aware of the reality of the Word. It begins to have meaning to us in a specific sense. We see that words spoken do have a relatedness to what may be described as the Word. Another term we have used in this connection is the “Tone.” If we think of this Creative Tone sounding constantly we may see that the whole range of vibratory design that is present in the universe is kept in manifestation by the Tone. Should the Tone cease to sound at any moment then everything throughout the whole universe would immediately dissolve. We would not anticipate any such thing, but I merely mention this so that there may be a certain awareness of what is back of the creation. We must use analogies to convey ideas, and so we may say that there is a Tone sounding and all things exist by reason of this. This is the Word of God.

If we have responsibility in the creative purposes of God here in the world, that creative responsibility can only be carried to the extent that we carry the Tone, to the extent that we are the Word. The Word was in the beginning. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” but the present moment is always a beginning. We may see that this truth with respect to the Word always relates to the present moment. Those two passages from the Bible are couched in a past tense. It was true at any moment of the past, but it is true in this moment of the present. This moment of the present is certainly the beginning insofar as our experience is concerned with respect to the moments that are yet to come. But the Word is spoken in the present moment at the point of beginning. The effect of the Word is the creation of the heaven and the earth, two aspects of one creation. We have referred to this as the dimensional world. Out of nowhere the Word is spoken; in the now here the effect of the speaking of that Word is revealed. All things exist because the Word is spoken.

Our particular responsibility doesn't immediately relate to the whole universe; it simply relates to the particular field of our responsibility as man on earth. But the same principle which is present with respect to the universe comes to bear in the creative process for which we find ourselves responsible. There must be the Word brought to focus in our field of responsibility. That Word, when expressed, creates the heaven and the earth. We are interested in a new heaven and a new earth. We are not interested in having the first heaven and the first earth sustained in existence. It is sustained in existence now, insofar as human experience is concerned, because the Word that is spoken is not revealed accurately by reason of the expression of human beings; so there is another creation, which is not the true one. There is a false creation, which rightly passes away when it is no longer sustained because the Tone is no longer being sounded through the facilities of fallen human beings. Presently the world that human beings know is sustained by the Word. All things were made by Him, but what has been made has been distorted and out of balance because of the state of consciousness in which human beings are existing. The sounding of the Tone must come through that, and by the time it has come through it isn't the true expression of the Tone, it isn't the true Word. It has been called a lie, and the world is sustained on the basis of this lie.

There are plenty of human beings presently functioning in such a manner as to maintain this false world. There are a few, presumably you included, who are beginning to come into position to sound the true Tone. That true Tone does two things: first of all it tends to dissolve the results of the false tone; at the same time it creates the results of the sounding of the true Tone, the new heaven and the new earth. People read about these things in the 21st chapter of the Book of Revelation, and hear the statement, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth”; and there is a general expectation on the part of some that one day, by some means—divine action presumably—this will occur. But there is very little awareness on the part of anyone that human beings have any part to play at all with respect to what happens; and yet if human beings do not have a part to play in that, of what value are human beings? They certainly do provide the facility, rightly, by which this change may occur. And the change occurs on the basis of the Word.

In the beginning, in the moment, is the Word. This is true regardless of whether the expression of that Word is true or false. The Word is there just the same, and the false world which human beings have made is sustained because the Word is present, present but falsely expressed by human beings. Human beings have provided the only facility by which the Word could be expressed on earth. From the standpoint of the true creation man was made in the image of God to be the facility by which there might be the true creation and by which that true creation might be sustained in that area of man's responsibility. Man is still here, or what passes for man these days. No other facility has put in an appearance to get the job done, so we must depend upon what is here. I'm sure that if it was somehow decided that what remains of man was so useless that he would never get the job done, this remains would completely disintegrate. But there are human beings living on earth, great numbers these days, and so the essential facility is still present, awaiting the emergence of those who would allow the undistorted Word to be expressed. The expression of that undistorted Word creates a new heaven and a new earth—all very simple really!

When there is the true expression there is nothing that human beings in the false state of consciousness can do to prevent the creation from occurring. It hasn't occurred heretofore because there has been no adequate means for the expression of the Word, the undistorted, true Word. Now there begins to be evidence of the emergence of such a facility, but obviously this facility functions on a basis that is not at all the same as had been experienced by those concerned heretofore. The function is not in the range of the false state. It is not a matter of making a better false state. This has been the effort that has been put forward by human beings all down through the ages and so there was seeming betterment at times, but this was always succeeded by worsement because you can't have the good without the evil in the false state. In the true state it isn't a matter of good and evil as human beings understand it but a matter of the way things are. They don't need judging by anyone. There are creative processes at work and changes occurring which if judged could be categorized, as they have been in the false state, as being either good or evil; but in fact they are neither. They are perfect, the perfect unfoldment of the creative process by reason of the Word expressed on earth by those who are created in the image of God. These are specifically so created in order that the Word might be spoken within the range of the responsibility carried by man.

The Word is spoken and the result of this is described as heaven and earth. We are concerned with the new heaven and the new earth, an unknown quantity until the Word is expressed and the result appears. We don't have to try to make the new heaven and the new earth be any particular way, because as human beings in the false state we wouldn't know what that way was anyhow, and also there is no need. The Word is all that is required. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made,” even the false world in which we now apparently dwell. “In him,” in the Word, “was life.” There is no possibility of the experience of the reality of Life except in the Word. When that Word is expressed Life is expressed and there is the experience of what Life is. If the Word, as it truly is, is not expressed but is colored and distorted, then life is not expressed and the dying experience is consequently known. Our total concern relates to the Word.

This Word has focus, so that the Tone may be sounded in such a way that those who have ears to hear may become increasingly aware of it. As there is love for that Word, then the individual expression in living is conditioned by the Word and increasingly the person concerned becomes the Word in expression. Each individual properly expresses an aspect of the Word in his own field of living responsibility. Obviously it could not be that each person twenty-four hours a day reads mailings. If we look at our general pattern here at the moment we see that there are two hours of service a week. There are something like one hundred and sixty-eight hours in a week, so that would be one hour in eighty-four. Possibly in a few of those eighty-four hours mailings may be read or videos observed or audiotapes listened to, or services given by others than myself who are capable of sounding the Tone shared, but obviously the majority of life experience must be one's own particular expression of the Word. Each one has this responsibility. Each one knows life to the extent that he is true to that responsibility, because in the Word is Life.

There is this unifying current which finds release through what we call services, and this in various ways is made available for the consideration of a large number of people. But above and beyond the consideration of words and the spirit of those words, there is the release of spirit in any case, something that is in some measure known by those who are moving with this flow of the spirit. I am frequently informed by people that they had been considering certain points which were shortly thereafter found in the mailings that were received; in other words there is an unconscious movement in the flow of the spirit already experienced in some measure by people in many places. As there is a greater proficiency in the expression of the Word this coordinated movement becomes more obvious and the effect of this coordinated expression of the Word also becomes more obvious—more obvious from the standpoint of the dissolution of the first heaven and the first earth, and the creation of the new heaven and the new earth. These two experiences unfold side-by-side.

Obviously all of us have a considerable background of conditioning in the false state of consciousness which must be dissolved. Whether we like it or not, whether anyone on earth likes it or not, this dissolution is already occurring. The former things are in the process of passing away. Insofar as those who are deeply involved in and committed to a false state are concerned such dissolution is disturbing, to say the least. It is aptly described as tribulation, but it is only tribulation to those who are identified with what it is that is in the process of being dissolved. We would all admit, I'm sure, that there is much present yet insofar as our state of consciousness is concerned which correlates with the false state, and consequently we would anticipate that there would be a certain amount of tribulation within the range of our experience. So if some shows up, as it undoubtedly does and no doubt will continue to do for a while, this should not be any surprise to us. There is no need to be disturbed by it. We can assume an attitude of aloofness toward it. We are keenly aware of the fact that it is something that must occur and we have an attitude of welcome toward the occurrences.

The experience of the new heaven and the new earth is quite bound up with the dissolution of the first heaven and the first earth. If there is a real longing for the creation of the new heaven and the new earth then there is also a real longing for the dissolution of the first heaven and the first earth. When we experience that dissolution and it is uncomfortable, we may easily give thanks. This is a very easy thing to do when we are standing in the place where we belong and see things with true perspective. The place where we belong of course is in the Garden, expressing the Word. We do not think that expressing the Word will simply be uncomfortable for everybody else. It's uncomfortable for us too, but we know how to handle that; we understand what is happening. Incidentally, we may be in position to provide assurance to others with respect to their discomforts, because we understand the necessity for the dissolution of the old heaven, the first heaven and the first earth. We ourselves represent to those with whom we are associated the sounding of the Word, inviting response. And as there are those who are willing to be assured, and consequently comforted by what we are in position to offer because of our vision and understanding, they too begin to participate in the sounding of the Tone as related to their own expression of living.

So the Word is expressed by us and others because we accept the responsibility for it, and we cannot let ourselves return into subjection to the old state of false, restricted, limited vision. Where there is no vision the people certainly perish. There is something going to perish, but why associate oneself with what is perishing, even if what is perishing seems for the moment to be a part of ourselves? The new heaven and the new earth put in an appearance as the inevitable result of the sounding of the creative Word expressed in our living. We live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. We participate in the flowing expression of that Word in every aspect of our daily living.

I speak of these things now and I'm sure that you have a certain understanding of what it is that I am saying. You do have that to the extent of your own experience of living and moving in the Word. And this does certainly include what is specifically brought to focus in an hour such as this, as well as what may be brought to focus specifically in your particular individual fields of responsibility during the course of your daily living. It is all one thing, really, but there needs to be a focus. There needs to be an increasingly clear participation in what is being revealed by reason of that focus, so that there is this unified moving in the flow of the spirit. Here is the creative power. In the Word is Life, and the Life is the Light of men. It is the means by which restoration may occur.

The light already shines in the darkness; the darkness comprehends it not. We are rather fortunate that the darkness does not comprehend the light. There would be a great deal more resistance, objection, violent contention, if human beings in the dark were able actually to see what was happening. Only those begin to sense what is happening, in an awareness of something creative, as there is movement with the Word. Then there is movement with the Light, and the Light comprehends the Light. We do not expect the darkness to comprehend the light and do not try to make it do so, as though that was going to be a valuable service. The valuable service is to leave the darkness in an uncomprehending state; then they are in no position to interfere with the creative process with which we are associated, because they don't know what's going on. What they observe as going on doesn't seem to them to have very much significance, so there's no need to oppose it too extensively. But it is our responsibility to give expression to the Word which is God.

As I say, that expression dissolves the first heaven and the first earth. It dissolves the first heaven and the first earth because when the Word is truly expressed there is nothing to sustain the first heaven and the first earth, so it disintegrates. The Tone is no longer falsely sounding within the range of that false state and so there is nothing to sustain it and it collapses. It may be possible for us quite easily to see these things and the logic of them while we are sitting here in the Chapel. We have a perspective view from the mountainside, if not from the mountaintop as yet. But what happens when we are not together directly considering these things? Possibly most of you could now say, “Oh I see, I understand, I know what it is that is happening. I realize that the Word must be expressed, the Tone consistently sounded, and all these things will work out as they should, the creation will occur.” What was it that James said in his Epistle, about a person looking into the mirror and seeing things, and then straightway forgetting them? Let us not forget, but move with the flow of the spirit, deeply concerned to allow the expression of the Word according to our individual fields of responsibility. What a great and glorious thing this is! Could there be anything more marvellous, really? We should have sufficient vision to see it, and to know it.

Of course, we only really know how marvellous it is to the extent that we do it. We don't know how marvelous it is just by thinking about it. We may delude ourselves into a delightful state of imagination, but the reality, the result, only appears when the Word is expressed constantly and consistently. And as there comes an increasing sense of assurance the force of the expression of that Word is known. It is known because we express it. We may perceive that there is force to it by reason of the expression of another, but if the other isn't around to convey to us the force of it then if we are not participating in that expression ourselves it tends to vanish away in our experience. But we may move together; we are here to do that. There are particular opportunities in this regard every day. Things come to special points of focus at times.

We recognize that the expression of the Word is not merely the responsibility of the one or ones who bring it to particular focus; it requires everyone—as it requires everyone here this evening to permit whatever expression of the Word may appear now. You have a very important part to play in permitting the Word to be expressed. The Word is not going to be released simply at the moment we have a service; it wouldn't be possible on that basis if it had not been being expressed on a more or less consistent basis over the months and years. And so there has been this radiation. Now a door is opened for response to that radiation, and there are people who are ready to respond, because what is being offered is seen as acceptable. To the extent that there is response and openness of heart, because there is a recognition of something that is easily accepted, the impact of the Word occurs—there is creative expression. In the beginning God, the Word, creates the heaven and the earth. It is all part of the creative process by reason of the expression of the Word, a particular focus of that creative process, something which may be experienced by everybody who is present. It is part of a continuing process which is at work all the time to the extent that the Word is expressed.

In the beginning is the Word, and the Word is with God, and the Word is God. The same is always in the beginning, in the present moment. It is so in every present moment. The very fact of the continued existence of all that we know exists is evidence of this. All things are made and sustained by the Word. Let us let the world which we center be made and sustained by the Word clearly and purely expressed in our living. This we are here to do. And I trust in our consideration this evening there may be an increased clarity of consciousness with respect to our creative responsibility, an increased understanding of what it is we are about and what it is that is happening. Here is true purpose, and in the expression of true purpose there is the experience of true meaning. How blessed we are to have the opportunity of allowing such things to be brought to focus in unified radiation, that the creative expression of the Word may continue and intensify to the Glory of God.

© emissaries of divine light