When souls leave their
earthly bodies, they enter the spirit world. As each spirit arrives in the
spirit world, they are taken to a temporary place and are then helped by more
advanced spirits who guide them and inform them that they have left their
earthly bodies forever. These newborn spirits are also shown how to overcome the
confusion and terror that may be theirs with the help and encouragement of these
spirit helpers. Reference 1.
Some of the newly born
spirits, when they come into the spirit world meet their guardian angels and
also many of those whom they loved on earth. For a certain length of time they
are very happy and rejoice because of the uniting with those they loved so much
when on earth. They all have a wonderful time together.
This meeting place, where
loved ones wait to meet the new arrivals and welcome them into their new home in
the spirit world with great joy and gladness, could be compared to our Grand
Central Station in New York, Chicago, or any other large city where trains come
in from all over the country on many tracks. This joyful meeting helps to
overcome the anxiety, and often fright that may be theirs upon first entering
the spirit world. But the love and protection of these spirit helpers consoles
them.
After a while, the spirit
is told that there is a law, which is that all spirits have to go to a plane
corresponding to their soul condition. That means its purity or lack of purity. "For
as he thinketh in his heart, so (is) he." Prov 23-7. This means, of
course, his soul condition. Does he love things that are righteous and pure and
holy, or does he love things that are evil and depraved? Reference
2.
When the spirit is
conducted to its plane, according to its soul condition, the spirit finds itself
in a place or environment that is in exact harmony with that condition.
Those spirits who find
themselves in darkness and suffering because of evils done on earth, find that
etched in their memories are every act and deed and thought that they had when
on earth. When the conscience becomes awakened, as it does to all spirits sooner
or later, then comes the scourging of conscience, remorse and regrets. Until
these spirits are willing to receive the help and instructions of spirits from a
higher plane, they will continue in their deplorable condition. Reference
3.
Conscience then becomes the
judge and executioner, and causes the suffering - not an angry God inflicting
this condition, as some of the orthodox churches teach. Conscience gradually
becomes awakened and, with it, the remorse and regret because of its evil life
on earth that causes the darkness and suffering. Now, you can readily see that
the evil spirits, in order to make progress, must get rid of these evil
creations that are the result of their own wills. Until their consciences are
satisfied by getting into harmony with the laws that have been violated, these
spirits will continue to suffer. Reference
4.
When these spirits get rid
of these sinful desires and memories of those things they had forgotten to
forget, suffering will cease. As the soul progresses, these memories become
fainter and fainter until such memories and sinful desires will be removed
sooner or later, and conscience ceases to cause suffering. Then these spirits
can claim they have been forgiven and will find themselves in a beautiful place.
Forgiveness is, in effect, forgetfulness.
First, it must be
understood that when a mortal passes into the spirit world it has the same
beliefs that it had on earth, and does not come into all knowledge, as some
think. To obtain knowledge, the spirit must receive knowledge of Truths from a
spirit who has progressed to a higher sphere.
There are many planes in
each spirit sphere, but there are only seven spheres. The lower planes that
exist in the first sphere, which is in contact with the earth plane, are called
the hells. There are many hells as well as many heavens. To make progress into
higher spheres, or heavens, the soul must be qualified to go higher, as in
different grades of school.
Many spirits are stagnating
in their plane or sphere because they are not willing to give up their erroneous
beliefs from earth that retard their progress. But, if a spirit after it passes
into the spirit world is in the soul condition of sufficient purity, it passes
into the second sphere, which contains considerable light, and the spirits in
this sphere have a good deal of happiness.
Because in the second
sphere there are spirits who still have their orthodox beliefs much the same as
they had on earth, the spirit does not come into all the knowledge, as some
think. To obtain greater knowledge the spirit must receive this knowledge of
truths from a spirit who has progressed to a higher plane or sphere.
There are two ways
whereby the soul can make progress into the higher spheres or heavens -
because there are two different purifying processes. Each purifying process
leads to different heavens. There is the Kingdom of God (or Biblical
Heavens), wherein the perfect natural man exists. There is also the grander and
more glorious kingdom, or Celestial Kingdom, where only those can enter
who have received the New Birth, which is obtained by the inflowing of the
Divine Love that comes from God by His Holy Spirit. Divine Love is the very
essence and substance of the Father, while the natural love as taught by Moses -
love to God and love to your fellow man - is not.
Love to God and love to
your fellow man as taught by Moses and other teachers and reformers, is a
beautiful love when lived up to, and leads to the Kingdom of the Perfect Natural
Man but not to the Divine Kingdom of the Celestial Heavens, where Jesus dwells.
Jesus was the first to obtain the Divine Love. Since he has been in the
Celestial Heavens he has obtained it in such great abundance that he is nearer
to the Fountainhead of the Father, and has a greater glory and beauty than any
other Celestial Spirit. Because of this greater abundance of the Divine Love in
his soul, it gives to him far greater wisdom and knowledge and soul perception
of the Great Soul of God and His attributes. It makes him the greatest authority
in all the Celestial Heavens of the Father's plans for the salvation of His
children.
Moses taught the Ten
Commandments, and many other teachers and leaders taught the moral precepts
before Jesus came to earth. Jesus was the first man to teach of a greater Love
than the mere exercise of the natural love. This Divine Love is no part of the
natural love, neither is it that love developed into its purest state. It is a
separate and distinct quality of love.
A spirit who had reached
the Kingdom of the Perfect Natural man wrote through Mr. James E. Padgett that "although
he was a very bright spirit, his glory was like a pale moonbeam compared to the
glorious sun at midday." This fact is very convincing that these
Celestials have obtained in their souls a quality of love that is of the Divine
Essence, or Divine Love, which causes that greater glory and beauty that shines
through their spirit body countenances, that the natural perfect man has not.
Spirits who have progressed
to the Kingdom of Perfect Natural man, which is the highest sphere of those who
develop their natural love and become free from sin and error, find themselves
in a condition of stagnation, for they have found the limit of their purifying
process that they have passed through. Of course, they are beautiful and
glorious spirits, and wonderfully happy in investigating laws both material and
spiritual, for there is always something new coming up for them to study. The
purifying process they have passed through is the result of good deeds and good
thoughts, their natural love to God and their fellowman, renunciation of their
sins that are not in harmony with God's laws of harmony, and helping spirits who
are in a lower sphere than themselves. When these spirits reach the condition
whereby their souls become free from the perversions of their natural love, they
have then reached the sixth sphere, the Kingdom of the Perfect Natural Man, but
are still in a condition of stagnation, and become anxious for higher Truth as
the soul longing increases.
After a while, these
spirits referred to find their souls becoming hungry for something they know not
what, and then the Celestials, who often visit the spheres, are able to instruct
them in what their souls are really hungry for, even though they have no idea of
what it is. Then these spirits will often listen to the Celestials and take
their advice, and seek with all the earnest, sincere longings of their souls for
the inflowing of the Divine Love. When this Love comes into the soul, it
transforms the soul into the Divine Nature, and eventually the Love comes into
the soul in such abundance that the Celestial Heavens will be reached.
The Celestial Heavens
follow the seventh sphere. The spirit who makes its progress from the lower
spheres by earnest and sincere prayers for the Divine Love finds that as the
Divine Love enters into the soul in sufficient abundance it is then qualified to
enter the sphere above. After it reaches this sphere and seeks for more of the
Divine Love, and more of the Love comes into the soul in sufficient degree, the
spirit rises into the next sphere that is higher, and as the Love increases in
the soul, the spirit progresses from sphere to sphere, until it reaches the
seventh sphere. After it reaches the seventh sphere, the spirit possesses the
Divine Love in almost, but not quite sufficient abundance to enter the Celestial
Heavens, which are immediately above the seventh sphere.
Acknowledgement.