fr-Chapter 27 - The Hereafter

The Necessary Knowledge of Spiritual Life

1. How ignorant of spiritual teachings I find people today. The reason for this is that My Law and My Teaching have been presented to them only as a moral code to guide them, and not as the path that leads their souls to their perfect home.

2. The various denominations have sown a false fear of spiritual knowledge in people's hearts, causing them to shun My revelations and sink ever deeper into the darkness of ignorance, citing as their reason that spiritual life is an impenetrable mystery.

3. Those who claim this are lying. All the revelations that God has given to humanity since the dawn of time have spoken to you of spiritual life. It is true that I did not give you my entire teaching, because you were not yet capable of understanding everything, but only when the time for it had come. Yet what the Father has revealed up to this day is sufficient for you to have a complete understanding of spiritual life. (25, 38–40)

4. The Spiritual Life, which is longed for by some, is feared, denied, and even mocked by others; yet it awaits you all inevitably. It is the bosom that embraces all—the arm that reaches out to you—the Fatherland of the Spirit: an unfathomable mystery even to the learned. But one can penetrate my mysteries whenever the key you use to open this gate is that of love. (80, 40)

"Heaven" and "Hell"

5. People have imagined hell as a place of eternal torment, where, in their view, all those who have violated my commandments go. And just as they created this hell for grave offenses, so they imagined another place for lesser offenses, and yet another for those who have done neither good nor evil.

6. Whoever says that in the hereafter one neither rejoices nor suffers is not speaking the truth; no one is without suffering, nor devoid of all joy. Suffering and joy will always be intertwined until the soul attains the highest peace.

7. Listen, my children: Hell exists among the incarnate and the no longer incarnate, among the inhabitants of this world and of the Spiritual Realm. Hell is the symbol of the severe sufferings, the terrible pangs of conscience, the despair, the pain, and the bitterness of those who have sinned gravely. Yet they will free themselves from these consequences through the development of their souls toward love.

8. Heaven, on the other hand, which symbolizes true happiness and true peace, is for those who have turned away from the passions of the world to live in communion with God.

9. Examine your conscience, and you will know whether you are living in hell, whether you are atoning for your sins, or whether you are filled with the peace of heaven.

10. What people call heaven or hell are not specific places; rather, they are the essence of your deeds, which your spirit reaps when it reaches the "Spiritual Valley." Everyone experiences their own hell, inhabits their own world of atonement, or enjoys the bliss that comes from elevation and harmony with the Divine Spirit. (11, 51-56)

11. Just as a person can create for himself on earth a world of spiritual peace, similar to the peace of My Kingdom, so too can he, through his depravity, lead an existence that is like a hell of vices, wickedness, and pangs of conscience.

12. Even in the hereafter, the spirit may encounter worlds of darkness, corruption, hatred, and vengeance, depending on the soul's inclinations, its straying, and its passions. But truly, I tell you, both heaven and hell—of which people can only form an idea through earthly forms and images—are nothing other than different stages of the soul's development: one, by virtue of its virtue and development, at the summit of perfection; the other, in the abyss of its darkness, its vices, and its delusion.

13. For the righteous soul, the place where it finds itself is of no consequence, for everywhere it will carry within itself the peace and the heaven of the Creator. The impure and confused soul, on the other hand, may find itself in the best of worlds, and yet it will ceaselessly feel within itself the hell of its pangs of conscience, which will burn within it until they have purified it.

14. Do you believe that I, your Father, have created places specifically intended to punish you and thus take eternal revenge for your offenses against Me?

15. How limited are the people who teach these theories!

16. How is it possible that you believe eternal darkness and eternal pain are the end that awaits some souls? Even if they have sinned, they will still be children of God forever. If they need instruction — here is the Master. If they need love — here is the Father. If they long for forgiveness — here is the perfect Judge.

17. Whoever never tries to seek Me and correct their mistakes will not come to Me. Yet there is no one who can resist My justice or My trials. Only when purified can you come to Me. (52, 31-37)

18. Among the many dwellings that the Father's house possesses, there is not a single world of darkness; His light is in all of them. Yet if souls enter them with a blindfold over their eyes because of their ignorance—how then can they behold that glory?

19. If you ask a blind man here in the world what he sees, he will answer you: only darkness. Not because the light of the sun is absent, but because he cannot see it. (82:12–13)

20. I have told you in this time: Do not entertain the notion that exists among people regarding hell, for in this world there is no greater hell than the life you have created with your wars and hostilities, and in the hereafter there is no other fire than the pangs of conscience in the soul when conscience confronts it with its transgressions. (182, 45)

21. As long as those who, in their religious fanaticism, expect only the punishment of hell in the hereafter cling to this belief, they will create their own hell, for the confusion of the soul is similar to that of the human mind, though much more intense.

22. You now ask: "Master, is there salvation for them?" I tell you: there is salvation for all, but peace and light will reach those souls only when the darkness of delusion dissipates.

23. Have you ever felt compassion for a person whose confused mind causes him to see things that do not exist at all? How much greater would your pain be if, in the hereafter, you were to see those deluded beings who behold their imagined hell! (227, 71)

24. Do not tremble at these revelations; on the contrary, rejoice at the thought that this Word will destroy the notion you had of eternal punishment and all the interpretations of eternal fire that were given to you in times past.

25. The "fire" is the symbol of the pain, self-reproach, and remorse that will torment the soul and purify it, just as gold is purified in the crucible. In this pain is My will, and in My will is My love for you.

26. If it were true that it is fire that eradicates human sins, then all the bodies of those who have sinned would have to be thrown into the fire here in earthly life—in life, because they would no longer feel it once dead. For bodies never ascend into the Spiritual Realm— ; on the contrary, once they have fulfilled their purpose, they sink into the Earth's interior, where they merge with the nature from which they drew life.

27. But if you believe that what you call "eternal fire" is intended not for the body but for the soul, this is another grave error, for there are no material elements in the Spiritual Realm, nor does fire have any effect on the soul. That which is born of matter is matter; that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

28. My Word does not come down to attack any religious belief. If anyone thinks this, they are greatly mistaken. My Word will explain the meaning of all that has been misinterpreted and has thus generated errors that have been passed down among humanity from generation to generation.

29. What value would My Law and My Teaching have if they were unable to save souls from error and sin? And what meaning would My presence as a human being in the world have had if there were many who would have to perish forever, in an endless atonement? (352, 44–48)

30. Some feel compelled to do good works because they fear that death will take them by surprise, and they will then have no merits to offer their Lord. Others turn away from evil, yet only out of fear of dying in sin and having to endure eternal torment in hell after this life.

31. How distorted and imperfect is this God in the form in which so many imagine Him! How unjust, monstrous, and cruel! If one were to combine all the sins and crimes that humans have committed, this could not be compared to the abhorrence that the punishment of hell for all eternity would entail—to which, in their opinion, God condemns the children who sin. Have I not explained to you that God's highest attribute is love? Do you not then think that eternal torment would be the absolute negation of the divine attribute of eternal love? (164, 33–34)

32. You believe that Heaven is a region in eternity and that you can enter it through sincere repentance for your transgressions at the hour of your physical death, because you trust that at that moment you will find forgiveness and be led by Me into the Kingdom of Heaven. That is what you believe.

33. I, on the other hand, tell you that heaven is neither a specific place nor a region, nor a dwelling place. The heaven of the soul is its lofty emotional world and its perfection, its state of purity. So, who is it up to to allow you to enter the Kingdom of Heaven—Me, who have always called you, or you, who have always been deaf?

34. Do not limit the infinite, the divine, any longer. Do you not understand that if heaven were as you believe—a specific abode, region , or a specific place—it would no longer be infinite? It is time for you to perceive the spiritual in a higher way, even if your imagination cannot grasp the whole reality. But it should at least approach it. (146, 68-69)

The Music of Heaven

35. You have heard that the angels in heaven eternally hear the divine concert. When you reflect on this symbol, beware of believing that in heaven one hears musical pieces similar to those you are accustomed to hearing on earth. Whoever thinks this way has succumbed to a complete error of materialism. On the other hand, whoever—when hearing about the music of Heaven and the bliss of the angels as they listen to it—thinks of the harmony with God in this divine concert, will be in the truth.

36. Yet how is it that some do not perceive it this way, even though a note of the Universal Concert dwells within the soul of each of you? How is it that some who hear this word do not understand it, do not feel it, or misinterpret it?

37. O beloved children, who are weak in your understanding—seek the light in prayer. Ask Me in your meditations; for however broad your questions may be, I will know how to answer you from eternity. I, for My part, will likewise ask you questions, so that the light of truth may dawn between the Master and the disciples.

38. The heavenly music is the presence of God within you, and in the midst of that concert your own sound will resound once you have attained true exaltation, which is spiritual beauty. This is the music of heaven and the song of the angels. When you experience and feel it thus, the truth will radiate from your being, and you will feel that God is within you. Life will present you with an eternal and divine concert, and in each of its notes you will discover a revelation.

39. You have not yet heard these beautiful sounds in their perfect harmony—some sweet, others powerful. If you happen to catch a glimpse of them, they will seem to you like indistinct sounds that you cannot bring together. You have not yet fully become aware of the beauty they contain. You must leave behind the senses, the passions, and the shadows of materialism in order to hear God's concert within your soul. (199, 53–56)

In My Father's house there are many "mansions"

40. My work continues to grow until, finally, all souls are united in the fulfillment of My Law, and this earthly abode becomes a world of perfection. Those who dwell there at that time will feel My love in all creation and prepare themselves to live in a better world. This earth will be only temporary for your soul; in its longing for perfection, it will set out for other regions, other planes of the hereafter.

41. Remember that I told you: "In My Father's house there are many mansions." And in this time of greater development, in which you understand My teachings better, I wish to tell you: "In the Father's house there is an infinite number of mansions." Do not, therefore, think that upon departing this world you have already reached the highest spiritual heights. No, disciples. When your sojourn on this planet ends, I will lead you to new abodes, and thus I will always guide you along the infinite ladder of your perfection. Trust in Me, love Me, and you will be saved. (317, 30)

42. It is impossible for you to form a conception in this world of what My Kingdom, Heaven, and glory are like. I want you to be content with knowing that it is a state of perfection of the soul, from which it experiences, feels, and comprehends the wondrous life of the Spirit—a life you cannot currently comprehend or imagine.

43. I tell you that not even the souls who live on higher planes than the one on which you find yourselves know the reality of that life. Do you know what it means to live "in the bosom of the Father"? Only when you live there will you be able to know it. Only a vague premonition, a faint inkling of that mystery, fleetingly touches your heart as an incentive on your path of development. (76, 28–29)