nl-Chapter 10 – When the time was fulfilled

Prophetic Revelations

1. Your Father prepared everything so that the "Word" of God might dwell among humanity and show them the path to their redemption through the sublime examples of His love.

2. First, He inspired the prophets to announce the form in which the Messiah would come into the world, the nature of His work, His sufferings, and His death as a human being, so that when Christ appeared on earth, those who knew the prophecies would recognize Him immediately.

3. Centuries before my coming in Jesus, the prophet Isaiah said: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Immanuel." (Which means: God with us.) With this prophecy, among others, he announced my coming.

4. Many centuries before my arrival, David sang in psalms full of pain and prophetic meaning of the sufferings of the Messiah during the crucifixion. In those psalms, he speaks of one of my seven words on the cross, describes the contempt with which the crowd would lead Me to the crucifixion, the expressions of mockery from the people when they hear Me say that the Father is in Me; the abandonment my body would feel in the face of human ingratitude, all the torments to which I would be subjected, and even the way they would cast lots for my garment.

5. Each of my prophets announced my coming, prepared the way, and gave precise characteristics so that when the day came, no one would be mistaken. (40:1–5)

The Expectation of the Messiah Among the Jewish People

6. The world in the present time was not ready to await Me as the people of Israel awaited Me in that "Second Age." My great prophets had announced a Messiah, a Savior, the Son of God, who would come to liberate the oppressed and to enlighten the world through the light of the "Word." The more that people suffered, the more they longed for the coming of the Promised One; the more they drank from the cup of humiliation and oppression, the more they yearned for the presence of the Messiah, and everywhere they sought for signs and portents that would speak to them of the nearness of their Redeemer's arrival.

7. From generation to generation and from parents to children, the divine promise was passed down, which for a long time prompted the Lord's chosen people to watch and pray.

8. At last I came to My people, but not all were able to recognize Me, even though all were expecting Me: some did so in a spiritual way, and others through a materialistic interpretation.

9. But the sincerity and love of those who felt My presence, beheld the Kingdom of Heaven in the light of My Word, and believed in My revelation were enough for Me. Those who faithfully followed Me and saw in Me their spiritual Savior were enough for Me, for it was they who bore witness to My truth after I had departed from this world.

10. Although My message was intended for all the peoples of the earth, My call went out to the heart of the Chosen People so that they might subsequently become the mouthpiece of My Word. Nevertheless—it was not only that people who felt My presence; in other nations as well, people were able to discern the signs of My coming and sensed the time of My presence on earth. (315, 17–19)

11. In every age and with every divine revelation, Elijah appears among the people.

12. The Messiah had not yet come to earth, but it would not be long before he was born as a human being; and already the soul of the prophet had been incarnated in John, who would later be called John the Baptist, to announce the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven, which would be the presence of the "Word" among humanity. (31:61–62)

Mary, the biological mother of Jesus

13. Already in the "First Age," the patriarchs and prophets began to speak of the coming of the Messiah. Yet the Messiah did not come merely in spirit—he came to be born of a woman, to become human, to receive a body from a woman.

14. The maternal Spirit of God likewise had to become human, to become a woman, as a flower of purity, so that the fragrance of the "Word" of God—which was Jesus—might flow from her crown of blossoms. (360, 26)

15. In Nazareth lived a flower of purity and tenderness, a betrothed virgin named Mary, who was precisely the one announced by the prophet Isaiah, for from her womb the fruit of true life was to emerge.

16. The Lord's spiritual messenger came to her to announce the mission she had brought to earth, saying: "Hail, O highly favored one, the Lord is with you; you are blessed among women."

17. The hour had come when the divine mystery was to be revealed, and everything that had been said about the coming of the Messiah, the Savior, the Redeemer, was now to be fulfilled immediately. But how few hearts were there that sensed My presence, how few souls were prepared to recognize the Kingdom of Heaven in the light of My truth. (40, 6-7)

The Adoration of the Infant Jesus

18. Today, humanity commemorates that day when some wise men from the East came to the manger in Bethlehem to worship the divine Child. Today, some hearts ask Me: "Lord, is it true that those powerful and wise men bowed before You and acknowledged Your divinity?"

19. Yes, My children, it was science, power, and wealth that knelt before My presence.

20. There were also the shepherds, their wives, and their children, with their humble, wholesome, and simple gifts, with which they received and welcomed the Savior of the world, and also Mary as the embodiment of heavenly tenderness. They represented humility, innocence, and simplicity. But those who possessed in their scrolls the prophecies and promises that spoke of the Messiah slept deeply, without even suspecting who had come into the world. (146, 9-11)

The Bond of Love Between Jesus and Mary

21. Jesus spent his childhood and youth at Mary's side, and in her lap and by her side he enjoyed maternal love. Divine Tenderness, made woman, sweetened the Savior's first years of life on earth, since when the hour came, He had to drink such great bitterness.

22. How is it possible that anyone could think that Mary, in whose womb the body of Jesus was formed and at whose side the Master lived, could have lacked spiritual elevation, purity, and holiness?

23. Whoever loves Me must first love all that is Mine—everything that I love. (39, 52-54)

Jesus' Knowledge and Wisdom

24. People claim in their books that Jesus was among the Essenes to acquire his knowledge. Yet He who knew and lived all things before the worlds came into being had nothing to learn from human beings. The Divine could learn nothing from the human. Wherever I was, it was to teach. Can there be anyone on earth wiser than God? Christ came from the Father to bring Divine Wisdom to humanity. Did not your Master give you proof of this when, at the age of twelve, He astonished the theologians, philosophers, and teachers of the Law of that time?

25. Some have attributed to Jesus the weaknesses of all men and take delight in casting upon that Man, who is divine and without fault, the filth they carry in their hearts. These do not know Me.

26. If all the wonders of nature that you behold are nothing other than the material embodiment of divine thoughts—do you not then think that the body of Christ was the materialization of a sublime thought of your Father's love? Therefore, Christ loved you only with the Spirit, not with the flesh. My truth can never be distorted, for it contains within itself an absolute light and an unlimited power. (146, 35-36)

27. In the "Second Era," I gave you an example of how you must wait for the right hour to fulfill the task that brought you to Earth.

28. I waited until my body—that Jesus whom people saw before their eyes—had reached its prime, so that through him I might fulfill the divine mission of teaching you love.

29. When that body—the heart and the mind—had reached its full development, my Spirit spoke through his lips, my wisdom flooded his mind, my love settled in his heart, and the harmony between that body and the divine light that illuminated it was so perfect that I often spoke to the crowds of people: "Whoever knows the Son knows the Father."

30. Christ made use of the truth in God to teach people. He did not derive it from the world. He did not receive the light from the Greeks, Chaldeans, Essenes, or Phoenicians, nor from anyone else. They did not yet know the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, and I taught what was still unknown on earth.

31. Jesus had dedicated his childhood and youth to active charity and prayer until the hour came to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven, the law of love and justice, and the teaching of light and life.

32. Seek the meaning of the Word I proclaimed at that time, and tell Me whether it could have originated from any human teaching or any science known at that time.

33. I tell you, if I had truly drawn upon the learning of those people, I would have sought My disciples among them and not among the uneducated and ignorant people from whom I formed My band of apostles. (169, 62-68)

The Lack of Understanding in the Human Environment in Nazareth

34. I had to seek refuge among a people like the Egyptians, since the people to whom I had come were unable to offer Me a protective shelter. But this was not the only pain my heart had to endure.

35. When I returned from Egypt and then lived in Nazareth, I was constantly mocked and wounded by expressions of unbelief and envy.

36. I performed miracles there, demonstrated my love for my neighbors and my power—and was misunderstood. Not one of those who knew my life and works up close believed in Me.

37. Therefore, when the hour of preaching had come, I had to say as I left Nazareth: "Truly, I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. He must leave it so that his word may be heard." (299, 70–72)