Sunsets Into Sunrises
Bishop Martin - The Progress of a Soul in the Beyond
- Chapter 193 -
MARTIN'S FURTHER GOOD PROPOSITION FOR THE SALVATION OF SATAN. SATAN'S OBJECTIONS. THE ORDER OF CREATION BEFORE AND AFTER THE LORD'S INCARNATION.
1
(Says Martin): "My very poor friend, you have given us logical reasons why God's infinite love cannot suffice you, yourself an infinite spirit. However, things would improve for you quite inconceivably if you would demand a bit less and were satisfied with what each of us has - so enormously more than you have at present in your wretchedness. And, in that case, God's infinite love should be a sufficiently powerful guarantee for your conversion.
2
Actually, you are at present as good as nothing; you possess nothing, and have to suffer a lot. But if you agreed to my proposition, you would at least become what we are and would not need more than we. Would not that be better for you than your present state?
3
You say that you are making an immense sacrifice out of love for us, your actual children, which, however, none of us could ever demand of you. Could you not rather make a sacrifice inasmuch as waiving the condition for your conversion that you get back everything and instead be satisfied with only as much as everyone of us has? It would not make any difference to the endless generosity of God, nor would it reduce the contents of the Father's great storehouse.
4
What do you say to that? I think it could be a possibility."
5
(Says Satan): "My dear Martin, you speak in accordance with your natural, limited understanding, but since you do it in a nice way, I can have the necessary patience with you. But think about what is possible and what would be absolutely impossible. How could I become smaller than I am? Do you still not understand that the entire infinite universe is filled with nothing but my indivisible being?
6
Or would you, in order to reduce your requirements, have your feet, hands, one limb after another, amputated? Without feet you would need a much shorter garment; without hands, you could save the sleeves; and even your stomach would need less food with fewer limbs to maintain. This calculation would be quite correct, but, tell me, whether you would find it satisfactory?"
7
(Says Martin): "Poor friend, that will not be necessary for you as it wouldn't be for me, where the Lord is concerned. Since even a human being must leave behind its body, which for a while represented its whole being, you, too, could let go your material substance and like us be satisfied with the spiritual alone. For then the Lord would surely make the wisest and best arrangements for your large universe-body, just as He does for our small physical bodies. We are completely happy with this noble spiritual body; why couldn't you be too?"
8
(Says Satan): "Dear friend, you keep talking from the viewpoint of your limited understanding. That is because you are incapable of lifting your eyes as I do, above and beyond the universe, which is my being. Your will is good and so is your heart. But your wisdom is no more than a shining dot in infinity.
9
Do you not understand that every being must have a basis, a support, to enable it to come into existence and continue? Every force, to be able to express itself as such, must have a counterforce. Two forces rising against each other find resistance in each other and, thus, express themselves by polar counteraction. Only through such a conflicting manifestation of two forces can something be called into being.
10
God is the positive, highest force, whilst I, as the negative, lowest force, am quite as infinite as God's highest. God would be quite as incapable of expressing Himself without me, as I would be without Him.
11
If I now followed your advice to return to the Godhead and as a result merged with it into one positive force, tell me, would not all existing creation out of God, as well as that out of me, disintegrate into nothing? And wouldn't it revert to its origin within us as a mere idea, relinquishing substance, being, and consciousness?
12
Speak now and convince me that there are other ways for the continuance of all things. Then I shall follow you!"
13
(Says Martin): "My wisdom is not yet profound enough for that, you know, and I believe also my brothers here will not yet have lifted their eyes above and beyond infinity. However, I have my strong doubts that the Lord has to rely on you for supporting His already existing creation.
14
I believe that prior to His incarnation the old earth and the old heaven were founded on you, and that was when you were the negative pole. However, when the Lord Himself took the flesh, He discarded you as a polarity and, instead, set up a much better one within Himself - worthier of Him and more durable for all eternities. Thus, He once more firmly cemented His creation together which, due to your weakness, was threatening to fall apart. In this way, as it were, the old passed and was replaced by something completely new.
15
You may have been a necessity before the incarnation, but since then, you are neither more nor less than any other spirit, and in no way are you necessary to keep things going. I think you should now realize this fact and do as I have proposed."
16
(Says Satan, now somewhat more annoyed): "Friend, you are once more getting a bit pert; however, your limited wisdom is your excuse.
17
Look, you shortsighted spirit, who was it who helped the Godhead to establish a new creation? Was not I the one who had to persecute Him, who tempted Him, and finally even had to help in killing His flesh to enable Him to absorb my negative polar substance of pain and suffering into His positive divine nature?
18
That nature in God is now what you call His endless love, which, as I have already mentioned, may suffice you finite beings, but not me who am endless and infinite. And now less than ever, since there are still so many myriads of suns and earths firmly established which are my substance.
19
Only when all matter has been dissolved as a negative polarity and has merged into God, will my opposition become quite unnecessary, and then, as a spirit stripped of all my substance, I shall be able to do what you are now asking of me.
20
Then I shall become smaller than I am now; I shall not need any more to keep me than you do, and I shall be quite unable to ever again endanger your beatitude. But, at this stage, it would be most detrimental to all of you if I now turned back and followed you to the Lord. I, therefore, will have to abide in my present state for a few more aeons of earth-years before I shall be able to do as you desire without endangering all of you.
21
Oh friend, oh son, the endless sweetness of the heavens is only too well known to me, and so is the terrible harshness of my present state! But what can I do?
22
A fully grown oak tree can no longer be bent, and even less I, as the original 'oak' of all creation. But eventually it should become possible that your kind wish is fulfilled.
23
You should now rather look towards the earth, where things are in a very bad state; that would be of more benefit to you than endeavoring to achieve the still quite impossible! What do you think about that, my dear son, Martin?"