Spirit Messages V—Jesus' Promise

Jesus promised his disciples on one occasion to be with them "always, even to the end of the world." In what sense are we to understand this promise?

In this sense—If men on Earth are the true followers of Jesus of Nazareth (he whom I know as the Prince of Heaven and Earth), he will be with them in spirit, and they will know, if they are spiritually like their Master, that he is with them. If you are one of his followers your spirit has taken on the impressions made by him; in that sense he may be said to be with you. But, besides, he is often amongst his disciples on Earth in person, in their midst, ready to grant an answer to their requests; for he has power to bestow all needed blessings on his followers. If men follow steadfastly in the steps of Jesus they will live according to the will of God, the Great Spirit.

But there may be thousands of meetings of his followers at the same time. Can he be present at all?

Personally, he cannot. Seated on his throne, he may yet be with them, as I have said, in spirit or thought. And then he has his ministering angels, fully representing him, and having authority to bestow gifts on those who ask; for they, to use a modern term, can telegraph to him the desires of his people's hearts, and in a moment become the medium of an immediate answer. You have no conception of the rapidity of spirit-flight through space. I could be personally far removed from this Medium, and yet be able, quick as thought, to impress him; but this power I seldom or ever exercise. I would rather be beside him, to guide him while in his present condition; for, were it otherwise, much of that which I am able to give through him would be lost. It is altogether different with the Lord our Prince; he stands on a different footing. When on Earth, his body was purer, of a better material, and never so gross as the bodies of other men; as a consequence his spirit was not so much injured in its contact with the body of dust—the clay tabernacle; and still possessing this superiority of spirit-power, he is able to communicate with those who are in harmony with him in a way far, far surpassing anything we can do.

Another promise of Jesus to his twelve disciples, before leaving them, was this—"I will not leave you comfortless. I will send the Comforter unto you, who will bring all things to your remembrance." Did he mean one distinct from his own Spirit, or what was he referring to?

That Spirit with which he was filled while in the bodily form, he could dispense with when he went to his Heavenly Kingdom (for he is King of the Heavens as well as of Earth), and he sent him forth to guide and comfort the disciples he had left behind. It was the same Spirit by whom the mighty works were done which accompanied the declaration of the truth by the disciples of Jesus, and that Spirit is still working. And at the same time he also sent out other good and holy Spirits to his poor, persecuted, and suffering followers, to comfort, to aid and guide them amid all their troubles—to impress on them those truths which he himself had taught when present in the body. I know that I was often upheld by Spirit influence in many of the troubles and trials I passed through.

But was that Spirit, which you say Jesus sent forth, the Holy Spirit who, according to the prevailing theology, was equal with the One Great and Infinite Spirit?

Oh, no, no! He was one of those High and Holy Ones near unto the Highest. He it was by whom Jesus of Nazareth was filled without measure. It would be the same were I to possess my Medium, but far be it from me to make any comparison; for this Great and Holy Spirit that was with him on Earth is infinitely beyond us. He is not of Earth. He never had a human body, but is such as the Prince himself was before he took on himself a human body.

When you meet with Jesus, the Prince, does such engagements as ours ever form the subject of conversation?

Yes, often. He does not forget you. This movement in which you are engaged is one of the great plans or schemes he has laid down for the redemption of the world, so that his teachings may have freer course—may take root and flourish in the hearts of men. Often—ah, how often! has he seen them trodden underfoot! How often has he made men to stand up boldly in defence of his truth, and beheld them fall short! But the day of revolution comes on—the day when his doctrines, now encrusted with men's theological fancies, will be cast into the crucible—will pass through the fire; when the dross shall be cast away, and the golden truth shall remain pure as it came from his lips. In that day you shall see men standing up and saying, "This is what we need!" and all men will perceive the truth and embrace it. Then, living in harmony with Jesus, they will be in harmony with God. Then will come again the golden age, when the Spirits will go forth in power, blending with the Spirits of men, and Earth become a very Heaven of happiness and peace. Death itself will be destroyed; for man, when he leaves the body, will hardly know the difference between life on Earth and life in the Spirit World.

Are the Ten Commandments, as given in the Books of Moses, of Divine origin?

I know little about the laws promulgated by the great Hebrew lawgiver. I would look on some of them as proceeding from the inspiration of good and true Spirits through the mediumship of Moses; but there are others which, in my opinion, are but man-made. We had laws in Persia (indeed, every nation had), professing to come from the Great Source; but I looked on them only as dictated by holy and good Spirits to the lawgivers—given to them and received by them as divine. Notice this, however, that, even though the work of holy Spirits, the Medium through which they communicated might have been unable to do justice to the truths sought to be imparted; and again, such Spirits, notwithstanding their good character, might have been wrong. If I thought that it was proper for me to tell you something which I believed to be right, something worth your acceptance, I would certainly do it, and yet it might turn out to be wrong. Moses was evidently well acquainted with the hieroglyphic records of Egypt, and should have known that these place Creation much further back than the time given in his account. There was something inconsistent in his character; for, besides this, notice how he himself trampled on one of the best of his laws—that which forbade the killing of a human being—by commanding the slaughter of the very people he was appointed to govern and protect. But it is not for me to criticise—faults may be found in the characters and lives of all good men in all nations.

A belief prevails among all Christian communities, founded on a statement of Jesus, that there is to be a great Day of Judgment, when the Souls of all that ever lived must appear before Jesus, some for condemnation to a never-ending punishment, and some for approval, and the enjoyment of everlasting happiness—Will you tell us what you know concerning this interesting subject?

I know very little about the sayings ascribed to Jesus, my Prince, during his ministry in Judea. Of one thing I am certain, and of which you also may be sure, that being an Eastern and surrounded by Easterns, he would frequently use figurative language to convey the truths which he desired to impart to his hearers. It may appear strange to you, but we understood figurative language easily. Indeed, an Eastern can express his ideas much better by the use of figures than without them. True, Jesus, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, is the Great Judge. But the judgment-day is the day of death, when, as a Spirit, you appear as it were before Him, from whom there is no hiding; for all is laid bare on entering the Spirit World. According as your life has been in the body, so is the judgment—so is your place in the great world of Spirits. If adjudged to the lowest, the most desolate and hopeless hell, it is still possible for the wretched Spirit to rise out of his misery. He is not forsaken, however much, in his despair, he may think so. The discipline under which he is placed will, in due time, raise him from his low condition to a better state. There are some things appertaining to Earth with which I have but recently become acquainted; indeed, I am picking up many things from our friend [the Medium] connected with the life and teachings of Jesus during his three years' work—things of which I had no knowledge. When I inquire of him in regard to such matters, he gives me the information in the way he has learned it; and then, communicating with Paul or Peter, I find that they throw quite a different light on the subject. It may appear strange to you that I should be so situated, but I am perplexed with the information I get through my Medium in regard to the doctrines taught by the followers of Jesus at the present time and vexed in spirit when I see his teachings so grossly perverted. There is a passage which the Medium has brought under my notice regarding another saying of Jesus—that some of those standing by him should not see death until he should come again, and that his coming would be at the destruction of the world. Referring this point to Paul, he said it was true spiritually, but not literally. The statement referred to the great outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost when there was an upheaving of long-cherished ideas—a moral convulsion—but not to the destruction of Earth and all its works. No; that would throw the whole planetary system into confusion; nay, more, it would destroy it. And for what end? To wipe out of mortal existence the inhabitants of Earth, which, contrasted with its sister worlds, is but as a pea to a large pebble; to throw the whole of these glorious worlds into unutterable confusion—dashing them to pieces, in order that this small globe may be put out of existence! No, no, no—it cannot be.

Hafed, Prince of Persia—His Experiences in Earth Life and Spirit Life; being spirit communications received through Mr David Duguid, the Glasgow trance-painting medium; with an appendix, containing communications from the spirit artists, Ruisdal and Steen. Illustrated by facsimiles of various drawings and writings, the direct work of the spirits; David Duguid, Hay Nisbet; James Burns, London, 1876