Home
News
Vision
The 7 Phases
Books
Articles
Related articles
The counterforces
About Margarete
Quotes / Test
Links / Contact
   |
EasterBeginning of the New Heaven and the New Earth By Margarete van den BrinkTranslated by Philip Mees We can view the Christian festivals of Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost in different ways. We may consider them as specific religious events in the year, each of which has its own theme separate from the others. We may also view them as a journey, a way that shows us how the high Christ Spirit came to the earth and step by step connected himself ever deeper with us human beings and the earth. The journey of ChristIf we follow the latter, Christmas becomes the festival on which the birth of Jesus, the later bearer of the Christ Spirit, is commemorated. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, also called Epiphany, then becomes the second step on this journey. During the Baptism in the Jordan the Spirit of Christ descended onto Jesus of Nazareth and became active in him. Thus the human being Jesus became Jesus Christ, the bearer on earth of the divine Christ Spirit. The Christ Being continued to penetrate deeper into humanity. After the Baptism in the Jordan followed the events on Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. All of these reflect phases in the process of connection that Christ entered into with us human beings and the earth. What are Good Friday and Easter about? To find a real answer we must first ask the question of why Christ came to the earth. And: Who is Christ really? Who is Christ?For this we have to consult the insights of esoteric Christianity, which says that Christ as God the Son, together with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, forms part of the highest Godhead, the Trinity. As such he has his origin in divine worlds that far transcend the highest spiritual light worlds. Christ is not only Christ. He also bears in him the high divine powers of the Sun Spirit and the Logos, the divine creative Word. It is from the Logos, the creative World Word that works in Christ, that the entire creation has emanated, both the cosmos with its solar systems and the earth with all that lives on it. God the Son, the Christ Being, forms the heart of the Triune God and is thus love itself. He is a Being so great and so all-encompassing that we earthly humans can hardly imagine it. Why did this lofty divine being come to the earth and humanity? He descended to the earth because a totally new phase had to begin in human evolution. In the history of humanity an old development was coming to an end. A completely new development had to begin. The spiritual transition from the old time to the new, however, was so drastic that it could only be accomplished by a high divine being. How can we understand that? The old creationThe Bible speaks of the old creation and the new creation.1 The old creation refers to the situation on earth that grew from primeval times to the events on Golgotha. Once, in the infinitely distant past, out of divine speaking of the creative Word, the foundation was laid for the present cosmos and the earth and all that is on it. Via the elements of warmth, air, and water, what the Word had brought about densified and crystallized into the solid forms and mineral materiality of human beings, plants, animals, and nature as we now know it. In this first creation the divine Spirit worked from the outside in. Why was the creation needed? Purpose of the creationThe creation down to the physical-material world was needed because only there the right conditions could be created that enabled spiritual beings to become free, autonomous human individuals. And as such, in a subsequent big step, they could bring their core, their spiritual being, to development. In this process, they could then rise to ever higher levels of consciousness, wisdom, and love. Such a development to freedom and autonomy is only possible outside the divine world. A characteristic of life in the physical-material condition of the earth is that besides the good spiritual beings, there are also spiritual forces that pull us humans ever deeper into the world of matter and want to tear us loose from everything divine and spiritual. They whisper in our ear: “The existence of a spiritual world, of God? That is really an illusion. In the past, people believed that; they didn't know any better. But that time is past. We are now living in modern times. Everything depends on ourselves now.” With words like this they try to tear people loose from the last remnant of spiritual forces that carried them to that point. The increasing effect of these counterforces is one of the factors behind the decline of the “old creation” and, with it, of us human beings. DeclineThe truth of this can be observed everywhere. As human beings, we no longer know where we come from and where we are going. We no longer know that there is life before birth and life after death. We no longer know why we are on earth and what the purpose of our life is. Even leading figures in the churches don't know the answers to these questions anymore. Our thinking and our orientation have become bare and flat. Values and norms are disappearing, while egoism, profit motives, aggression, and violence are increasing. We are witnessing this behavior in the exploitation and destruction of nature on Mother Earth. More than constructive forces, there are forces working in our society that destroy things. It is clear: we have lost the way. This is also the reason why the spiritual need is so high among people and the inner emptiness so deep. NecessityAnd yet, it was and is necessary for us human beings to go through all of this. On the one hand, we could only become autonomous thinkers and feelers with our own self-consciousness through a freer connection with the divine world, so that we could make our own choices between good and evil. On the other hand, through suffering our decline and negativity we inwardly wake up, begin to reflect, and ask ourselves questions. Why do we human beings actually exist? Why do we live, do I live, on earth? What is the point of life? What is needed for human development to keep going? To create human beings who ask questions like that out of their own experience and self-consciousness—that was the purpose of the first creation. Many millions of years of work and sacrifice by the cosmic hierarchical, creative beings have made us the autonomous personalities we are today. That means that, as was said before, the goal of the first creation was reached. However, everything that reaches its goal goes into decline. Negative, destructive powers then get the upper hand. That is what is going on in our current world. The spiritual powers of the old creation endure, but at the same time new spiritual forces want to be born in us. That causes crises and conflict. It is evident: if our development as humanity is to continue, it asks for daring to make steps into the unknown, and for developing completely new capacities out of courage and insight into our own inner world and into our relationships with fellow humans. For it is only through our inner being that we humans can build a new relationship with the divine world, the new creation. A new impulse from the GodheadWithin the old creation this step was not possible. The new world demanded a completely new impulse from the divine world. Such a renewing impulse could only come from a very lofty divine being. This being was God the Son, the Sun Logos, Christ, the Spirit of Love. With this intention he descended from infinite heights in the divine world to give himself to the earth.2 He meant to let his divine, renewing forces stream into human beings, plants, animals, and nature. Then only could a new connection with the divine world arise on earth and could in human beings their deepest essence be born. The crucifixion and the redeeming bloodThe instreaming of these renewing divine forces was only possible through a sacrificial deed, which was the crucifixion and death on Golgotha. In order to perform this redemptive deed a physical, earthly body was needed. For only as a God become man could Christ accomplish what he had come to do.3 This was the reason why at the Baptism in the Jordan the Christ Spirit connected himself with the human being Jesus of Nazareth, and gradually took full possession of his body and soul. This was a process that took place during the three years of his life after the Baptism in the Jordan. When that process was complete in the year 33, on Good Friday, the greatest event of all time took place. On that day he, the high Sun Logos, the God of Love, was crucified on Golgotha. Why?The question comes up: Why was something horrendous like crucifixion necessary? Because only in that way could the divine blood of Christ connect itself with the earth and humanity. Blood is the bearer of the spirit and of life. In the blood of us regular earthly humans, life forces and death forces are mixed together. For that reason we are mortal. Jesus' blood, however, had been completely transformed from inside by the Christ Spirit into pure, divine substance and had in this process become the bearer of imperishable, untouchable, eternal life. When at the crucifixion the blood of Christ flowed onto the earth, the whole creation, all of humanity, all that lives was permeated down into its physicality with the healing, renewing, and imperishable divine forces of Christ. And thus it was all from the inside out connected with the divine world in a new way. In this new creation Christ was to be permanently active.4 The new heaven and the new earthThe event of Easter, Christ's resurrection from death on Easter morning and his appearance in a new body, demonstrates that he had succeeded in fulfilling the first big part of his task. Ever since Easter of the year 33, in addition to the forces of the old creation, those of the new creation have also worked in human beings and all that lives on the earth—the new healing life forces of Christ who went through death and resurrection. Because of this we may say: On Good Friday and Easter a beginning was made with the new heaven and the new earth. In this new creation the Resurrected Christ is the divine leader. John the Evangelist points to this.5 The words of the resurrected Christ declare it also: “All creative power in heaven and on earth has been given me,” 6 as do his words in the Book of Revelation: “See, I make all things new.” 7 These words and this perspective are a consolation in a time like ours when so much is falling apart and happens that evokes insecurity and fear. Thanks to Good Friday and Easter we may experience that in our old world new creative forces are also working. For despite the dark, downward, negative powers, the renewing light- and love forces of the resurrected Christ are gradually lighting up more and are bringing new impulses that make new developments possible. From these we will draw the courage, the strength, and confidence to keep going, in the awareness that our development as human beings to higher levels of existence progresses undiminished with the help of Christ, who ever since Golgotha is always with us, whatever happens.
|
