Preparation for a New Earthly Life

When an ascending spirit is about to be reincarnated in a new human life, they are educated by spirits of God on the conditions they will encounter in their upcoming earthly existence. They are told what the divine world expects of them, the tests they must pass as a human being, the goals they must achieve. Today, in affluent, technologically advanced societies, both the tasks as well as the dangers and temptations are different than in previous centuries, when the lives of most people were shaped by great poverty and hunger.

Joseph: God bless you. Dear brothers and sisters, we value the regular attendance at these services. We appreciate those friends who come here regularly. We also appreciate those friends who conscientiously read the journal. But we also appreciate those friends who express their bond with this community through membership. This creates a more intimate contact, a friendship between you and us; indeed, it is an avowal. And so we want to be good friends to you. We want not only to support you in the difficulties of your life – rather, it is chiefly in the world beyond where our support comes into play. You will then be grateful when you are led forward by spirits of God with a steady hand and a sure step. Just as you acknowledge this connection here, so will the spirits of God acknowledge you. They will stand by you and support you, just as one supports a good friend who needs help. All of you who have an intimate connection with us will receive this help.

We are well aware how much must be overcome to arrive at this heartfelt attitude toward us. But we also know how many doubts arise here and there in one person or another. These are tests, and one person emerges from this test successfully, another fails. Some are loyal to us for a certain period of time, and suddenly they turn away from us, they abandon the good friend, they do not value him or her. They should not then be surprised when this friendship is no longer nurtured by the spiritual world, when they are not welcomed and guided by the spiritual world in the same way as are those who had an alliance with it. Many are unable to properly grasp what it means. But those who always muster the energy to come here regularly will also receive their reward. I would like to say that for the delight of all those who do so.

But even those who live far away can be intimately united with us in spirit – those who are unable to come here but who would so dearly like to attend the services in person. It depends entirely on the ardency, on the longing, on the diligence. They can receive the same share as those who come here. But this is meant only for those who are unable to attend regularly.

If people actually knew what they receive here – if they could see how much they benefit from it, but only if they could see it – then they would certainly not be absent. But since they see nothing and since life anyway moves forward, they choose the easy way. So, on one occasion they use this as an excuse for not attending the services, and on another occasion they use some other excuse. But that is a matter for each individual; they will experience it later. And it is certainly a good and beautiful thing when those who are always in attendance here also receive a special reward, a special grace, and when they are one day led upward without hesitation by a spirit of God with a steady hand and a sure step.

Now, dear brothers and sisters, time and again you hear something from us about God’s order, about the spiritual laws; we are able to present them to you by means of examples. In this hour also I would again like to give you an insight into the divine laws. And so I will tell you about a man who lived on earth about three hundred years ago. He had a good heart, he was helpful; the spirit world of God was pleased with him. He had a large number of children at home as well as his own parents, for whom he also had to provide. He made a living as a day laborer, and this is how he had to provide for his family.

When he returned to the world beyond, he was rewarded for having conscientiously carried out his work. This conscientiousness was rewarded to the extent possible, because he had diligently looked for work. This cannot be compared to today. Today, it is certain that no human being would be rewarded for having conscientiously gone about their work. This is a matter of course nowadays; if a human being wants to live a comfortable, pleasant, and nice life, they must work. What is more, should they not hold down a job, they would offend society’s norms. In the spiritual world there is, therefore, no longer a reward for conscientiously attending to one’s work. But in those days, at the time when this man lived, one was rewarded for it, because there was not this earthly wealth that there is today; back then it was not so easy to always find work. It was also the case that a person would have only one set of Sunday clothes throughout their whole life; and this outfit, which would perhaps be worn for the first time at their wedding, would eventually be taken to the grave. These clothes were cared for, they had to last an entire lifetime. This was one’s Sunday best, which one would take to the grave.

At the time when this man lived, he did not face the test of abstaining from a life of excessive indulgence. One could not succumb to gambling or infidelity. These many tests that are given to human beings today were not faced by people back then, or only by a very few. That is why industriousness was rewarded: hard work, diligence in providing for one’s family – this was rewarded. How lonely and simple life was back then. Those people did not encounter as many temptations as today, and these great demands were not placed on them. They had other things to contend with, there were other difficulties.

But what was of importance even at that time, and has remained so to this day, was service to others: one had to support one’s neighbor, because back then there were natural disasters and various other catastrophes, disease, epidemics and suchlike. One depended on the help of one’s neighbor and was grateful for it. And in earlier times one was more willing to assist others and to give from the little one had. After all, those people possessed nothing of value, and so they could not be tested in this respect – whether they would be so generous and tolerant. Their stinginess could indeed be tested to some extent, but back then materialism could not come to expression in the way that it can today; people were not subject to as many temptations in this respect. So, many people had a good heart, because in many places there was hardship, and one shared one’s fate with others. After all, people did not have this medical care that there is today. People lived simply, very simply, but they were able to be content in their simplicity. Indeed, they knew nothing else.

And when they entered the spiritual world, and this goodness of heart and conscientiousness could be seen in them, which they demonstrated through their hard work, then this was rewarded. Because even back then there were people who were work-shy. It was also not so easy to find work every day; people did not have these comfortable modes of transport like today – they would have to walk for days on end, it was arduous, it was not easy. And because it was bound up with struggle, those who demonstrated diligence were rewarded at that time; and punishment awaited those who were unwilling and work-shy. For it was certainly not to everyone’s liking to walk long distances to find work.

The spirit I am talking about, with whom the spirit world of God was pleased – who had provided for a family with many children as well as for his parents – was rewarded in the spiritual world. And he was able to ascend a few steps, for he had served others. The spirit world of God was pleased with him; he had done the best he could according to the level of development at that time.

But preparations are now made in the spiritual world for the future, and it is made clear to these ascending souls: “This one life is not the end of it, for you have only been tested on a few things. Further tests will now come upon you, but these can only be imposed on you in a new time period, when development on earth has progressed further. You will enter a new epoch, a new phase of development, and you will have to pass through it.” In the world beyond, however, this particular returned soul first had to be educated on the divine laws; the plan of salvation, the plan of order had to be explained to him, the plan of creation. The homecomer had to gain insight into God’s order. And there was plenty of time to give him these teachings. He was also given insight into the advancement of humankind as well as into the advancement of beings in the beyond. He was allowed to survey the whole advancement; this is how he could be best instructed.

But in the spiritual world, where one lives without material concerns, without physical impediments, afflictions, complaints, life is much easier; yes, it is so well ordered. In the world beyond there is not this money that human beings have. This money that is bound up with so much blood, so many tears, so much filth – this is unknown in the beyond. And because of this, so much evil is done away with. For it is this money that gives rise to so much strife; there are wars, conflicts both large and small, fraud, robbery, murder and the like – all because of money. And human beings burden themselves with this money when they do not know the balance they must maintain, when they do not properly understand what Christ said to that rich young man who came to him and asked what he would have to do to reach the kingdom of heaven. Christ answered him, “Sell everything, give away everything you have; follow me. Leave behind everything that seems valuable to you; and then come, follow me.” And this young man went away sad. (Matthew 19:16–22.)

And it is still the same today. Many people are unable to stay free of this earthly substance, of this matter – I say: stay free. It goes without saying that human beings need something to live on. But there is a tendency, an addiction to earthly wealth, be that money or other kinds of possessions – simply earthly riches. If one sells one’s heart and soul for these riches, then one will not be led upward with a steady hand and a sure step in the divine world.

Well, you can draw your own comparisons between life at that time and life today, and you can picture how the training of this soul proceeded. In the spiritual world one has the prevision, one can foresee the future, one sees the fulfillment of the main development. One knows which stages will be fulfilled, which path of suffering human beings will have to traverse, the kind of catastrophes that will come over them; if they are unchangeable, they are firmly inscribed. But the spirit world of God also sees the progress that human beings will make through their technology, through their endeavors. Indeed, it sees what will happen many thousands of years in advance; it does not see all the details, but it recognizes the most important developments that are recorded in God’s plan that serve humankind’s ascent and progress. And these will be fulfilled.

Now, I explained that this soul was given insight into the development, into the ascent of human beings and also into the spiritual ascent in the beyond. He was also prepared for his new earthly life in accordance with this. It is made clear to all such souls whose last life lay so far in the past and who are now being prepared for a new life on earth that they must be instructed on the progress of human beings. Accordingly, the dangers that their future life will hold are pointed out to them. They are told, “If you go about your work diligently in this coming life, you will not be rewarded for it this time, because it will have become a matter of course. But other tests will come upon you. You will, for example, be tested to see whether you are capable of administering another’s wealth honestly. You will be tested to see whether you are a peaceable character; you will be tested on your tolerance, your humbleness, your kindness. This is what you must now prove in your new life; you must demonstrate that you are able to go through and pass these tests, for other conditions will prevail, other demands will be made of you. In your last life you were not in a position to administer the wealth of another – because such a situation simply never arose, because the people you lived with possessed nothing – but in your new life there is a possibility that you will be entrusted with another’s wealth. And then you will see the temptation, it will come upon you. In your new life you will also be tested on the strength of your fidelity. Remaining faithful to your partner until death was a matter of course in your last life, but in your new life it will no longer be so, for the temptations are so great.”

So, these souls are made aware of the dangers. It is explained to them that the possibility of greed exists, that they may become selfish, and that they will be punished if they fail to withstand these temptations. And then these souls, who are being prepared for their next earthly life in the spiritual world, are given the opportunity to test themselves. This test may, for example, consist of such a soul – in accordance with their level of development – being temporarily entrusted with another’s property with the request that they preserve it, care for it as if it were their own, and then return it again. When it comes to such a test, there is also the possibility to temporarily entrust someone with something in the spiritual world, be that a precious object or be that another’s home, which they will have to look after and maintain. So, the spiritual world also has ways to provide tests.

Alternatively, the spiritual world sends these souls as companions to human beings; it brings them to the gloss of the earthly world and would like to observe how they conduct themselves alongside human beings. The high spirit world will then choose the paths upon which they will bring this and that soul into their new earthly lives; the channels into which they will be led are then calculated, such that everything can be fulfilled.

So, one such soul will perhaps pass several of their tests but fail in one of their main tests. And when they once again return to the spiritual world, they will be judged differently. They will be treated with greater strictness and severity. For if a human being has received much on earth, then God will also demand more of them.

When you consider the fact that compared to earlier times people today can eat such a varied diet, that God has given human beings so many possibilities to live well, then you should receive all this with gratitude. But you should also be aware that you owe something to God. This debt consists of having to live according to the laws of God. This is the exchange – perhaps that is a better word than “debt”. You have to present this exchange to God by obeying his laws, by bringing his holy will to expression. This is what God demands of human beings; in return he gives generously, in abundance.

So, people of today must be clear on this: if they are allowed to have so many modern comforts, if this has been achieved and fought for by themselves and by their fellow human beings, then it is because God has allowed it – they are allowed to have it. But they must not become a slave to these comforts; they must not burden themselves with them. And when you see and experience all this great diversity, then you must realize that you yourselves also have much more to give and achieve than people did one, two, or three hundred years ago, that God demands much more of human beings today than in the past.

And it was the same with this soul I am telling you about. He was instructed so carefully, as I explained, and then he had to step into a new earthly life and face all these things. When this human being found himself in the midst of life, all these temptations came upon him. He was now tested on his tolerance, on his peaceableness, on his generosity, on his kindness, on his humbleness. He now had to prove himself capable of these things. For he had already been set small tests in the spiritual world, and he had been rebuked when he had not passed them, and he had been encouraged when necessary. He had, therefore, been carefully prepared for his earthly life. And if a soul has been prepared so painstakingly, then a corresponding amount will also be demanded of them as a human being. For the spirit world of God takes special care of those whom it expects to be capable of undertaking and fulfilling higher tasks. It will not impose great tasks on a weak person and expect them to fulfill them; only little is demanded of those who are weak.

And when you step among your peers, who would want to feel spiritually weak? Everyone wants to have acquired sufficient spiritual insights, everyone wants to be spiritually elevated. Well, then you must not forget that you also have much to accomplish. The spirit world not only demands the fulfillment of tasks in one particular field – you have to prove yourselves in all areas of virtuousness. It should not be that you fail in one particular field and succeed elsewhere; for you will then be unable to progress spiritually, you will remain at a standstill. And you will once again have to go through the same life, with similar conditions, and then prove that you are indeed capable of progressing upward. And when the spirit world of God is eager to bring a particular individual upward, great care is taken with every preparation for their new life.

This brother now had to provide these proofs in his new earthly life. He did not, however, fulfill all of his tasks. And when he returned to the world beyond he was reprimanded. He was told that much more had been demanded of him, for he had been prepared with great care and attention before his earthly life, and the life he had left behind had not turned out as expected following this painstaking preparation – he had not come through it as expected.

When this soul returned home, he recognized what he had done wrong and was willing to make amends. But it was now a matter of purging the vices that he had absorbed into his soul during his last earthly life – his craving for earthly possessions, or this or that burden. So, such a soul must once again be tended to; that which the human being brought into disorder in life must now be put in order. And this is not always an easy path; it is sometimes painful for a returned soul to go through purification. For it is primarily a matter of ridding themselves of the burden that clings to them. And they cannot simply shake it off just because they are now in the world beyond and repentant and because they see the might of God. They cannot simply shed this burden so easily. Only slowly are they released from this burden, only slowly do the insights come, the right insights. So, for some this takes a long time; they must pass through a hard purification before this insight reaches them and before they have made amends to some degree.

Well, many who return fare just like this brother. Many souls are prepared so carefully for their new life and do not pass their tests as human beings. And when you now consider how many mistakes you are always being made aware of, how we explain time and again what you should and should not do, then this certainly has a meaning. If you are unable to grasp it today in your earthly life, the time will come when you do – but not in this world. But then the possibility to make rapid progress will not be as great as on this earth.

That is the wonderful thing about this earthly life: through it you can accelerate your ascent; through this earthly life you have the opportunity to climb several levels in your ascent – you accelerate your upward flight. In the spiritual world itself, it is not possible to ascend so rapidly. You can see for yourselves how many temptations come upon you nowadays in all areas of your life, all the areas in which you have to prove yourselves. And when it is one day a question of being perfect, then one must pass every test. So, you can also see how hard the upward path is and how long.

Well, dear brothers and sisters, I have once again given you insight into these divine laws. My explanations should serve in giving you new impetus in your upward flight. You should recognize from them that we are close to you, that we are always ready to help and guide you. How many brothers, how many sisters have already been allowed to receive this blessing, this support in their lives. And we always rejoice to hear: “I felt how I was guided. I felt how they stood by my side.” We delight in this.

Now, dear brothers and sisters, may the blessing of God strengthen you, may you be able to fulfill your tasks in your world. God bless you.

Lecture by spirit-teacher Joseph, received in German through the medium Beatrice Brunner at the Academy of Music in Zurich, 27 June 1964

oversatt;
Forberedelse til et nytt jordisk liv

Når en oppstigende ånd er i ferd med å bli reinkarnert i et nytt menneskeliv,

de er utdannet av Guds ånder på de forholdene de vil møte under

deres kommende jordiske eksistens. De blir fortalt hva den guddommelige verden

forventer av dem, testene de må bestå som menneske, målene de

må oppnå. I dag, i velstående, teknologisk avanserte samfunn, begge deler

oppgavene samt farene og fristelsene er annerledes enn i

tidligere århundrer, da livene til folk flest ble formet av store

fattigdom og sult.

Joseph: Gud velsigne deg. Kjære brødre og søstre, vi setter pris på det vanlige

oppmøte på disse gudstjenestene. Vi setter pris på de vennene som kommer hit

jevnlig. Vi setter også pris på de vennene som samvittighetsfullt leser

tidsskrift. Men vi setter også pris på de vennene som uttrykker sitt bånd med

dette fellesskapet gjennom medlemskap. Dette skaper en mer intim kontakt, en

vennskap mellom deg og oss; ja, det er en erklæring. Og det ønsker vi å være

gode venner til deg. Vi ønsker ikke bare å støtte deg i vanskelighetene med

ditt liv – snarere, det er hovedsakelig i verden utenfor hvor vår støtte

spiller inn. Du vil da være takknemlig når du blir ledet frem av

Guds ånder med stødig hånd og et sikkert skritt. Akkurat som du erkjenner

denne forbindelsen her, så vil Guds ånder anerkjenne deg. De vil

stå ved deg og støtte deg, akkurat som man støtter en god venn som trenger

hjelp. Alle dere som har en intim forbindelse med oss vil få dette

hjelp.

Vi er godt klar over hvor mye som må overvinnes for å komme frem til dette inderlige

holdning til oss. Men vi vet også hvor mye tvil som oppstår her og der inne

en eller annen person. Dette er tester, og en person kommer ut av dette

test vellykket, en annen mislykkes. Noen er lojale mot oss i en viss periode

av tid, og plutselig vender de seg bort fra oss, de forlater den gode vennen,

de verdsetter ham eller henne ikke. De bør da ikke bli overrasket når dette

vennskap næres ikke lenger av den åndelige verden, når de ikke er det

velkommen og ledet av den åndelige verden på samme måte som de som

hadde en allianse med det. Mange er ikke i stand til å forstå hva det betyr.

Men de som alltid samler energien til å komme hit regelmessig vil også

motta sin belønning. Jeg vil gjerne si det til glede for alle disse

som gjør det.

Men selv de som bor langt unna kan være intimt forent med oss i ånden

– de som ikke kan komme hit, men som så gjerne vil være med

tjenestene personlig. Det avhenger helt av gløden, av lengselen,

på flid. De kan få samme andel som de som kommer hit.

Men dette er kun ment for de som ikke kan delta regelmessig.

Hvis folk faktisk visste hva de mottar her – hvis de kunne se hvor mye

de drar nytte av det, men bare hvis de kunne se det – da ville de

absolutt ikke være fraværende. Men siden de ikke ser noe og siden livet uansett

går videre, velger de den enkle veien. Så ved en anledning bruker de dette

som en unnskyldning for ikke å delta på gudstjenestene, og ved en annen anledning de

bruk en annen unnskyldning. Men det er en sak for hver enkelt; de vil

oppleve det senere. Og det er absolutt en god og vakker ting når

de som alltid er tilstede her får også en spesiell belønning, en

spesiell nåde, og når de en dag ledes oppover uten å nøle av en

Guds ånd med en stødig hånd og et sikkert skritt.

Nå, kjære brødre og søstre, gang på gang hører dere noe fra oss

om Guds orden, om de åndelige lovene; vi er i stand til å presentere dem for

deg ved hjelp av eksempler. Også i denne timen vil jeg igjen gi deg

et innblikk i de guddommelige lover. Og så skal jeg fortelle deg om en mann som

levde på jorden for rundt tre hundre år siden. Han hadde et godt hjerte, det hadde han

hjelpsom; Guds åndeverden var fornøyd med ham. Han hadde et stort antall

av barn hjemme samt sine egne foreldre, som han også måtte for

gi. Han livnærte seg som dagarbeider, og slik måtte han

forsørge familien sin.

Da han kom tilbake til verden utenfor, ble han belønnet for å ha

samvittighetsfullt utførte sitt arbeid. Denne samvittighetsfullheten ble belønnet for

så langt det var mulig, for han hadde flittig søkt arbeid. Dette kan ikke

sammenlignes med i dag. I dag er det sikkert at ingen mennesker ville vært det

belønnet for samvittighetsfullt å ha utført arbeidet sitt. Dette er en sak

selvfølgelig i dag; hvis et menneske ønsker å leve et behagelig, hyggelig,

og fint liv, de må jobbe. Dessuten bør de ikke holde nede en

jobb, ville de krenke samfunnets normer. I den åndelige verden er det,

derfor ikke lenger en belønning for samvittighetsfullt å ivareta ens arbeid.

Men i de dager, på den tiden da denne mannen levde, ble man belønnet for det,

fordi det ikke var denne jordiske rikdommen som det er i dag