Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3592

3592 Stage of ignorance.... knowledge....

November 2, 1945: Book 46

In the stages of the human being's preliminary development the will of the spiritual is still bound, and therefore its ascent development is certain, because the bound will signifies a natural law fulfilling itself in divine order, thus the will of the spiritual subordinates itself to divine will, even if in a certain state of compulsion. This preliminary development is therefore a transitional stage between complete immaturity, i.e. remoteness from God, and the stage where the spiritual is so far developed that it can recognize itself as being far from God and now consciously strive towards God. And the spiritual being must have reached this degree of recognition before it can embody itself as a human being to pass the last test of will on earth. The fallen spiritual being's complete ignorance would prevent it from consciously striving upwards, for the darkness which keeps it imprisoned in utmost distance from God is ignorance of the highest being from Whom it once emerged in perfection. The being must be led out of this total darkness into a state where it can recognize light if it is willing. And thus the stage as a human being is at the same time a stage of light which can unfold from the weakest twilight to the brightest illuminating power if the human being wants it himself.... i.e., the human being has the ability to recognize, and he can change the state of ignorance into a state of deepest knowledge and thus step out of the darkness of spiritual night into the brightest light of day. Only his will must become active itself. The spiritual night is no longer impenetrable at the beginning of his embodiment as a human being, it has given way to an exceedingly weak twilight.... the success of the endless long earthly walk before, where the spiritual had to pass through deepest darkness under God's guidance, but which it did not recognize. It would be impossible for the spiritual being to cover this long path without God's assistance, and thus if it did not reach the certain degree of maturity in the state of compulsion it would eternally remain distant from God, in utmost weakness, and the gulf would be unbridgeable. God Himself therefore created the bridge through His work of creation, which only serves to force the beingness to travel a path which it could and would never cover of its own strength and will. Nevertheless, even in the stage as a human being the spiritual is still in danger of increasing the distance from God instead of decreasing it, because now free will comes into action, thus the human being can oppose the law of divine order, divine will, and he then remains in complete ignorance about the nature of God, which is equal to the state of darkness before. And now God gives him extraordinary help again through Jesus Christ, the divine redeemer.... Where the human being's will is too weak but is not curtailed by God in its freedom, it can be strengthened through God's help, yet the human being's free will is also required for this, for the final redemption from the form applies, which can only take place in free will. The spiritual being is so weak of itself that help has to be granted to it throughout its time of development, whatever God's love is willing to do. But in the last stage the being has to help, it has to want to be helped itself, then it can easily pass the last test of earthly life, it can come to realization and consciously strive towards God, with the help of the divine redeemer it can muster an exceedingly strong will and reach its aim in a short time.... to completely detach itself from the realm of darkness, to bridge the gulf to God, and to return to the state of strength and freedom which was its original state.... to be intimately united with God again and to live in bliss for all eternity....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers