Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/6041

6041 Attitudes of worldly people to the gospel....

September 2, 1954: Book 65

You will not transform the worldly people, no matter how much knowledge you have at your disposal. They do not recognize it and persist in their attitude towards life and God.... Bringing the gospel to worldly people will only be successful when they have recognized that their aim is only transient and that suddenly all earthly striving seems useless to them.... Then your words will also resonate and make them think, and then there will be a possibility that they will have the desire for lasting good and that they will seriously consider the state after death. That is why it is often a blessing when such people are hit by great losses, when the transience of earthly things and also of the human being himself is brought home to them. It is an apparent misfortune which deprives people of their possessions, very often the very circumstance which helps a person to change his thinking and guides him into a completely different path. And especially in the end time this means of violence will often have to be used, and therefore many people will still be considerably affected.... Earthly opportunities for success will vanish, the sudden death of fellow human beings will cause pain and horror, natural disasters or accidents will destroy earthly possessions.... In every way people will be presented with the transience of what they desire and set as their earthly aim.... And individuals will learn from this, they will abandon their earthly endeavours and only use their strength to achieve spiritual success.... But there will only ever be a few, because the lord of the world blinds the others and arouses their desires, so that they now chase after earthly treasures even more bitterly and are also supported by him the more they become addicted to him. Preaching the gospel to these is fruitless.... But it is about the few who can still be saved, and that is why attempts are to be made everywhere, especially in times where decay and transience are obvious. For it is only ever a matter of turning people's eyes away from matter and towards the spiritual, and this is possible when he is affected by losses of all kinds.... And in the coming time humanity will still be greatly shaken, for much must still be taken from it so that it will learn to recognize the worthlessness of that which fills all its thoughts and aspirations....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers