Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/7103

7103 Wrong interpretation of the Scriptures.... The working of the spirit....

April 26, 1958: Book 76

You humans often interpret the Words of the Scriptures according to your need.... The spiritual meaning of the Word does not correspond to the aims and plans you pursue, and you interpret the letter which can have various meanings. Consequently, many errors were spread among people who nevertheless tenaciously hold on to them by always referring to passages in the Scriptures. It has become almost impossible to expose and eradicate these errors, because the spiritual darkness keeps deepening the closer the end is approaching. Even so, precisely these errors are the cliffs which can cause people to fail, who strive to find the truth yet then start to doubt and finally use the same doubts to oppose everything written in the Book of Books.... If they are strict seekers of truth, then they will find the truth, if only by different means than the usual, through the proclaimers of God's Word.... However, if they lack the necessary earnestness for truth, they will easily be satisfied with those errors in order to completely detach themselves from believing or from religious doctrines, which nevertheless can correspond to truth. This is the great danger inherent in every misguided teaching.... Wrong interpretation of the Scriptures can be assigned to the influence of God's adversary as well, for he also tries to instigate much confusion within the circles of people willing to believe, and, if he can exert his influence on their leader, he will have succeeded in causing immense darkness. Many Words of the Scriptures are indeed encrypted, that is, their meaning is not self-evident to the human intellect, they can be differently interpreted and will only be correctly interpreted when the person's spirit has awakened and wants to ascertain their meaning. It is God's will that people should read every Word with complete sincerity, with the desire for truth and in contact with Him.... so that God Himself can speak to them, and then He will truly educate and enlighten them correctly. But since God's 'supposed' representatives usually allow their intellect to speak first, since they study and ponder in order to discover the meaning of the Word, its spiritual meaning will remain concealed from them until they are in closest contact with God and appeal for His spirit.... And the spirit of God will instruct them correctly, but it will always reveal the same to people. No person should deem himself capable of understanding the Word of God by himself.... by merely using his intellect.... and no person should deem himself entitled to interpret it without God's support....

No person ought to believe that performing formal prayers is sufficient in order to ensure divine support for himself. God expects more.... He expects a life of love which shapes the heart into a receiving vessel for the divine spirit, because He can only unite with 'love', and because His spirit can only take effect in a person who has shaped himself into love.... And from this it is evident again how an interpretation can be assessed in relation to truth.... Even the sharpest intellect is incapable of ascertaining the truth where a way of life makes it impossible for God's spirit to manifest itself, for the working of the spirit cannot be replaced by intellectual activity. So many misguided teachings could not have been spread in the world had this basic rule always been observed that 'thorns cannot yield any fruit....' And precisely those people who were great helpers for God's adversary distinguished themselves most with interpretations and translations of the Scriptures, although the results only revealed themselves at a later time, because they led to divisions and disputes and caused ever more confusion. And it is only possible to tackle such errors again with the pure truth from God, the transmission of which, therefore, also necessitates an awakened spirit. But only people who live in love and offer the indwelling spirit the opportunity of igniting a light in people's heart will accept such corrections.... However, only the truth results in blessings.... Every error is an obstacle on the way of ascent. For this reason the pure truth should be proclaimed emphatically by those who receive it from God Himself. For this is the task they were given at the same time as they received the truth, because only truth is light and only truth leads to beatitude....

Amen

Translated by Heidi Hanna