Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/7782

7782 Concept of eternity.... God's plan of salvation....

December 27, 1960: Book 81

The upward development of the fallen spiritual substance took place over infinitely long periods of time, infinitely long times were necessary before the earthly-material creation was shaped to such an extent that it could offer the already more mature spiritual substance a place to stay and help it to serve.... and infinitely long times were necessary until the spiritual being had developed to maturity through service in a state of compulsion, so that it could now walk the earth as a human being, so that it was allowed to animate a material form again, which, however, no longer walked the earth in a state of compulsion but had regained free will.... but which was also given the same task to mature: to serve.... But now this service was no longer a compulsion but had to be exercised in free will, in love.... But then it guaranteed the spiritual a becoming free from all form.... These endless long periods of time of the human being's pre-development, i.e. his soul, can well be described with the word 'eternities'; and yet they are limited in time, i.e. they once temporally come to an end.... But eternity lies before the human being, for the soul of the human being is imperishable, it remains in existence for all eternity.... While it is still in an imperfect state on earth as a human being, the state in eternity shall be perfect, because this is and remains the divine creator's aim to be able to create and shape with equally perfect beings in the spiritual kingdom. For you humans it is impossible to grasp what God has set as His aim. But you know one thing, that He can only work together with 'perfect' beings. And you should try to achieve this perfection while still on earth, which is also possible.... The father only puts His children to the test of will for a short period of time and, after the infinitely long course of development before, this time on earth is truly like a moment, because the father's greater than great love no longer wants to cause His children long agonies, so that love for the father will push them towards Him and they will seek to fulfil His will out of love: to voluntarily serve Him.... And this short earthly journey determines the state of the soul in eternity.... But it can also lead back to the abyss again, which again means a course of development into agony and darkness, but the natural consequence is a change of earth as a human being contrary to God's will. And yet, it cannot be avoided because the last perfection has to be achieved in free will and therefore no coercion whatsoever may be done to the human being. Once the soul looks back on its earthly path.... which includes the whole process of pre-development.... then it will grasp all correlations in bright realization, and then it will also know that the soul's 'perfection' has required this process and that the soul itself determines the duration of its maturing.... And yet it will be blissful even if it has prolonged its earthly progress through its own fault, for it will only possess this realization in the state of perfection.... when it has become an overcomer, because love has unfolded in it into bright fervour.... For love will stimulate it into service, and then it will also have reached the aim on earth which secures its release from every form. What lies in the past can still be so agonizing.... once it will be overcome.... But the soul does not cease to be eternally, and the final aim truly outweighs all previous suffering and torment, and beatitude never comes to an end again.... And this is God's plan of salvation, which can only be revealed to you humans in a small way, but which is truly founded in God's love and wisdom and is also carried out by His power.... For He longs for His "children" and wants to create and work with them for eternity...._>Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers