Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/8108

8108 What is meant by "eternities"....

February 22, 1962: Book 85

The former apostasy of the spirits from God has extended over endless ages.... Eternities passed during which the light-shining host of spirits was inexpressibly blissful in His nearness.... Eternities passed before the slow transformation took place in the original spirits, where again and again God's strength of love flooded them and they were devoted to Him and then again free will moved them to turn away from God.... And eternities passed again until these beings decided to finally turn away from God.... This process in the realm of the spirits cannot be comprehended with human understanding, for something that was created most perfectly reversed its fundamental nature, it took on a completely opposite nature, and thus a world full of wretchedness arose, a world of darkness and torment.... which is also incomprehensible to human understanding.... But this process did take place and was the cause of creation, which is to bring about the return of all fallen beings to God from Whom they originated. But the act of creation also took an infinitely long time, for all material creations were, as it were, spiritual substances 'on their way back' which had to ascend again just as they had once fallen into the abyss.... which therefore could not pass over any phase and therefore also took a long time for the emergence of creation. Every work of creation contained fallen spiritual substance in the various degrees of its development.... And the time was also endlessly long before the fallen spiritual, which had hardened into solid substance, was encased and through God's will became matter, forms, which now visibly appeared.... These infinitely long periods of time are likewise inconceivable to human intellect, which is why it is certainly possible to speak of eternities which have already passed by since God's will of love created beings which He had established as independent of Himself.... And likewise, eternities will pass until all spiritual beings have taken the path back to God and reached the aim again.... the union with God.... But that this process of the spiritual beings' apostasy from God once took place shall be made known to people who are these apostate spiritual beings.... so that they learn to grasp the significance of their earthly life, so that they seek contact with their God and creator of eternity and try to penetrate more closely into the knowledge of their original state, which is the purpose and aim of their earthly life. For the knowledge of it will make them happy.... because it is already a state of light to attain knowledge of it in contrast to the darkness in which the fallen spirits still find themselves, which once voluntarily gave up the light of knowledge and chose deepest darkness.... Therefore God will kindle a light for those who desire it.... who want to step out of darkness. And this light will inform people about questions which cannot be answered by people.... which God reserves for Himself to answer but gives a light to everyone who desires it. The human being should know that he owes his existence to a being Which brought everything into existence that is apparent to him.... And he should know that this being is supremely perfect and that therefore everything It created is based on profound love, supreme wisdom and inconceivable power.... He should know that he may and should devote himself to this being in order to experience supreme bliss, because that being is love in Its fundamental substance, Which always and forever wants to give Itself away.... Who created beings in great numbers in order to be able to make them happy forever and ever.... And the human being should know that he was created in God's image, which only voluntarily turned itself into the opposite.... but which will certainly have completed the reversion one day, and that as a human being he will now cover the last phase of material creation, which can earn him union with God again if he himself has the will to do so.... And the will will be stimulated by the knowledge of all this, but which it can also freely accept or also reject again. Yet God wants to reveal Himself in His being, He wants to be recognized by people as a being Which is love, wisdom and power in Itself, because this knowledge also awakens love in people and love signifies union with God, Who Himself is love from eternity....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers