The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

7 Our God is Spirit, and in him all wisdom, love and strength abide.

8 In every man these sacred attributes are budding forth, and in due time they will unfold; the demonstration will completed be, and man will comprehend the fact of unity.

9 And you, the ruler of the synagogue, and you, these priests, are honored servants of the Lord of hosts.

10 All men are looking unto you for guidance in the ways of life; example is another name for priest; so what you would that people be, that you must be.

11 A simple godly life may win ten thousand souls to purity and right.

12 And all the people said, Amen.

13 Then Jesus left the synagogue, and at the hour of evening prayer he went up to the sacred grove, and all the people turned their faces toward their holy mount and prayed.

14 And Jesus prayed.

15 And as he sat in silent mood a voice of soul spoke to his soul imploring help.

16 And Jesus saw a woman on a couch in sore distress; for she was sick nigh unto death.

17 She could not speak, but she had heard that Jesus was a man of God, and in her heart she called on him for help.

18 And Jesus helped; he did not speak; but like a flash of light, a mighty virtue from his soul filled full the body of the dying one, and she arose, and joined her kindred while they prayed.

19 Her kindred were astonished and they said to her, How were you healed? And she replied,

20 I do not know; I simply asked the man of God in thought for healing power, and in a moment I was well.

21 The people said, The gods have surely come to earth; for man has not the power to heal by thought.

22 But Jesus said, The greatest power in heaven and earth is thought.

23 God made the universe by thought; he paints the lily and the rose with thought.

24 Why think it strange that I should send a healing thought and change the ethers of disease and death to those of health and life?

25 Lo, you shall see far greater things than this, for by the power of holy thought, my body will be changed from carnal flesh to spirit form; and so will yours.

26 When Jesus had thus said he disappeared, and no one saw him go.

27 His own disciples did not comprehend the change; they knew not where their master went, and they went on their way.

28 But as they walked and talked about the strange event, lo, Jesus came and walked with them to Nazareth of Galilee.

CHAPTER 85

John, the harbinger, censures Herod for his wickedness. Herod sends him to prison in Machaerus. Jesus tells why God permitted the imprisonment of John.

Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Paraca and of Galilee was dissipated, selfish and tyrannical.

2 He drove his wife away from home that he might take as wife Herodias, the wife of one, a near of kin, a woman, like himself, immoral and unjust.

3 The city of Tiberius, upon the shores of Galilee, was Herod’s home.

4 Now John, the harbinger, had left the Salim Springs to teach the people by the sea of Galilee; and he rebuked the wicked ruler and his stolen wife for all their sins.

5 Herodias was enraged because the preacher dared accuse her and her husband of their crimes;

6 And she prevailed on Herod to arrest the harbinger and cast him in a dungeon in the castle of Machaerus that stood beside the Bitter Sea.

7 And Herod did as she required; then she lived in peace in all her sins, for none were bold enough to censure her again.

8 The followers of John were warned to speak not of the trial and imprisonment of John.

9 By order of the court, they were restrained from teaching in the public halls.

10 They could not talk about this better life that Herod called, the Heresy of John.

11 When it was known that John had been imprisoned by the tetrarch court, the friends of Jesus thought it best that he should not remain in Galilee.

12 But Jesus said, I have no need of fear; my time has not yet come; no man can stay me till my work is done.

13 And when they asked why God permitted Herod to imprison John, he said,

14 Behold yon stalk of wheat! When it has brought the grain to perfectness, it is of no more worth; it falls, becoming part of earth again from which it came.

15 John is a stalk of golden wheat; he brought unto maturity the richest grain of all the earth; his work is done.

16 If he had said another word it might have marred the symmetry of what is now a noble life.

17 And when my work is done the rulers will do unto me what they have done to John, and more.

18 All these events are part of God’s own plan. The innocent will suffer while the wicked are in power; but woe to them who cause the suffering of the innocents.

CHAPTER 86

The Christines are in Nazareth. Jesus speaks in the synagogue. He offends the people and they attempt to kill him. He mysteriously disappears, and returns to the synagogue.

The Christines were in Nazareth. It was the Sabbath day, and Jesus went up to the synagogue.

2 The keeper of the books gave one to Jesus and he opened it and read:

3 The Spirit of the Lord has overshadowed me; he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; to set the captives free; to open sightless eyes;

4 To bring relief to those oppressed and bruised, and to proclaim, The year of jubilee has come.

5 When he had read these words he closed the book and said, This scripture is fulfilled before your eyes this day. The year of jubilee has come; the time when Israel shall bless the world.

6 And then he told them many things about the kingdom of the Holy One; about the hidden way of life; about forgiveness of sins.