BD.3359
December 7, 1944

FREE WILL - KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL - THE NEW EARTH

Man has free will. But the use of this free will requires and understanding of what the will should and can strive for, and must decide. Free will must have the opportunity to choose in either direction. Thus it must be possible for man to discern good from evil, otherwise freedom of the will would be of little or no use. For that reason GOD gave man an intellect.

To not use ones intellect is to disregard this gift of free will. In fact, man has an obligation to use his intellect and for this he must give an account. So it is necessary to consider the purpose and meaning of life. This will give rise to many questions. Man must consider these quest ions and then make his decision in free will.

It is absolutely necessary for his spiritual progress that man's relationship to GOD and righteousness is made clear to him so that he learns to recognize how close this relationship is, and in free will strives toward GOD and chooses what is right. He must also learn about the power of evil. He must learn to recognize this power and learn to hate it. He must decide between one or the other.

So evil cannot be banned from the world otherwise man could not make free decisions. Evil must be given room to vent its fury. Thus even evil powers are useful to GOD, because though unwillingly they help spirituals to progress when they use their free will in the right way. However, the powers of darkness often try to use their influence more than they are entitled to. So, GOD aces not forbid their attempts to hinder the influence of good, or their attempts to make it impossible for man to choose between right and wrong, obscuring the knowledge of GOD' s goodness and trying to overpower the will of man.

But GOD will put an end to Satan's work and bind his limited free power, at the same time prevent those people who have not made a clear decision or have decided for the power of darkness, from using their free will for a very long time.

Only those, who of their own accord, in spite of great temptations, have decided for GOD will remain alive. They therefore do not need a further test of will, because they have endured the most difficult trial.

In the coming period of the only people who can live on this new Earth are those who have undergone this test of will, who knew about the works of the adversary to which they were exposed and fled from them in free will. Only those, who have reached a degree of maturity will be given this time on Earth where they will not be influenced by GOD' s opponent. But others who have failed must again go the long path of development, until they reach a state where they can again use their free will. Man must constantly encounter good and bad, consequently the Earth remains a battlefield of both powers as long as immature spirituals embody themselves on it.

In its beginning only Light-beings will inhabit the new Earth. This means that only people who are spiritually matured will live there. They will have continual contact with Light-beings of the spiritual kingdom. Evil will be prevented from coming near men, by the power and will of GOD. The first people on the new Earth do not need to be put to a test, therefore negative powers do not need to come near the Earth. This will be realized in a state of complete peace, a condition of mutual understanding and a society of perfect harmony, because Love rules, and where there is Love a being opposing GOD cannot exist.

However, this state will not last forever. Later generations will again give GOD' s adversary power over themselves. They will willingly give in to his temptations and so separate themselves from GOD Who wanted to prepare for them a paradise on the new Earth. Thus the battle between Light and Darkness will start anew. This will continue until the end of a redemption period, so that people can make free decisions as to which master they will acknowledge. In Eternity they will be judged according to their free will decisions. They will suffer in darkness or enter the everlasting realm of Light until they have united themselves with the primal Light.

AMEN