Kapitel 170		Paper 170
Himmelriget		The Kingdom of Heaven
170:0.1 (1858.1) LØRDAG eftermiddag den 11. marts holdt Jesus sin sidste prædiken i Pella. Det var en af de mest bemærkelsesværdige taler i hans offentlige virke, og den omfattede en fuld og hel diskussion om himmelriget. Han var klar over den forvirring, der herskede blandt hans apostle og disciple med hensyn til meningen og betydningen af udtrykkene “himmeriget” og “Guds rige”, som han brugte som udskiftelige betegnelser for sin overdragelsesmission. Selvom selve udtrykket himlens rige burde have været nok til at adskille det, det stod for, fra enhver forbindelse med jordiske riger og verdslige regeringer, var det ikke tilfældet. Ideen om en verdslig konge var for dybt rodfæstet i det jødiske sind til at blive fjernet i løbet af en enkelt generation. Derfor modsatte Jesus sig ikke i første omgang åbenlyst denne længe nærede opfattelse af riget.		170:0.1 (1858.1) SATURDAY afternoon, March 11, Jesus preached his last sermon at Pella. This was among the notable addresses of his public ministry, embracing a full and complete discussion of the kingdom of heaven. He was aware of the confusion which existed in the minds of his apostles and disciples regarding the meaning and significance of the terms “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God,” which he used as interchangeable designations of his bestowal mission. Although the very term kingdom of heaven should have been enough to separate what it stood for from all connection with earthly kingdoms and temporal governments, it was not. The idea of a temporal king was too deep-rooted in the Jewish mind thus to be dislodged in a single generation. Therefore Jesus did not at first openly oppose this long-nourished concept of the kingdom.
170:0.2 (1858.2) Denne sabbatseftermiddag forsøgte Mesteren at afklare læren om himmelriget; han diskuterede emnet fra alle synsvinkler og forsøgte at tydeliggøre de mange forskellige betydninger, som udtrykket var blevet brugt i. I denne fortælling vil vi uddybe talen ved at tilføje adskillige udtalelser, som Jesus er kommet med ved tidligere lejligheder, og ved at inkludere nogle bemærkninger, som kun blev sagt til apostlene under aftenens diskussioner samme dag. Vi vil også komme med visse kommentarer, der handler om den efterfølgende virkeliggørelse af gudsrigets idé, som den er relateret til den senere kristne kirke.		170:0.2 (1858.2) This Sabbath afternoon the Master sought to clarify the teaching about the kingdom of heaven; he discussed the subject from every viewpoint and endeavored to make clear the many different senses in which the term had been used. In this narrative we will amplify the address by adding numerous statements made by Jesus on previous occasions and by including some remarks made only to the apostles during the evening discussions of this same day. We will also make certain comments dealing with the subsequent outworking of the kingdom idea as it is related to the later Christian church.
1. Opfattelser om himmelriget ^top		1. Concepts of the Kingdom of Heaven ^top
170:1.1 (1858.3) I forbindelse med gengivelsen af Jesu prædiken skal det bemærkes, at der i de hebraiske skrifter var en dobbelt opfattelse af himmelriget. Profeterne præsenterede Guds rige som:		170:1.1 (1858.3) In connection with the recital of Jesus’ sermon it should be noted that throughout the Hebrew scriptures there was a dual concept of the kingdom of heaven. The prophets presented the kingdom of God as:
170:1.2 (1858.4) 1. En nuværende virkelighed; og som		170:1.2 (1858.4) 1. A present reality; and as
170:1.3 (1858.5) 2. Et fremtidigt håb—når riget ville blive realiseret i sin helhed ved Messias tilsynekomst. Det var kongerige konceptet, som Johannes Døberen underviste i.		170:1.3 (1858.5) 2. A future hope—when the kingdom would be realized in fullness upon the appearance of the Messiah. This is the kingdom concept which John the Baptist taught.
170:1.4 (1858.6) Helt fra begyndelsen underviste Jesus og apostlene i begge disse begreber. Der var to andre idéer om riget, som man bør huske på:		170:1.4 (1858.6) From the very first Jesus and the apostles taught both of these concepts. There were two other ideas of the kingdom which should be borne in mind:
170:1.5 (1858.7) 3. Den senere jødiske opfattelse af et verdensomspændende og transcendentalt rige af overnaturlig oprindelse og mirakuløs indvielse.		170:1.5 (1858.7) 3. The later Jewish concept of a world-wide and transcendental kingdom of supernatural origin and miraculous inauguration.
170:1.6 (1858.8) 4. Den persiske lære, der skildrer etableringen af et guddommeligt rige som det godes triumf over det onde ved verdens ende.		170:1.6 (1858.8) 4. The Persian teachings portraying the establishment of a divine kingdom as the achievement of the triumph of good over evil at the end of the world.
170:1.7 (1858.9) Lige før Jesus kom til jorden, kombinerede og forvirrede jøderne alle disse ideer om riget i deres apokalyptiske koncept om Messias’ komme for at etablere den jødiske triumfs tidsalder, den evige tidsalder for Guds øverste herredømme på jorden, den nye verden, den æra, hvor hele menneskeheden ville tilbede Jahve. Ved at vælge at bruge dette koncept om himmelriget, valgte Jesus at tilegne sig den mest vitale og kulminerende arv fra både den jødiske og persiske religion.		170:1.7 (1858.9) Just before the advent of Jesus on earth, the Jews combined and confused all of these ideas of the kingdom into their apocalyptic concept of the Messiah’s coming to establish the age of the Jewish triumph, the eternal age of God’s supreme rule on earth, the new world, the era in which all mankind would worship Yahweh. In choosing to utilize this concept of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus elected to appropriate the most vital and culminating heritage of both the Jewish and Persian religions.
170:1.8 (1859.1) Himmeriget, som det er blevet forstået og misforstået gennem århundrederne i den kristne æra, omfattede fire forskellige grupper af ideer:		170:1.8 (1859.1) The kingdom of heaven, as it has been understood and misunderstood down through the centuries of the Christian era, embraced four distinct groups of ideas:
170:1.9 (1859.2) 1. Jødernes begreb.		170:1.9 (1859.2) 1. The concept of the Jews.
170:1.10 (1859.3) 2. Persernes begreb		170:1.10 (1859.3) 2. The concept of the Persians.
170:1.11 (1859.4) 3. Jesu personlige erfaringsbegreb—“Himmeriget i jeres indre.”		170:1.11 (1859.4) 3. The personal-experience concept of Jesus—“the kingdom of heaven within you.”
170:1.12 (1859.5) 4. De sammensatte og forvirrede begreber, som kristendommens grundlæggere og forkyndere har forsøgt at indprente verden.		170:1.12 (1859.5) 4. The composite and confused concepts which the founders and promulgators of Christianity have sought to impress upon the world.
170:1.13 (1859.6) På forskellige tidspunkter og under forskellige omstændigheder ser det ud til, at Jesus kan have præsenteret adskillige begreber om “riget” i sin offentlige lære, men til sine apostle lærte han altid om riget som omfattende menneskets personlige oplevelse i forhold til sine medmennesker på jorden og til Faderen i himlen. Hvad angår riget, var hans sidste ord altid: “Riget er inden i jer.”		170:1.13 (1859.6) At different times and in varying circumstances it appears that Jesus may have presented numerous concepts of the “kingdom” in his public teachings, but to his apostles he always taught the kingdom as embracing man’s personal experience in relation to his fellows on earth and to the Father in heaven. Concerning the kingdom, his last word always was, “The kingdom is within you.”
170:1.14 (1859.7) Århundreders forvirring omkring betydningen af udtrykket “Himmelriget” har skyldtes tre faktorer:		170:1.14 (1859.7) Centuries of confusion regarding the meaning of the term “kingdom of heaven” have been due to three factors:
170:1.15 (1859.8) 1. Den forvirring, der opstår, når man betragter ideen om “riget,” som den gennemgik de forskellige progressive faser i Jesu og hans apostles omformning af det.		170:1.15 (1859.8) 1. The confusion occasioned by observing the idea of the “kingdom” as it passed through the various progressive phases of its recasting by Jesus and his apostles.
170:1.16 (1859.9) 2. Den forvirring, der uundgåeligt var forbundet med transplantationen af den tidlige kristendom fra en jødisk til en ikke-jødisk jord.		170:1.16 (1859.9) 2. The confusion which was inevitably associated with the transplantation of early Christianity from a Jewish to a gentile soil.
170:1.17 (1859.10) 3. Den forvirring, der lå i, at kristendommen blev en religion, der var organiseret omkring den centrale idé om Jesu person; evangeliet om riget blev mere og mere en religion om ham.		170:1.17 (1859.10) 3. The confusion which was inherent in the fact that Christianity became a religion which was organized about the central idea of Jesus’ person; the gospel of the kingdom became more and more a religion about him.
2. Jesu opfattelse om riget ^top		2. Jesus’ Concept of the Kingdom ^top
170:2.1 (1859.11) Mesteren gjorde det klart, at himmelriget skal begynde med og være centreret i det dobbelte begreb om sandheden om Guds faderskab og den korrelerede kendsgerning om menneskets broderskab. Accepten af en sådan lære, erklærede Jesus, ville frigøre mennesket fra den ældgamle trældom af dyrisk frygt og på samme tid berige det menneskelige liv med de følgende gaver i det nye liv i åndelig frihed:		170:2.1 (1859.11) The Master made it clear that the kingdom of heaven must begin with, and be centered in, the dual concept of the truth of the fatherhood of God and the correlated fact of the brotherhood of man. The acceptance of such a teaching, Jesus declared, would liberate man from the age-long bondage of animal fear and at the same time enrich human living with the following endowments of the new life of spiritual liberty:
170:2.2 (1859.12) 1. Besiddelse af nyt mod og forøget åndelig kraft. Evangeliet om riget skulle sætte mennesket fri og inspirere det til at turde håbe på evigt liv.		170:2.2 (1859.12) 1. The possession of new courage and augmented spiritual power. The gospel of the kingdom was to set man free and inspire him to dare to hope for eternal life.
170:2.3 (1859.13) 2. Evangeliet bragte et budskab om ny tillid og sand trøst til alle mennesker, selv til de fattige.		170:2.3 (1859.13) 2. The gospel carried a message of new confidence and true consolation for all men, even for the poor.
170:2.4 (1859.14) 3. Den var i sig selv en ny standard for moralske værdier, en ny etisk målestok til at måle menneskelig adfærd med. Den portrætterede idealet for en resulterende ny orden i det menneskelige samfund.		170:2.4 (1859.14) 3. It was in itself a new standard of moral values, a new ethical yardstick wherewith to measure human conduct. It portrayed the ideal of a resultant new order of human society.
170:2.5 (1859.15) 4. Den underviste i det åndeliges forrang i forhold til det materielle; den forherligede åndelige realiteter og ophøjede overmenneskelige idealer.		170:2.5 (1859.15) 4. It taught the pre-eminence of the spiritual compared with the material; it glorified spiritual realities and exalted superhuman ideals.
170:2.6 (1860.1) 5. Dette nye evangelium fremhævede åndelig opnåelse som det sande mål for livet. Menneskelivet fik en ny moralsk værdi og guddommelig værdighed.		170:2.6 (1860.1) 5. This new gospel held up spiritual attainment as the true goal of living. Human life received a new endowment of moral value and divine dignity.
170:2.7 (1860.2) 6. Jesus lærte, at evige realiteter var resultatet (belønningen) af retfærdig jordisk stræben. Menneskets dødelige ophold på jorden fik nye betydninger som følge af erkendelsen af en ædel skæbne.		170:2.7 (1860.2) 6. Jesus taught that eternal realities were the result (reward) of righteous earthly striving. Man’s mortal sojourn on earth acquired new meanings consequent upon the recognition of a noble destiny.
170:2.8 (1860.3) 7. Det nye evangelium bekræftede, at menneskets frelse er åbenbaringen af et vidtrækkende guddommeligt formål, der skal opfyldes og realiseres i den fremtidige skæbne med den endeløse tjeneste for de frelste Guds sønner.		170:2.8 (1860.3) 7. The new gospel affirmed that human salvation is the revelation of a far-reaching divine purpose to be fulfilled and realized in the future destiny of the endless service of the salvaged sons of God.
170:2.9 (1860.4) Disse læresætninger dækker den udvidede idé om riget, som Jesus underviste i. Dette store koncept blev næppe omfavnet i Johannes Døberens elementære og forvirrede forkyndelse af riget.		170:2.9 (1860.4) These teachings cover the expanded idea of the kingdom which was taught by Jesus. This great concept was hardly embraced in the elementary and confused kingdom teachings of John the Baptist.
170:2.10 (1860.5) Apostlene var ude af stand til at forstå den virkelige betydning af Mesterens udtalelser om riget. Den efterfølgende forvrængning af Jesu lære, som den er nedskrevet i Det Nye Testamente, skyldes, at evangelisternes opfattelse var farvet af troen på, at Jesus kun var fraværende fra verden i kort tid; at han snart ville vende tilbage for at etablere riget i magt og herlighed—præcis sådan en idé, som de havde, mens han var sammen med dem i kødet. Men Jesus forbandt ikke oprettelsen af riget med tanken om sin tilbagevenden til denne verden. At der er gået århundreder uden tegn på, at “den nye tidsalder” er dukket op, er på ingen måde i uoverensstemmelse med Jesu lære.		170:2.10 (1860.5) The apostles were unable to grasp the real meaning of the Master’s utterances regarding the kingdom. The subsequent distortion of Jesus’ teachings, as they are recorded in the New Testament, is because the concept of the gospel writers was colored by the belief that Jesus was then absent from the world for only a short time; that he would soon return to establish the kingdom in power and glory—just such an idea as they held while he was with them in the flesh. But Jesus did not connect the establishment of the kingdom with the idea of his return to this world. That centuries have passed with no signs of the appearance of the “New Age” is in no way out of harmony with Jesus’ teaching.
170:2.11 (1860.6) Den store indsats i denne prædiken var forsøget på at oversætte konceptet om himmelriget til idealet om at gøre Guds vilje. Længe havde Mesteren lært sine tilhængere at bede: “Komme dit rige, ske din vilje”; og på dette tidspunkt forsøgte han alvorligt at få dem til at opgive brugen af udtrykket Guds rige til fordel for det mere praktiske ækvivalent, Guds vilje. Men det lykkedes ham ikke.		170:2.11 (1860.6) The great effort embodied in this sermon was the attempt to translate the concept of the kingdom of heaven into the ideal of the idea of doing the will of God. Long had the Master taught his followers to pray: “Your kingdom come; your will be done”; and at this time he earnestly sought to induce them to abandon the use of the term kingdom of God in favor of the more practical equivalent, the will of God. But he did not succeed.
170:2.12 (1860.7) Jesus ønskede at erstatte ideen om riget, kongen og undersåtterne med ideen om den himmelske familie, den himmelske Fader og de frigjorte Guds sønner, der er engageret i glædelig og frivillig tjeneste for deres medmennesker og i den sublime og intelligente tilbedelse af Gud Fader.		170:2.12 (1860.7) Jesus desired to substitute for the idea of the kingdom, king, and subjects, the concept of the heavenly family, the heavenly Father, and the liberated sons of God engaged in joyful and voluntary service for their fellow men and in the sublime and intelligent worship of God the Father.
170:2.13 (1860.8) Indtil dette tidspunkt havde apostlene fået et dobbelt syn på riget; de betragtede det som:		170:2.13 (1860.8) Up to this time the apostles had acquired a double viewpoint of the kingdom; they regarded it as:
170:2.14 (1860.9) 1. Et spørgsmål om personlig erfaring, der er til stede i sande troendes hjerter, og		170:2.14 (1860.9) 1. A matter of personal experience then present in the hearts of true believers, and
170:2.15 (1860.10) 2. Et spørgsmål om race- eller verdensfænomener; at riget lå i fremtiden, noget at se frem til.		170:2.15 (1860.10) 2. A question of racial or world phenomena; that the kingdom was in the future, something to look forward to.
170:2.16 (1860.11) De betragtede rigets komme i menneskers hjerter som en gradvis udvikling, som surdejen i dejen eller som sennepsfrøets vækst. De troede, at rigets komme i racemæssig eller verdensmæssig forstand ville være både pludseligt og spektakulært. Jesus blev aldrig træt af at fortælle dem, at himmelriget var deres personlige oplevelse af at realisere de højere kvaliteter i åndeligt liv; at disse realiteter i den åndelige oplevelse gradvist oversættes til nye og højere niveauer af guddommelig vished og evig storhed.		170:2.16 (1860.11) They looked upon the coming of the kingdom in the hearts of men as a gradual development, like the leaven in the dough or like the growing of the mustard seed. They believed that the coming of the kingdom in the racial or world sense would be both sudden and spectacular. Jesus never tired of telling them that the kingdom of heaven was their personal experience of realizing the higher qualities of spiritual living; that these realities of the spirit experience are progressively translated to new and higher levels of divine certainty and eternal grandeur.
170:2.17 (1860.12) Denne eftermiddag underviste Mesteren tydeligt i et nyt koncept for rigets dobbelte natur, idet han skildrede de følgende to faser:		170:2.17 (1860.12) On this afternoon the Master distinctly taught a new concept of the double nature of the kingdom in that he portrayed the following two phases:
170:2.18 (1860.13) “For det første. Guds rige i denne verden, det højeste ønske om at gøre Guds vilje, den uselviske kærlighed til mennesket, som giver de gode frugter af forbedret etisk og moralsk adfærd.		170:2.18 (1860.13) “First. The kingdom of God in this world, the supreme desire to do the will of God, the unselfish love of man which yields the good fruits of improved ethical and moral conduct.
170:2.19 (1861.1) “For det andet. Guds rige i himlen, målet for dødelige troende, den ejendom, hvor kærligheden til Gud er fuldkommen, og hvor Guds vilje bliver gjort mere guddommeligt.”		170:2.19 (1861.1) “Second. The kingdom of God in heaven, the goal of mortal believers, the estate wherein the love for God is perfected, and wherein the will of God is done more divinely.”
170:2.20 (1861.2) Jesus lærte, at den troende gennem sin tro trådte ind i riget nu. I sine mange foredrag lærte han, at to ting er afgørende for at den troende gennem troen komme ind i Guds Rige:		170:2.20 (1861.2) Jesus taught that, by faith, the believer enters the kingdom now. In the various discourses he taught that two things are essential to faith-entrance into the kingdom:
170:2.21 (1861.3) 1. Tro, oprigtighed. At komme som et lille barn, at modtage slægtskabet som en gave; at underkaste sig Faderens vilje uden at stille spørgsmålstegn og i fuld tillid til Faderens visdom; at komme ind i riget uden fordomme og forudfattede meninger; at være fordomsfri og lærenem som et uspoleret barn.		170:2.21 (1861.3) 1. Faith, sincerity. To come as a little child, to receive the bestowal of sonship as a gift; to submit to the doing of the Father’s will without questioning and in the full confidence and genuine trustfulness of the Father’s wisdom; to come into the kingdom free from prejudice and preconception; to be open-minded and teachable like an unspoiled child.
170:2.22 (1861.4) 2. Sandhedens sult. Tørsten efter retfærdighed, en sindsforandring, at mennesket har erhvervet motivet til at ville være som Gud og finde Gud.		170:2.22 (1861.4) 2. Truth hunger. The thirst for righteousness, a change of mind, the acquirement of the motive to be like God and to find God.
170:2.23 (1861.5) Jesus lærte, at synd ikke er barnet af en defekt natur, men snarere afkommet af et vidende sind domineret af en underdanig vilje. Med hensyn til synd lærte han, at Gud har tilgivet; at vi gør en sådan tilgivelse personligt tilgængelig ved at tilgive vores medmennesker. Når du tilgiver din broder i kødet, skaber du derved kapacitet i din egen sjæl til at modtage virkeligheden af Guds tilgivelse af dine egne ugerninger.		170:2.23 (1861.5) Jesus taught that sin is not the child of a defective nature but rather the offspring of a knowing mind dominated by an unsubmissive will. Regarding sin, he taught that God has forgiven; that we make such forgiveness personally available by the act of forgiving our fellows. When you forgive your brother in the flesh, you thereby create the capacity in your own soul for the reception of the reality of God’s forgiveness of your own misdeeds.
170:2.24 (1861.6) Da apostlen Johannes begyndte at skrive historien om Jesu liv og lære, havde de første kristne oplevet så mange problemer med ideen om Guds rige som en kilde til forfølgelse, at de stort set havde opgivet at bruge udtrykket. Johannes taler meget om “det evige liv.” Jesus talte ofte om det som “livets rige.” Han refererede også ofte til “Guds rige inden i jer.” Han talte engang om en sådan oplevelse som “familiefællesskab med Gud Faderen.” Jesus forsøgte at erstatte riget med mange andre begreber, men altid uden held. Han brugte blandt andet: Guds familie, Faderens vilje, Guds venner, de troendes fællesskab, menneskets broderskab, Faderens fold, Guds børn, de troendes fællesskab, Faderens tjeneste og Guds befriede sønner.		170:2.24 (1861.6) By the time the Apostle John began to write the story of Jesus’ life and teachings, the early Christians had experienced so much trouble with the kingdom-of-God idea as a breeder of persecution that they had largely abandoned the use of the term. John talks much about the “eternal life.” Jesus often spoke of it as the “kingdom of life.” He also frequently referred to “the kingdom of God within you.” He once spoke of such an experience as “family fellowship with God the Father.” Jesus sought to substitute many terms for the kingdom but always without success. Among others, he used: the family of God, the Father’s will, the friends of God, the fellowship of believers, the brotherhood of man, the Father’s fold, the children of God, the fellowship of the faithful, the Father’s service, and the liberated sons of God.
170:2.25 (1861.7) Men han kunne ikke undslippe brugen af ideen om riget. Det var mere end halvtreds år senere, først efter Jerusalems ødelæggelse af de romerske hære, at dette koncept om riget begyndte at ændre sig til kulten om det evige liv, da dets sociale og institutionelle aspekter blev overtaget af den hurtigt ekspanderende og krystalliserende kristne kirke.		170:2.25 (1861.7) But he could not escape the use of the kingdom idea. It was more than fifty years later, not until after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies, that this concept of the kingdom began to change into the cult of eternal life as its social and institutional aspects were taken over by the rapidly expanding and crystallizing Christian church.
3. I forhold til retfærdighed ^top		3. In Relation to Righteousness ^top
170:3.1 (1861.8) Jesus forsøgte altid at indprente sine apostle og disciple, at de ved tro skulle tilegne sig en retfærdighed, som ville overgå de slaviske gerningers retfærdighed, som nogle af de skriftkloge og farisæerne så pralende fremviste for verden.		170:3.1 (1861.8) Jesus was always trying to impress upon his apostles and disciples that they must acquire, by faith, a righteousness which would exceed the righteousness of slavish works which some of the scribes and Pharisees paraded so vaingloriously before the world.
170:3.2 (1861.9) Selvom Jesus lærte, at tro, simpel barnlig tro, er nøglen til rigets dør, lærte han også, at når man er kommet ind ad døren, er der retfærdighedens progressive trin, som ethvert troende barn skal bestige for at vokse op til den fulde statur af Guds robuste sønner.		170:3.2 (1861.9) Though Jesus taught that faith, simple childlike belief, is the key to the door of the kingdom, he also taught that, having entered the door, there are the progressive steps of righteousness which every believing child must ascend in order to grow up to the full stature of the robust sons of God.
170:3.3 (1861.10) Det er i betragtningen af teknikken til at modtage Guds tilgivelse, at opnåelsen af rigets retfærdighed afsløres. Tro er den pris, du betaler for at komme ind i Guds familie; men tilgivelse er den handling fra Gud, der accepterer din tro som prisen for adgang. Og modtagelsen af Guds tilgivelse hos en troende i riget involverer en bestemt og faktisk oplevelse og består af de følgende fire trin, den indre retfærdigheds trin i riget:		170:3.3 (1861.10) It is in the consideration of the technique of receiving God’s forgiveness that the attainment of the righteousness of the kingdom is revealed. Faith is the price you pay for entrance into the family of God; but forgiveness is the act of God which accepts your faith as the price of admission. And the reception of the forgiveness of God by a kingdom believer involves a definite and actual experience and consists in the following four steps, the kingdom steps of inner righteousness:
170:3.4 (1862.1) 1. Guds tilgivelse er faktisk tilgængelig og opleves personligt af mennesket i det omfang, det tilgiver sine medmennesker.		170:3.4 (1862.1) 1. God’s forgiveness is made actually available and is personally experienced by man just in so far as he forgives his fellows.
170:3.5 (1862.2) 2. Mennesket kan ikke tilgive sine medmennesker, medmindre det elsker dem som sig selv.		170:3.5 (1862.2) 2. Man will not truly forgive his fellows unless he loves them as himself.
170:3.6 (1862.3) 3. At elske sin næste som sig selv er den højeste etik.		170:3.6 (1862.3) 3. To thus love your neighbor as yourself is the highest ethics.
170:3.7 (1862.4) 4. Moralsk adfærd, sand retfærdighed, bliver derfor det naturlige resultat af en sådan kærlighed.		170:3.7 (1862.4) 4. Moral conduct, true righteousness, becomes, then, the natural result of such love.
170:3.8 (1862.5) Det er derfor indlysende, at rigets sande og indre religion ufejlbarligt og i stigende grad har en tendens til at manifestere sig i praktisk social tjeneste. Jesus underviste i en levende religion, der fik sine troende til at engagere sig i kærlig tjeneste. Men Jesus satte ikke etikken i stedet for religionen. Han underviste i religion som en årsag og etik som et resultat.		170:3.8 (1862.5) It therefore is evident that the true and inner religion of the kingdom unfailingly and increasingly tends to manifest itself in practical avenues of social service. Jesus taught a living religion that impelled its believers to engage in the doing of loving service. But Jesus did not put ethics in the place of religion. He taught religion as a cause and ethics as a result.
170:3.9 (1862.6) Retfærdigheden af enhver handling skal måles ud fra motivet; de højeste former for det gode er derfor ubevidste. Jesus beskæftigede sig aldrig med moral eller etik som sådan. Han var helt optaget af det indre og åndelige fællesskab med Gud Fader, som så sikkert og direkte manifesterer sig som ydre og kærlig tjeneste for mennesker. Han lærte, at rigets religion er en ægte personlig oplevelse, som intet menneske kan rumme i sig selv; at bevidstheden om at være medlem af de troendes familie uundgåeligt fører til, at man praktiserer familiens adfærdsregler, tjener sine brødre og søstre i bestræbelserne på at styrke og udvide broderskabet.		170:3.9 (1862.6) The righteousness of any act must be measured by the motive; the highest forms of good are therefore unconscious. Jesus was never concerned with morals or ethics as such. He was wholly concerned with that inward and spiritual fellowship with God the Father which so certainly and directly manifests itself as outward and loving service for man. He taught that the religion of the kingdom is a genuine personal experience which no man can contain within himself; that the consciousness of being a member of the family of believers leads inevitably to the practice of the precepts of the family conduct, the service of one’s brothers and sisters in the effort to enhance and enlarge the brotherhood.
170:3.10 (1862.7) Rigets religion er personlig, individuel; frugterne, resultaterne, er familiære, sociale. Jesus undlod aldrig at ophøje individets hellighed i modsætning til fællesskabet. Men han anerkendte også, at mennesket udvikler sin karakter ved uselvisk tjeneste; at det udfolder sin moralske natur i kærlige relationer med sine medmennesker.		170:3.10 (1862.7) The religion of the kingdom is personal, individual; the fruits, the results, are familial, social. Jesus never failed to exalt the sacredness of the individual as contrasted with the community. But he also recognized that man develops his character by unselfish service; that he unfolds his moral nature in loving relations with his fellows.
170:3.11 (1862.8) Ved at lære, at riget er indeni, ved at ophøje individet, gav Jesus det gamle samfund dødsstødet, idet han indvarslede den nye ordning med sand social retfærdighed. Denne nye samfundsorden har verden kun kendt lidt til, fordi den har nægtet at praktisere principperne i evangeliet om himmelriget. Og når dette rige med åndeligt overherredømme kommer til jorden, vil det ikke blot manifestere sig i forbedrede sociale og materielle forhold, men snarere i herlighederne ved de forbedrede og berigede åndelige værdier, som er karakteristiske for den kommende tidsalder med forbedrede menneskelige relationer og stigende åndelige resultater.		170:3.11 (1862.8) By teaching that the kingdom is within, by exalting the individual, Jesus struck the deathblow of the old society in that he ushered in the new dispensation of true social righteousness. This new order of society the world has little known because it has refused to practice the principles of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. And when this kingdom of spiritual pre-eminence does come upon the earth, it will not be manifested in mere improved social and material conditions, but rather in the glories of those enhanced and enriched spiritual values which are characteristic of the approaching age of improved human relations and advancing spiritual attainments.
4. Jesu undervisning om riget ^top		4. Jesus’ Teaching About the Kingdom ^top
170:4.1 (1862.9) Jesus gav aldrig en præcis definition af riget. På et tidspunkt talte han om én fase af riget, og på et andet tidspunkt diskuterede han et andet aspekt af Guds broderskab, der hersker i menneskers hjerter. I løbet af denne sabbatseftermiddags prædiken bemærkede Jesus ikke mindre end fem faser eller epoker i riget, og de var:		170:4.1 (1862.9) Jesus never gave a precise definition of the kingdom. At one time he would discourse on one phase of the kingdom, and at another time he would discuss a different aspect of the brotherhood of God’s reign in the hearts of men. In the course of this Sabbath afternoon’s sermon Jesus noted no less than five phases, or epochs, of the kingdom, and they were:
170:4.2 (1862.10) 1. Den personlige og indre oplevelse af det åndelige liv af den enkelte troendes fællesskab med Gud Faderen.		170:4.2 (1862.10) 1. The personal and inward experience of the spiritual life of the fellowship of the individual believer with God the Father.
170:4.3 (1863.1) 2. Det voksende broderskab mellem evangelietroende, de sociale aspekter af den forbedrede moral og den levendegjorte etik, der er resultatet af Guds ånds herredømme i de enkelte troendes hjerter.		170:4.3 (1863.1) 2. The enlarging brotherhood of gospel believers, the social aspects of the enhanced morals and quickened ethics resulting from the reign of God’s spirit in the hearts of individual believers.
170:4.4 (1863.2) 3. Det overmenneskelige broderskab af usynlige åndelige væsener, som hersker på jorden og i himlen, Guds overmenneskelige rige.		170:4.4 (1863.2) 3. The supermortal brotherhood of invisible spiritual beings which prevails on earth and in heaven, the superhuman kingdom of God.
170:4.5 (1863.3) 4. Udsigten til den mere perfekte opfyldelse af Guds vilje, fremskridtet mod begyndelsen af en ny social orden i forbindelse med forbedret åndelig levevis—menneskets næste tidsalder.		170:4.5 (1863.3) 4. The prospect of the more perfect fulfillment of the will of God, the advance toward the dawn of a new social order in connection with improved spiritual living—the next age of man.
170:4.6 (1863.4) 5. Riget i dets fylde, den fremtidige åndelige tidsalder med lys og liv på jorden.		170:4.6 (1863.4) 5. The kingdom in its fullness, the future spiritual age of light and life on earth.
170:4.7 (1863.5) Derfor må vi altid undersøge Mesterens lære for at finde ud af, hvilken af disse fem faser han henviser til, når han bruger udtrykket himmelriget. Ved denne proces med gradvist at ændre menneskets vilje og dermed påvirke menneskelige beslutninger, ændrer Mikael og hans medarbejdere også gradvist, men sikkert, hele forløbet af den menneskelige evolution, socialt og på anden måde.		170:4.7 (1863.5) Wherefore must we always examine the Master’s teaching to ascertain which of these five phases he may have reference to when he makes use of the term kingdom of heaven. By this process of gradually changing man’s will and thus affecting human decisions, Michael and his associates are likewise gradually but certainly changing the entire course of human evolution, social and otherwise.
170:4.8 (1863.6) Ved denne lejlighed lagde Mesteren vægt på de følgende fem punkter, som repræsenterer de vigtigste træk ved evangeliet om riget:		170:4.8 (1863.6) The Master on this occasion placed emphasis on the following five points as representing the cardinal features of the gospel of the kingdom:
170:4.9 (1863.7) 1. Forrang for den enkelte.		170:4.9 (1863.7) 1. The pre-eminence of the individual.
170:4.10 (1863.8) 2. Viljen som den afgørende faktor i den menneskelige erfaring.		170:4.10 (1863.8) 2. The will as the determining factor in man’s experience.
170:4.11 (1863.9) 3. Åndeligt fællesskab med Gud Faderen.		170:4.11 (1863.9) 3. Spiritual fellowship with God the Father.
170:4.12 (1863.10) 4. Den højeste tilfredsstillelse i den kærlige tjeneste for mennesket.		170:4.12 (1863.10) 4. The supreme satisfactions of the loving service of man.
170:4.13 (1863.11) 5. Den åndeliges transcendens over det materielle i menneskets personlighed.		170:4.13 (1863.11) 5. The transcendency of the spiritual over the material in human personality.
170:4.14 (1863.12) Denne verden har aldrig seriøst eller oprigtigt eller ærligt afprøvet disse dynamiske ideer og guddommelige idealer i Jesu lære om himmelriget. Men du bør ikke blive modløs over den tilsyneladende langsomme udvikling af ideen om riget på Urantia. Husk, at den progressive evolutions orden er udsat for pludselige og uventede periodiske ændringer i både den materielle og den åndelige verden. Overdragelsen af Jesus som en inkarneret Søn var netop sådan en mærkelig og uventet begivenhed i verdens åndelige liv. Begå heller ikke den fatale fejltagelse, når I leder efter rigets tidsaldermanifestation, at undlade at etablere det i jeres egne sjæle.		170:4.14 (1863.12) This world has never seriously or sincerely or honestly tried out these dynamic ideas and divine ideals of Jesus’ doctrine of the kingdom of heaven. But you should not become discouraged by the apparently slow progress of the kingdom idea on Urantia. Remember that the order of progressive evolution is subjected to sudden and unexpected periodical changes in both the material and the spiritual worlds. The bestowal of Jesus as an incarnated Son was just such a strange and unexpected event in the spiritual life of the world. Neither make the fatal mistake, in looking for the age manifestation of the kingdom, of failing to effect its establishment within your own souls.
170:4.15 (1863.13) Selvom Jesus henviste en fase af riget til fremtiden og ved adskillige lejligheder antydede, at en sådan begivenhed kunne forekomme som en del af en verdenskrise; og selvom han ligeledes ved flere lejligheder helt sikkert lovede på et tidspunkt at vende tilbage til Urantia, bør det noteres, at han aldrig positivt kædede disse to ideer sammen. Han lovede en ny åbenbaring af riget på jorden og på et fremtidigt tidspunkt; han lovede også på et tidspunkt at vende tilbage til denne verden personligt; men han sagde ikke, at disse to begivenheder var synonyme. Så vidt vi ved, refererer disse løfter måske, måske ikke, til den samme begivenhed.		170:4.15 (1863.13) Although Jesus referred one phase of the kingdom to the future and did, on numerous occasions, intimate that such an event might appear as a part of a world crisis; and though he did likewise most certainly, on several occasions, definitely promise sometime to return to Urantia, it should be recorded that he never positively linked these two ideas together. He promised a new revelation of the kingdom on earth and at some future time; he also promised sometime to come back to this world in person; but he did not say that these two events were synonymous. From all we know these promises may, or may not, refer to the same event.
170:4.16 (1863.14) Hans apostle og disciple kædede helt sikkert disse to læresætninger sammen. Da riget ikke materialiserede sig, som de havde forventet, og de mindedes Mesterens lære om et fremtidigt rige og huskede hans løfte om at komme igen, drog de den konklusion, at disse løfter henviste til en identisk begivenhed; og derfor levede de i håbet om hans øjeblikkelige andet komme for at etablere riget i dets fylde og med magt og herlighed. Og sådan har successive troende generationer levet på jorden og underholdt det samme inspirerende, men skuffende håb.		170:4.16 (1863.14) His apostles and disciples most certainly linked these two teachings together. When the kingdom failed to materialize as they had expected, recalling the Master’s teaching concerning a future kingdom and remembering his promise to come again, they jumped to the conclusion that these promises referred to an identical event; and therefore they lived in hope of his immediate second coming to establish the kingdom in its fullness and with power and glory. And so have successive believing generations lived on earth entertaining the same inspiring but disappointing hope.
5. Senere idéer om guds rige ^top		5. Later Ideas of the Kingdom ^top
170:5.1 (1864.1) Efter at have opsummeret Jesu lære om himmelriget, får vi lov til at fortælle om visse senere ideer, som blev knyttet til begrebet rige, og til at engagere os i en profetisk prognose for riget, som det kan udvikle sig i den kommende tidsalder.		170:5.1 (1864.1) Having summarized the teachings of Jesus about the kingdom of heaven, we are permitted to narrate certain later ideas which became attached to the concept of the kingdom and to engage in a prophetic forecast of the kingdom as it may evolve in the age to come.
170:5.2 (1864.2) I de første århundreder af den kristne propaganda var ideen om himmelriget enormt påvirket af den græske idealisme, der på det tidspunkt spredte sig hurtigt, ideen om det naturlige som skyggen af det åndelige—det timelige som skyggen af det evige.		170:5.2 (1864.2) Throughout the first centuries of the Christian propaganda, the idea of the kingdom of heaven was tremendously influenced by the then rapidly spreading notions of Greek idealism, the idea of the natural as the shadow of the spiritual—the temporal as the time shadow of the eternal.
170:5.3 (1864.3) Men det store skridt, der markerede overførslen af Jesu lære fra jødisk til ikke-jødisk jord, blev taget, da rigets Messias blev kirkens Forløser, en religiøs og social organisation, der voksede ud af Paulus’ og hans efterfølgeres aktiviteter og var baseret på Jesu lære, som den blev suppleret med Filons ideer og de persiske doktriner om godt og ondt.		170:5.3 (1864.3) But the great step which marked the transplantation of the teachings of Jesus from a Jewish to a gentile soil was taken when the Messiah of the kingdom became the Redeemer of the church, a religious and social organization growing out of the activities of Paul and his successors and based on the teachings of Jesus as they were supplemented by the ideas of Philo and the Persian doctrines of good and evil.
170:5.4 (1864.4) Jesu ideer og idealer, som er nedfældet i læren om evangeliet om riget, blev næsten ikke realiseret, da hans tilhængere gradvist fordrejede hans udtalelser. Mesterens opfattelse af riget blev især modificeret af to store tendenser:		170:5.4 (1864.4) The ideas and ideals of Jesus, embodied in the teaching of the gospel of the kingdom, nearly failed of realization as his followers progressively distorted his pronouncements. The Master’s concept of the kingdom was notably modified by two great tendencies:
170:5.5 (1864.5) 1. De jødiske troende vedblev med at betragte ham som Messias. De troede, at Jesus meget snart ville vende tilbage for at etablere det verdensomspændende og mere eller mindre materielle rige.		170:5.5 (1864.5) 1. The Jewish believers persisted in regarding him as the Messiah. They believed that Jesus would very soon return actually to establish the world-wide and more or less material kingdom.
170:5.6 (1864.6) 2. De ikke-jødiske kristne begyndte meget tidligt at acceptere Paulus’ doktriner, som i stigende grad førte til den generelle tro på, at Jesus var Forløseren for kirkens børn, den nye og institutionelle efterfølger af det tidligere begreb om det rent åndelige broderskab i riget.		170:5.6 (1864.6) 2. The gentile Christians began very early to accept the doctrines of Paul, which led increasingly to the general belief that Jesus was the Redeemer of the children of the church, the new and institutional successor of the earlier concept of the purely spiritual brotherhood of the kingdom.
170:5.7 (1864.7) Kirken, som en social udløber af riget, ville have været helt naturlig og endda ønskværdig. Det onde ved kirken var ikke dens eksistens, men snarere at den næsten fuldstændigt fortrængte Jesu opfattelse af riget. Paulus’ institutionaliserede kirke blev en virtuel erstatning for det himmerige, som Jesus havde proklameret.		170:5.7 (1864.7) The church, as a social outgrowth of the kingdom, would have been wholly natural and even desirable. The evil of the church was not its existence, but rather that it almost completely supplanted the Jesus concept of the kingdom. Paul’s institutionalized church became a virtual substitute for the kingdom of heaven which Jesus had proclaimed.
170:5.8 (1864.8) Men tvivl ikke, det samme himmerige, som Mesteren lærte eksisterer i den troendes hjerte, vil endnu blive forkyndt for denne kristne kirke, ligesom for alle andre religioner, racer og nationer på jorden—selv for hvert enkelt individ.		170:5.8 (1864.8) But doubt not, this same kingdom of heaven which the Master taught exists within the heart of the believer, will yet be proclaimed to this Christian church, even as to all other religions, races, and nations on earth—even to every individual.
170:5.9 (1864.9) Riget i Jesu lære, det åndelige ideal om individuel retfærdighed og forestillingen om menneskets guddommelige fællesskab med Gud, blev gradvist opslugt af den mystiske forestilling om personen Jesus som forløser-skaber og åndeligt overhoved for et socialiseret religiøst fællesskab. På denne måde blev en formel og institutionel kirke erstatningen for det individuelt åndsledede broderskab i riget.		170:5.9 (1864.9) The kingdom of Jesus’ teaching, the spiritual ideal of individual righteousness and the concept of man’s divine fellowship with God, became gradually submerged into the mystic conception of the person of Jesus as the Redeemer-Creator and spiritual head of a socialized religious community. In this way a formal and institutional church became the substitute for the individually spirit-led brotherhood of the kingdom.
170:5.10 (1864.10) Kirken var et uundgåeligt og nyttigt socialt resultat af Jesu liv og lære; tragedien bestod i, at denne sociale reaktion på læren om riget så fuldstændigt fortrængte det åndelige begreb om det virkelige rige, som Jesus lærte og levede det.		170:5.10 (1864.10) The church was an inevitable and useful social result of Jesus’ life and teachings; the tragedy consisted in the fact that this social reaction to the teachings of the kingdom so fully displaced the spiritual concept of the real kingdom as Jesus taught and lived it.
170:5.11 (1865.1) For jøderne var riget det israelitiske samfund; for ikke-jøderne blev det den kristne kirke. For Jesus var riget summen af de individer, der havde bekendtgjort deres tro på Guds faderskab og derved erklæret deres helhjertede dedikation til at gøre Guds vilje og dermed blive medlemmer af menneskets åndelige broderskab.		170:5.11 (1865.1) The kingdom, to the Jews, was the Israelite community; to the gentiles it became the Christian church. To Jesus the kingdom was the sum of those individuals who had confessed their faith in the fatherhood of God, thereby declaring their wholehearted dedication to the doing of the will of God, thus becoming members of the spiritual brotherhood of man.
170:5.12 (1865.2) Mesteren var fuldt ud klar over, at visse sociale resultater ville vise sig i verden som en konsekvens af udbredelsen af evangeliet om riget; men han havde til hensigt, at alle sådanne ønskværdige sociale manifestationer skulle vise sig som ubevidste og uundgåelige udløbere eller naturlige frugter af denne indre personlige oplevelse hos individuelle troende, dette rent åndelige fællesskab og samvær med den guddommelige ånd, som bor i og aktiverer alle sådanne troende.		170:5.12 (1865.2) The Master fully realized that certain social results would appear in the world as a consequence of the spread of the gospel of the kingdom; but he intended that all such desirable social manifestations should appear as unconscious and inevitable outgrowths, or natural fruits, of this inner personal experience of individual believers, this purely spiritual fellowship and communion with the divine spirit which indwells and activates all such believers.
170:5.13 (1865.3) Jesus forudså, at en social organisation eller kirke ville følge udviklingen af det sande åndelige rige, og det er derfor, han aldrig modsatte sig, at apostlene praktiserede ritualet med Johannes’ dåb. Han lærte, at den sandhedselskende sjæl, den, der hungrer og tørster efter retfærdighed, efter Gud, optages i det åndelige rige ved tro; samtidig lærte apostlene, at en sådan troende optages i den sociale organisation af disciple ved det ydre dåbsritual.		170:5.13 (1865.3) Jesus foresaw that a social organization, or church, would follow the progress of the true spiritual kingdom, and that is why he never opposed the apostles’ practicing the rite of John’s baptism. He taught that the truth-loving soul, the one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, for God, is admitted by faith to the spiritual kingdom; at the same time the apostles taught that such a believer is admitted to the social organization of disciples by the outward rite of baptism.
170:5.14 (1865.4) Da Jesu umiddelbare tilhængere erkendte, at de delvist havde fejlet i at realisere hans ideal om etableringen af riget i menneskers hjerter ved åndens dominans og vejledning af den enkelte troende, satte de sig for at redde hans lære fra at gå helt tabt ved at erstatte Mesterens ideal om riget med den gradvise skabelse af en synlig social organisation, den kristne kirke. Og da de havde gennemført dette erstatningsprogram for at bevare sammenhængen og sikre anerkendelsen af Mesterens lære om riget, gik de i gang med at udskyde riget til fremtiden. Lige så snart kirken var veletableret, begyndte den at lære, at riget i virkeligheden skulle komme til syne ved kulminationen af den kristne tidsalder, ved Kristi genkomst.		170:5.14 (1865.4) When Jesus’ immediate followers recognized their partial failure to realize his ideal of the establishment of the kingdom in the hearts of men by the spirit’s domination and guidance of the individual believer, they set about to save his teaching from being wholly lost by substituting for the Master’s ideal of the kingdom the gradual creation of a visible social organization, the Christian church. And when they had accomplished this program of substitution, in order to maintain consistency and to provide for the recognition of the Master’s teaching regarding the fact of the kingdom, they proceeded to set the kingdom off into the future. The church, just as soon as it was well established, began to teach that the kingdom was in reality to appear at the culmination of the Christian age, at the second coming of Christ.
170:5.15 (1865.5) På denne måde blev riget begrebet for en tidsalder, ideen om et fremtidigt besøg og idealet for den endelige indfrielse af den Højestes hellige. De første kristne (og alt for mange af de senere) mistede generelt den fader-og-søn-idé af syne, som var indeholdt i Jesu lære om riget, mens de erstattede den med kirkens velorganiserede sociale fællesskab. Kirken blev således hovedsageligt et socialt broderskab, som effektivt fortrængte Jesu koncept og ideal om et åndeligt broderskab.		170:5.15 (1865.5) In this manner the kingdom became the concept of an age, the idea of a future visitation, and the ideal of the final redemption of the saints of the Most High. The early Christians (and all too many of the later ones) generally lost sight of the Father-and-son idea embodied in Jesus’ teaching of the kingdom, while they substituted therefor the well-organized social fellowship of the church. The church thus became in the main a social brotherhood which effectively displaced Jesus’ concept and ideal of a spiritual brotherhood.
170:5.16 (1865.6) Jesu idealkoncept slog stort set fejl, men på grundlag af Mesterens personlige liv og lære, suppleret med de græske og persiske begreber om evigt liv og forstærket af Filons doktrin om det timelige i modsætning til det åndelige, gik Paulus i gang med at opbygge et af de mest progressive menneskelige samfund, der nogensinde har eksisteret på Urantia.		170:5.16 (1865.6) Jesus’ ideal concept largely failed, but upon the foundation of the Master’s personal life and teachings, supplemented by the Greek and Persian concepts of eternal life and augmented by Philo’s doctrine of the temporal contrasted with the spiritual, Paul went forth to build up one of the most progressive human societies which has ever existed on Urantia.
170:5.17 (1865.7) Tanken om Jesus lever stadig i de avancerede religioner i verden. Paulus’ kristne kirke er den socialiserede og menneskeliggjorte skygge af, hvad Jesus havde tænkt sig, at Himmeriget skulle være—og hvad det helt sikkert en dag vil blive. Paulus og hans efterfølgere overførte til dels spørgsmålet om evigt liv fra den enkelte til kirken. Kristus blev således kirkens hoved snarere end den ældre bror til hver enkelt troende i Faderens familie i riget. Paulus og hans samtidige anvendte alle Jesu åndelige implikationer vedrørende ham selv og den enkelte troende på kirken som en gruppe af troende; og ved at gøre dette gav de dødsstødet til Jesu koncept om det guddommelige rige i den enkelte troendes hjerte.		170:5.17 (1865.7) The concept of Jesus is still alive in the advanced religions of the world. Paul’s Christian church is the socialized and humanized shadow of what Jesus intended the kingdom of heaven to be—and what it most certainly will yet become. Paul and his successors partly transferred the issues of eternal life from the individual to the church. Christ thus became the head of the church rather than the elder brother of each individual believer in the Father’s family of the kingdom. Paul and his contemporaries applied all of Jesus’ spiritual implications regarding himself and the individual believer to the church as a group of believers; and in doing this, they struck a deathblow to Jesus’ concept of the divine kingdom in the heart of the individual believer.
170:5.18 (1866.1) Og derfor har den kristne kirke i århundreder arbejdet under stor forlegenhed, fordi den vovede at gøre krav på de mystiske kræfter og privilegier i riget, kræfter og privilegier, som kun kan udøves og opleves mellem Jesus og hans åndelige troende brødre. Og dermed bliver det tydeligt, at medlemskab af kirken ikke nødvendigvis betyder fællesskab i riget; det ene er åndeligt, det andet hovedsageligt socialt.		170:5.18 (1866.1) And so, for centuries, the Christian church has labored under great embarrassment because it dared to lay claim to those mysterious powers and privileges of the kingdom, powers and privileges which can be exercised and experienced only between Jesus and his spiritual believer brothers. And thus it becomes apparent that membership in the church does not necessarily mean fellowship in the kingdom; one is spiritual, the other mainly social.
170:5.19 (1866.2) Før eller senere vil en anden og større Johannes Døber stå frem og proklamere, at “Guds rige er kommet nær”—hvilket betyder en tilbagevenden til Jesu høje åndelige koncept, som proklamerede, at riget er hans himmelske Faders vilje, der er dominerende og transcendent i den troendes hjerte—og alt dette uden på nogen måde at henvise til hverken den synlige kirke på jorden eller til Kristi forventede genkomst. Der må komme en genoplivning af Jesus’ faktiske lære, en gendrivelse, der vil gøre det af med hans tidlige tilhængere, som gik i gang med at skabe et sociofilosofisk trossystem vedrørende fakta om Mikaels ophold på jorden. I løbet af kort tid fortrængte denne historie om Jesus næsten forkyndelse af Jesu evangelium om riget. På denne måde fortrængte en historisk religion den lære, hvor Jesus havde blandet menneskets højeste moralske ideer og åndelige idealer med menneskets mest sublime håb for fremtiden—det evige liv. Og det var evangeliet om riget.		170:5.19 (1866.2) Sooner or later another and greater John the Baptist is due to arise proclaiming “the kingdom of God is at hand”—meaning a return to the high spiritual concept of Jesus, who proclaimed that the kingdom is the will of his heavenly Father dominant and transcendent in the heart of the believer—and doing all this without in any way referring either to the visible church on earth or to the anticipated second coming of Christ. There must come a revival of the actual teachings of Jesus, such a restatement as will undo the work of his early followers who went about to create a sociophilosophical system of belief regarding the fact of Michael’s sojourn on earth. In a short time the teaching of this story about Jesus nearly supplanted the preaching of Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom. In this way a historical religion displaced that teaching in which Jesus had blended man’s highest moral ideas and spiritual ideals with man’s most sublime hope for the future—eternal life. And that was the gospel of the kingdom.
170:5.20 (1866.3) Det er netop, fordi Jesu evangelium var så mangesidet, at de, der studerede hans lære, i løbet af få århundreder blev splittet op i så mange kulter og sekter. Denne ynkelige opdeling af kristne troende skyldes, at de ikke har kunnet se den guddommelige enhed i Mesterens mangfoldige lære og hans uforlignelige liv. Men en dag vil de sande Jesus-troende ikke være så åndeligt splittede i deres holdning til de ikke-troende. Vi kan altid have forskellige intellektuelle forståelser og fortolkninger, endda forskellige grader af socialisering, men mangel på åndeligt broderskab er både utilgiveligt og forkasteligt.		170:5.20 (1866.3) It is just because the gospel of Jesus was so many-sided that within a few centuries students of the records of his teachings became divided up into so many cults and sects. This pitiful subdivision of Christian believers results from failure to discern in the Master’s manifold teachings the divine oneness of his matchless life. But someday the true believers in Jesus will not be thus spiritually divided in their attitude before unbelievers. Always we may have diversity of intellectual comprehension and interpretation, even varying degrees of socialization, but lack of spiritual brotherhood is both inexcusable and reprehensible.
170:5.21 (1866.4) Tag ikke fejl! Der er i Jesu lære en evig natur, som ikke vil tillade den for evigt at forblive ufrugtbar i tænkende menneskers hjerter. Riget, som Jesus opfattede det, har i vid udstrækning fejlet på jorden; for tiden har en ydre kirke taget dens plads; men du bør forstå, at denne kirke kun er larvestadiet for det forpurrede åndelige rige, som vil bære det gennem denne materielle tidsalder og over i en mere åndelig dispensation, hvor Mesterens lære kan nyde en mere fuldkommen mulighed for udvikling. Således bliver den såkaldte kristne kirke den kokon, hvori Jesu rige nu slumrer. Det guddommelige broderskabs rige er stadig i live og vil til sidst og helt sikkert komme frem fra denne lange neddykning, lige så sikkert som sommerfuglen til sidst kommer frem som den smukke udfoldelse af dens mindre attraktive væsen af metamorfisk udvikling.		170:5.21 (1866.4) Mistake not! there is in the teachings of Jesus an eternal nature which will not permit them forever to remain unfruitful in the hearts of thinking men. The kingdom as Jesus conceived it has to a large extent failed on earth; for the time being, an outward church has taken its place; but you should comprehend that this church is only the larval stage of the thwarted spiritual kingdom, which will carry it through this material age and over into a more spiritual dispensation where the Master’s teachings may enjoy a fuller opportunity for development. Thus does the so-called Christian church become the cocoon in which the kingdom of Jesus’ concept now slumbers. The kingdom of the divine brotherhood is still alive and will eventually and certainly come forth from this long submergence, just as surely as the butterfly eventually emerges as the beautiful unfolding of its less attractive creature of metamorphic development.