February 15, 1946prev home next
In the face of my intimate reflection on why the Lord was now spurring - rather than merely allowing - me to receive people and not conceal who I am - and this aspect frightens me because I fear diabolical deceit - He responded to me as follows:
“Obey and do not be afraid. You will not suffer greater harm therefrom than has been done to you so far, even while remaining hidden. And at least the harm done by those unable to understand God where He is present will be neutralized by what upright spirits observe and say.
“Let us use the world’s cunning to combat the world. The cunning taught by the world’s master.... I said, ‘Be as simple as doves and as cunning as serpents.’166 Satan turns his pupils into serpents and they adopt clamorous postures appropriate for seducing the leaden hearts of worldly men, whereas upright spirits shun these exhibitions because the soul senses they are insincere; they don’t know where to go to find what they feel they need simply because, in ninety percent of the cases, the true ‘voices’ remain secret and secluded.
“Enough. That’s enough for you. May at least the uncertain be able to compare and choose. And each will choose according to his merits, for the real seekers of God will go in one direction, and the impure seekers of God, in another. Those who hope for human delight or profit from friendship with a ‘voice’ or ‘instrument’ are impure seekers. I abhor them. For I do not raise up my voices and my instruments for these reasons. I am not a mountebank. But my voices are not, either. I am not a charlatan or an impersonator. But they aren’t, either. I am not entertainment. But they aren’t, either. And they should be respected. But when there is an attempt to undermine them with human arts and diabolical arts, distort them, and denigrate them as sick - not to mention calling them madmen and liars - then I say, ‘Enough silence and concealment! Come out and become known to the best!’
“And this is not inconsistency in my conduct, but lofty, farsighted justice. And also awareness and knowledge of time. The river mouth is drawing near.... Let the river nourished by Me be known before it is lost in the supernatural sea. My peace be with you, martyred John! But you know, little John. The ‘big John’ saw the Heavenly Jerusalem and the glories of the Lamb and the mysteries of the last times after martyrdom.167 Martyrdom makes the veil of the flesh thinner; it is God’s saliva upon still human senses. Afterwards vision gets clearer and clearer. For it must prepare for the ‘possession’ of God. And so it shall be. And if there are some who do not believe and cannot believe - the ‘deniers,’ the ‘blasphemers,’ and the ‘overbearing,’ who would like to set limits upon God by denying Him the power to make a nonentity his instrument, the power to work miracles - their incredulity is the heap from which the stones are taken for lapidation.
“Good-bye, little John of the martyrs. May God’s blessing be your viaticum hour by hour, torment by torment.”
166 Matthew 10:16.
167 Revelation 21-22.