CHAPTER IV.
1. Osire lost no time, but officered Gau and established his Council in hot haste, makingOte as temporary God on the throne, whilst he himself went forth to other regions, toconquer and overturn false Gods and Lords. Leaving, therefore, a sufficient guard andcouncil, Osire, with a host of twenty millions, went westward in atmospherea, over andabove the great central north lands, where was established Wotchak, a false God, withanother hundred millions of slaves, to do his will.
2. Wotchak, having been advised by the messengers of Osire's approach to the earth'sheavens, supposing Osire to be from some remote star, and not knowing there wereetherean worlds in the firmament, had laid his kingdom round with new walls, and doublyfortified his throne, and gaudily attired himself and officers, in hopes to overawe thecoming God.
3. To Wotchak came Osire, and waited not to be announced, nor halted for his sentinels,driving his ship straight up to the throne.
4. Halt! Halt! cried the astonished Wotchak. Who dares my throne profane, and all therules of virtuous Gods set at defiance? Down from thy ship, and crawl on thy belly to thysovereign God! Know thou, I am Great Apollo! But Osire deigned only to say: By whatauthority hast thou made slaves of Jehovih's sons and daughters, to augment thine ownself-glory?
5. And, not waiting a reply alighted down before the throne, even while a thousand ormore, well drilled, with him stood, in the form of a star, whereon the Upper Lightdescended in great brilliancy. Wotchak was frightened, and fled from his throne, and allhis Council with him. Then spake Osire, saying to his hosts:
6. Suffer not this false God and his Council to escape. Encircle them round, and holdthem, to know my will and the decree of Jehovih. Presently, the ethereans broughtback Wotchak, who cried out: O, let me go! Take all, but let me go! What am I to thee?
7. Osire answered him, saying: Such hath been the history of these heavens. In ages gone,the usurping false Gods were suffered to go their way, leaving their former subjectshelpless on the hands of the etherean hosts. That day is past. I am come to make suchGods know that their fate and responsibilities rest on the decrees of a Higher One, eventhe Creator, Jehovih. Behold, thou hast cast down and blighted a hundred million ofJehovih's children, making slaves of them, to do thy will. As thou wert the cause of theirfallen state, from liberty to bondage, so, no, shalt thou redeem them to freedom, andwisdom and truth.
8. Whilst Osire spake, his proper officers let fall the light from the upper regions, the likeof which Wotchak had never beholden. Presently, all things became transparent, and theenraged Wotchak, foreseeing trouble ahead, thus answered:
9. Accuse me not, thou audacious God! These, my Council, urged me hundreds ofyears ago to my course, and only for the favor they might remain my close advisors. I wastheir tool, and, if thou desirest justice, make them to feel the sting of repentant labor. Let them have my slaves. I want them not. I have been a most honest, upright God!
10. And now his counselors accused one another, and all of them heaping the blame onWotchak. Lighter and lighter grew the etherean flames, from which there was noconcealment; and all their former falsehoods and cruel words, and evil deeds, wereunveiled, disclosing souls dark and hideous, with long-covered-up crimes, now made barefor the gaze of every eye.
11. The which scene brought the curious slaves, in millions, to witness it, and to reassurethe suffering false God of their love and loyalty. And when Wotchak looked and beheldthe abject wretches who claimed him as their worshipful God, he cried out: Enough! Enough! Unfeeling God! Thou art come in pretended right and peace; but, because of thypower, executest on me and my Council torments more terrible than I ever gave to slaveof mine. Know thou, I am Apollo!
12. To which Osire answered: What are names to me! With that, Osire, by wavinghis hand, caused his hosts to cast aside the false God's throne, and all its glitteringgems scatter abroad, relicts for the multitude. And now three pillars of light shotup and stood beside Osire and his attendants, the which took all the strength andcourage out of Wotchak and his confederates, and they crouched down at Osire's feet.
13. Osire called Itu, saying: Take them without, and hand them over to their slavesawhile. And Itu and his guard gathered them from the light and bore them hence. Quickly,now, Osire officered this newly-conquered place in heaven, and called it Autat,signifying, foundation of perishable laws. And on a new throne, appointed Luce astemporary God, giving him a council of one thousand ethereans. And now Osire drew theplans for roads, and temples, and schools, and hospitals, and nurseries, and all such otherhabitations as are required by spirits newborn, in heaven, leaving orders to have themcompleted by a given time.
14. Next, Osire ordered the divisions and selections to be made in the now scattered hostsof atmosphereans, and to have them all arrested and put into their proper places. Thesethings he left in the charge of God, Luce, to be carried out.
15. Far out on the plateau, Itu and his attendants carried Wotchak and his confederates,followed by forty millions of his former slaves. There Itu left Wotchak and his people,and Itu and his attendants went aside to witness whatever should transpire.
16. At this stage, Osire departed with his ship and steered southward over the land of Shem, coming to a place in the lower heaven called Vibrahj, signifying resplendent, whereruled the false God, Daveas,1 who had eight hundred millions of slaves, a thousand Lords,and ten thousand Governors.
17. And, even as Osire rushed in headlong upon the other false Gods, so came he withhis fire-ship into the great city of Vibrahj, at this time the largest city of the lowerheaven. Daveas had been warned by his sentinels, and so came to the front of his capital,just in time to see the fearless Osire alight on the piazza in front of the Council House.
1 In the English translations from the Vedic Scriptures, this God is spelled the same, Daveas. Evil men are also characterized as Daveas.
CHAPTER V.
1. Osire said: In the name of Jehovih, peace be unto thee! To which Daveas replied: Nay,in the name of Apollo, who I am! How darest thou approach, save to crawl on thy belly? Four hundred years hath the honor of my kingdom been revered by all visiting Gods; butthou comest as a barbarian. Down, wretch! Erst I have thee bound and cast in prison!
2. Osire said: Why should I not come before thee? Behold, the Great Spirit created thewhole universe for His Sons and Daughters. By what right hast thou usurped a portion? And whence thy authority to bid me kneel to thee? But if thou canst show me whereinthou hast one just claim to enslave these people, rather let thy argument run thither, for Iam come in the name of the Father to liberate them, that they may be prepared for thesecond and third resurrections.
3. Daveas said: Think not that I have neglected to prepare for rebellious Gods like thou. Behold my millions of subjects! What is thy handful? Verily, I tell thee I have prisonslarge enough to hold thee and thy hosts. Neither flatter thyself that I am ignorant. For twohundred years I wrought in the so-called resurrections; I made myself a slave to themultitude, giving all my labor and time. Then I beheld my folly, and so built a thirdresurrection myself. This is, therefore, my lawful kingdom. Moreover, I tell thee to thyface, thou wretch, there is no higher heaven than mine. Neither comest thou from aheaven great as mine. But having great self-conceit, thou art come for mischief. I haveheard of thee in other heavens! But now thou hast put thy head into the halter. Seize him,marshals! Seize him and his hosts! Cast them in prison!
4. Osire spake not, but raised his hand upward in the seventh sign, and suddenly his hostscasts forth sheets of light brighter than the sun. Daveas stood back affrighted, and hismarshals fled. Presently, Osire, with a thousand attendants, stepped forth in flames oflight, and went up into the capital and surrounded Daveas, the usurper, but touched himnot. And now the ship was illumined, and lo, the sentinels of Daveas' Council broke andfled. Hereupon, Osire spake, saying:
5. Hand of Thy hand, O Jehovih; voice of Thy voice, overturn Thou this house andthrone! And, behold, the light of the upper heavens rested in Osire's palms, and he smotethe house and the throne, and they tumbled over as straw before a hurricane. Alone stoodDaveas, the evil God, half speechless and half blinded by the great Light of Jehovih. Down! down! said Osire, to the walls and temples of the city. And his hosts concentratedat any point Osire's hand directed; and lo, everything fell and was scattered far.
6. Meanwhile, the officers of Daveas fled in all directions, save such as wereovercome by the light, and these fell and were buried themselves amidst the rubbish.
7. Hold! Hold! cried Daveas. Give me air! I perish! I am a consuming fire! And he tossedhis hands aloft; then cringed his face within his glittering robes. And now Osire calledforth thunder and lightning, and sent shafts through, and over, and about the wholeplateau of Vibrahj, and the din and roar confounded all the eight hundred millions ofsouls, so they ran no farther, but stood and waited, watching what should next befall.
8. Osire halted not, but went forward to a more suitable place, to build his throne. Jehovih! Almighty! he cried: Elements of Thy elements, O Father! Found here a thronefor Thy Son! And even so, for whilst his words went forth, the elements rose to do hiswill, and there raised a most excellent throne, strong and adamantine, on which Osireascended. Daveas had fallen flat down, weeping and wailing; but Osire, by a motion ofthe hand, called Wang-te, a most enlightened archangel, with her attendants, to bear himhence, the which was quickly done.
9. Quickly, now, the place being cleared, the hosts of Osire fenced around a sufficientspace for a city of a thousand million souls, with pillars of light, as brilliant as anarc in the etherean firmament. Hereat, Osire appointed Klesta, Dawn Goddess, andhe gave her a council of fifty thousand ethereans. Outside of the walls of the pillarsof agni were Daveas and his eight hundred million subjects, in dire confusion.
10. Wang-te, the archangel, said to Daveas: In thine own falsehood thou art favored tofree thyself awhile, to organize a new kingdom, but in holiness, and return and commandobedience from this smothering host. Behold, thou has taught them to believe thou artApollo; say to them now: I am not Apollo! I have been false!
11. Daveas madly replied: Never! Jehovih and His kingdoms accursed be forever! Yestrange spirits, come from far-off kingdoms, to despoil and overturn the most righteousplace in heaven! Are Jehovih and His servants destroyers! To which Wang-te replied: This is no time for argument; behold here these countless millions! If I withdraw fromthee, and my attendants also withdraw, thou wilt be as one drowned amidst this sea ofignorance and horrid smells. Assume at once, for pity's sake, to purge thyself of thy lifelongfalsehoods and treacherous tyranny. Announce thyself as Daveas, as thou art, and Ican save thee!
12. Daveas rudely thrust her aside, saying: Never! I acknowledge to none! If there be ahigher heaven, I will ascend thither as I am, Apollo! Apollo! Wang-te said: Put me notoff, in Jehovih's name! Remember what thou art, and of the little thou hast seen, howpowerless thou art before Omnipotence! Thy fate is like that of all dictators, on the vergeof a chasm of horrors. Daveas waited not to hear her further, but proclaimed aloud,Apollo! Apollo! and stood aside. And presently his former officers rushed to him, andwith that came the sea of millions of spirits, unorganized, unwashed, unfed, frightenedand mad, for love of the name Apollo, the meaning of which they knew not; and theybecame as a knot of serpents, entwined around the central figure, Daveas and hisofficers. And in the terrible brawl not one voice could be distinguished from another. And the outer extreme pressed inward, on every side, and presently the eight hundredmillions were as a ball, a knot of darkness, with a dull and rumbling moan within,and fearful clamor on the surface, from which horrid smells issued in all directions.
13. Wang-te and her attendants hastened back to the throne of Osire, Son of Jehovih, totell what had happened. Osire said: What shall I do, O Father? Then the Light of Jehovihcame, and Jehovih spake, saying: Consider My Creation, My son. The young child I madeto fall with few bruises; but the full-grown man falleth heavily. Shall I make a separaterule to favor kings and queens on the earth, and false Gods in heaven? Nay, verily. Behold, I will make of Daveas an example in heaven, and on earth, also. Because he hathspurned his own name, so will I make both angels and mortals to curse and shun thename, Daveas.
14. Osire said: Proceed ye with my kingdom, in the name of the father. Let Daveas restawhile as he is.
15. At that, Osire departed, taking the remainder of his hosts with him in his fire-ship;and he went to a heavenly place to the westward, where was Seru, a false God, withten millions of slaves; and Osire destroyed Seru's kingdom also. Next, he went to aheavenly place in the north, where Raka, a false God, had seventy millions of slaves; andOsire destroyed his kingdom also, liberating his slaves, and putting a guard over Raka.
16. Thus went Osire throughout atmospherea, demolishing all the heavenly kingdomsof the false Gods, of whom there were, in all, seven hundred and eighty; but manyof them had not a million of subjects. Thirty days, in all, was Osire engaged indestroying the evil kingdoms in the lower heavens, and then the work was finished.
17. Osire said to his hosts: For thirty days we labored in destroying that which was; nowwill we rebuild to Jehovih for another thirty days. Take the ship, therefore, to Vibrahj, forthither will I found my central kingdom. And after we shall have completed the work ofstarting the second resurrection on a sure foundation, then will we go down to the earthand overturn the kingdoms of the false Lords and men.
CHAPTER VI.
1. Jehovih said: Vibrahj shall be My place; thy throne, Osire, shall be My throne. Sendsheriffs out into all the divisions of heaven where thou hast destroyed the evil kingdoms. And thy sheriffs shall arrest all the false Gods whom thou hast dispossessed, and bringthem hither, that I may speak with them face to face.
2. Then spake Osire to the sheriffs, saying: Go ye out into all the divisions ofatmospherea, and arrest and bring hither all the false Gods whom I have dethroned,saying to each of them: Osire, God of the lower heavens, commandeth my presence. Come thou, and hear the voice of thy Creator. But it shall happen that many will fear tocome, because of the light, lest their evil deeds be seen; say to all such: The light will belowered for a short space of time; come, therefore, quickly.
3. To all the knots, where the false Gods are enveloped, shall ye take umbrae, asufficiency, that ye may release them. But leave ye with the knot a sufficient guard tokeep them in their places.
4. The sheriffs went abroad, as commanded, being sufficiently provided with attendantsand all things required for such adventures; and after many days the false Gods werearrested and brought before the throne of God, Osire, Jehovih's Son. And there wereassembled, on that occasion, one hundred thousand archangels, of whom two thousandhad risen to the rank of Gods and Goddesses, and thirty thousand to the rank of Lords andLordesses.
5. Osire said to the false ones: Brothers, greeting, in the name of Jehovih! Nor shall yefear, nor be expectant of torture or punishment. Though I come in All Power, my wordsshall be tempered with wisdom. But I can be no respecter of persons, nor swerve one jotor tittle from Jehovih's commandments.
6. The bondage of all men was in the Father; for, before ye were conscious individuals,Jehovih stretched forth His hand, and ye came forth from Void, which was your prison inwhich your selves had been as nothing.
7. In likeness of the Father, I came to deliver them ye had bounden; and through Himhave I attained power to that end. So, in likeness of Him, also, I cannot bind you, or castyou in prison. Nay, my sheriffs have just delivered you from bondage, and I am nowholding you free from the knots.
8. Most of ye are learned men of the second resurrection; but ye have used your wisdomfor self-glorification, being proud to call yourselves Gods; not to teach them of Jehovihand His kingdoms, but falsely teaching that your own kingdoms were the All Highest,thereby shutting out the true light from the unlearned.
9. Jehovih hath blessed you all with strong minds and handsome forms, whereupon, yehave each of you falsely proclaimed ye were Apollo. Think not that this matter was notknown in high heaven. I have here the reports of swift messengers, which were brought tome in the firmament above. I came not in ignorance of what ye were doing; neither came Iin weakness. More than a hundred thousand millions, who have been raised up to ethereafrom the earth and its heavens, stand at my side. Besides these, a million times as manyethereans, from other worlds; and above all of these, the Great Orian Chiefs; and yetbeyond, and over all, Great Jehovih!
10. Have I not proved my power before you all? Did I go away in a corner and say: Come, I will show you my power? Nay, I came close to you all. As the Fatherfirst proveth power, so have I. After that, wisdom. That I may talk to you in wisdom,I had you arrested and brought hither. Hear me then, and remember my words.
11. In former cycles, the high Gods who descended to these heavens, finding false Gods,simply liberated their slaves, but put no labor of restitution on the false Gods. Thiswas because the false Gods of those periods were too imbecile and unlearned. Butthe earth and her heavens have progressed to a higher state. And with progressioncometh, also, responsibility. With learning cometh responsibility; and with wisdom, also.
12. Ye bound your subjects to your kingdoms; and ye perceive, now, ye cannot put themaside. Ye taught them your kingdoms were the All Highest; they must now be unlearned. Ye taught them that ye were the All Highest Gods! They must be unlearned in this, also. Ye put aside the ancient rites and ceremonies, wherein the name of Jehovih was used,teaching them to sing to you, only. They must be taught new songs, substituting the GreatSpirit, to Whom none can attain, forever. Ye taught them to be unthinking, and contentedas slaves; they must now be taught to think for themselves, and to labor for everlastingliberty.
13. And now, touching the law of the resurrection, remember ye, this is the same in all thecreated worlds; which is, that the spirit of man groweth by giving away of whatsoever thespirit hath to give. If ye have great learning, and ye give of it, then shall more learning beadded unto you; if ye have goodness of heart, and gentle words, then, by giving this away,more shall be added unto you; if ye have craft in inventions or mechanics, and ye bestowof these talents unto others, then will more be added unto you. As the corporean manaccumulateth corporeal things by not giving them away, not so accumulateth the spirit ofany man.
14. For he who locketh up the light of the Father that is in him, cannot obtain more light;he who locketh up goodness of heart, cannot obtain strength of spirit. And withoutstrength of spirit, no man can attain to the third resurrection. But, that men may learn toobtain strength of spirit, the second resurrection has been established in atmosphereabelonging to all the habitable corporeal worlds.
15. The chief delight of man shall be, therefore, to find some way to impart his spiritualtalents and strength, and to the greatest possible number of people. Think not thatpreaching to the ignorant is sufficient; but ye shall take hold with your own hands andshow them how to accomplish. Yet not labor alone; for some are so created that ye cannotinspire them without rites and ceremonies and music.
16. Nor shall a man, after having taught and raised up a few, say: Behold, what a goodwork I have done! But as long as he findeth a man, or woman, or child, who lacketh inanything, he shall feel to say: Alas, what I have done is as nothing in the resurrection ofmy fellows.
17. For the rule holdeth for all men alike, to desire exaltation, and everlasting liberty, andunlimited power; and unless ye are prepared to give even these unto others, then yecannot attain them yourselves. Neither is it possible for man to turn away fromresponsibility; to whom the Father hath given, from him the Father requireth. Ye havehad your kingdoms. Yea, and boasted of them. Your boasts have ascended to etherea. Will ye go thither and be asked: Where is thy kingdom? Shall it be said ye shirked fromthe care of them the Father gave into your keeping?
18. Bethink ye, O brothers! When the conscience of man turneth inward, there is stilldarkness slumbering in his soul. The etherean lights will burn him. He whose conscienceno longer burned inward, becometh himself a brilliant flame of light. Through himJehovih speaketh.
19. Osire ceased; and now a brilliant light descended around about the throne, andpresently Jehovih spake through Osire, saying:
20. Times and half-times have I given to My corporeal worlds and their heavens. In atime have I made a full resurrection to those who aspire to My heavens above. Nor do Igo away from any place I created, saying: Go thou alone for a season. But in a time Imanifest a new light, for such, also, are My creations. Think not that I have given seasonsto corporeal worlds only; I gave seasons to atmospherea, also.
21. Is not a summer on the earth half a time? And the winter half a time? And the two,one full time? So created I for atmospherea a time of four hundred years, and a halftimeof two hundred years. And in seven times and one half-time created I one dan'ha.
22. I sent my Gods to teach these things since thousands of years; whereby My angelsmight know the times of My resurrections. Hath not a farmer knowledge of theresurrection of spring, when I cover the earth over with new-growing things which I raiseup out of the earth? How much more knowledge should my angels have of my spring-times,in atmospherea, when My archangels come to gather in My harvests ofemancipated souls.
23. I commanded My etherean hosts, saying: Go ye to the lower heaven and teach themthere is no such thing as individual resurrection. And they came proclaiming My word,showing all people that any number of individuals were as nothing unless united, which isthe salvation I provided unto all My worlds.
24. For I created progress to be in compact; nor gave I to any person individual salvationor resurrection. That men might learn the advantage of compact, I caused mortals to havecorporeal languages, and to live in cities. That ye in atmospherea might learn the AllPerfection of being one with one another, I gave you the second resurrection; teachingyou, through My Gods and Lords, to abnegate self-aspiration, for self-aspiration is atthe expense of others; but commanding ye to learn to assimilate with one another.
25. And I gave rites and ceremonies, amongst which was the oath of service unto Meand My kingdoms, and unto none other, wherein many bound themselves, which was,and is, the beginning of liberty. Touching which matter, I created types on earth and inthe lower heavens, that even the unlearned might understand Me and My works.
26. For to him that begetteth children gave I bondage, to them and to him conjointly. Butthis is a bondage that circumventeth not liberty in time to come, for they can ascend toheaven, and progress conjointly, better than alone. But some gave themselves up to loveearthly things, such as houses, and money, and kingdoms, which things have noresurrection. Hence, such bondage holdeth the person after death to the thing he loved.
27. In type of which, many have set up kingdoms in the lower heavens, bindingthemselves to things that have no higher resurrection, which things belong on the plateauof atmospherea where I created them. But to them who have bound themselves to theirfellows, saying: I am the salvation! it is like a young man saying to a maiden: Come, Iwill be thy husband. And she goeth to him in confidence. Here, then, is bondage; and sheholdeth him as the way of her salvation. Wherein, not he alone can annul that which hathbeen united, nor yet they twain; for, by their bondage, I am also a party to the contract.
28. In which manner, they that assume kingdoms, professing to be Gods of salvation, andthus enticing My innocent ones unto themselves, become bound, not only totheir subjects, but to the contract of deliverance unto salvation; for so, created I them.
29. The Voice ceased, and Osire said: If a man wed a woman with an evil temper, hisglory lieth not in going away from her, but in teaching her to overcome her temper; or, ifher husband be evil, her glory lieth not in going away from him, but in reforming him. Rather is it wise to accomplish whatever work Jehovih hath put in thy way, than to desertit for sake of personal comfort.
30. Nevertheless, there is a limit to all things, save Jehovih; and to the wise there is powerto accomplish much that seemeth impossible at first. Hear ye, then, my judgment uponyou, which is that:
31. Ye shall again assume kingdoms, and every one shall have all the subjects he hadbefore. And ye shall be provided with places and thrones by my archangels, and withcouncils of my archangels also. And I will give to each and every one of you an assistantGod, who shall sit on your right hand for four years, the time of this dawn, teaching howto teach, and what to teach.
32. My hosts will now conduct you to the places prepared for you, around which areerected walls of agni. And when ye are safely seated on your thrones, your formersubjects shall be brought before you in groups, and adjudged to the labor, and to theschools, and such other places as are suited to them, according to their strength andtalents.
33. And I pronounce it upon you, that ye shall deliver your respective subjects sufficientlyfor the third resurrection. Wherein, according to your zeal and faithfulness, will my hostslabor with you, to the end that Jehovih may be glorified in your harvests for theemancipated worlds. Attend, therefore, to give the sign, INJEHOVIH’SNAME,and receiveye ordination from my hands, by the power and wisdom of the Great Spirit.
34. The sheriffs showed them how to make the sign, and how to stand before the throne;and then Osire said: By Thy Wisdom, and Love, and Power, O Jehovih, which rest in me,do I anoint these, Thy Gods, for Thy service, and for the exaltation of Thy kingdoms,forever! Amen.
35. The light was now becoming so brilliant that many of the newly-made Gods quailedbefore it. But the marshals conducted them, and they passed before the throne of Osire,where they were crowned and arrayed as Gods of the second resurrection; after whichthey were again conducted before the Council, and saluted on the sign; and thence, tomartial music, they were taken to the kingdoms prepared for them.
