What The Human Family Must Do Now

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Douglas

Sometimes I feel that the New Message from God is designed to be uninteresting to certain kinds of people. To those who covet wealth, the New Message says “What you don’t need will make you confused.” If you crave fame, the New Message says “The Wise remain hidden.” The New Message tells those who seek relationships “Relationships will come to you when you are prepared.” It takes a certain kind of person to engage with the New Message. Therefore, I sometimes wonder if the New Message will find its place in the heart of the human family.

What the human family must do now

But every so often I hear a report of people from all over the world finding the New Message. Some of them come from the relentless efforts of tireless advocates. Others come through seemingly chance encounters. Is it enough? I don’t know, but it’s definitely more than what would have happened had we done nothing.

In the gospel of Luke, many people in various situations asked John the Baptist what they should do to demonstrate their repentance. I share this because I dare to dream of a day when people in various situations ask “What does this New Message from God say humanity must do?” An enterprising student made a list, collected from various New Message teachings. These are not in any particular order.

Humanity must cease and prevent all war. If there is another all-out war, it will be the end of humankind.
The human family must unite to solve global problems. In particular, the climate becoming less hospitable, and the environment becoming more polluted and unsupportive of life.
Humankind must restore the natural environment. We must give back to nature what we have taken. Replant the forests, cleanse the waters, clear the skies.
The human family must limit consumption of resources. Overconsumption is the engine of war.
Humanity must limit population. More people means more consumption. Please note that this must be done in the most humane way possible.
Humankind must learn of the Greater Community. We must prepare for emerging into a Greater Community of intelligent life.
The human family must provide for its members. There will be great stress in the future when certain regions of the world become uninhabitable due to rising seas and drying lands.
Humanity must take in displaced persons. There were many of these in World War II. There may be more in the days to come.
Humankind must preserve human civilization. While not many realize it, we are in a race to save human civilization.
The human family must resist extraterrestrial intervention. There are craft in our skies. There are people being taken against their will. This is not benevolence.

This is what the human family must do now. I realize some people are reading this and saying “Good luck with that!” But I accept the miracles in my life as a demonstration of the presence of Knowledge. Sociologist Jem Bendell said something recently that might make a good exclamation point. “I remain a positive pessimist: I anticipate a very difficult future but continue to hunger for new ideas for how to reduce harm and find joy in the process.”

* * *

Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

A Silenced God Is Not Good

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Douglas

As a student of the New Message from God, I cry out that God has spoken again to humanity, This speaking is in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. There are lots of people who don’t believe this is true. Even worse, there are lots of people who don’t believe this is even possible.

A silenced God is not good

Christians declare that “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son [Jesus], whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” (Hebrews 1:2, New International Version) Muslims declare that Muhammad is “the seal of the prophets.” (Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 40, Arberry translation) Multiple Quran translations of this verse render it as “the last prophet” or “the last of the prophets.” These verses have a certain air of finality to them.

But to any Christian who would quote Hebrews 1:2 to me, I have a question. What do you think about the emergence of Islam? Do you believe that God has spoken again? Can you believe that such a thing is even possible? Or do you believe the entire Islamic enterprise is a fraud, spread by the sword? There were those who accused Muhammad of fabricating the revelation. “Or say they (again): He hath invented it? Say: If I have invented it, upon me be my crimes, but I am innocent of (all) that ye commit.” (Surah Hud, verse 35, Pickthall translation)

Albert Einstein is famous for saying “God does not play dice with the universe.” The physicist Niels Bohr one time replied “Einstein, stop telling God what to do.” Or rather, Einstein, stop telling God what God can and cannot do. One way of thinking of quantum mechanics is that God indeed plays dice with the universe.

But I say to everyone everywhere, stop telling God whether God can speak again or not. A God who does not speak to humanity, when it is facing its greatest challenges, is either not as powerful or not as good as advertised. The Muslims say “And if you are in doubt concerning that We have sent down on Our servant, then bring a sura [chapter] like it, and call your witnesses, apart from God, if you are truthful.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 23, Arberry translation) I offer more than a single chapter. I offer an entire revelation. All I know is that a silenced God is not good.

* * *

I’m Not Crossing To Cross Back

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Douglas

I am pleased to congratulate Jericho Brown for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. There is a particular poem in the book “The Tradition” that gets my attention.

I’m not crossing to cross back

The poem “Crossing” first appeared in the New Criterion.

The water is one thing, and one thing for miles.
The water is one thing, making this bridge
Built over the water another. Walk it
Early, walk it back when the day goes dim, everyone
Rising just to find a way toward rest again.
We work, start on one side of the day
Like a planet’s only sun, our eyes straight
Until the flame sinks. The flame sinks. Thank God
I’m different. I’ve figured and counted. I’m not crossing
To cross back. I’m set
On something vast. It reaches
Long as the sea. I’m more than a conqueror, bigger
Than bravery. I don’t march. I’m the one who leaps.

I don’t consider Jericho Brown a very religious person. But in the line “I’ve figured and counted,” he makes a reference to counting the cost of his mission.

“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’” (Luke 14:25-30, New International Version)

He adds his name to Romans 8:37, which some people consider as the exclamation point of Romans 8. Maybe the book of Romans,

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I’m not crossing to cross back. But this poem resonates with other vibrations. Millions of Buddhists recite the mantra “Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.” It is not merely an individual thing, as it could be rendered as “Gone, gone, gone all the way over, everyone gone to the other shore, enlightenment, hail!” I don’t know to say “Amen” in Buddhist, but I believe many Buddhists would sympathetically vibrate with this poem.

But what about me? Where does this poem come to me as a student of the New Message from God? I practice to be strong and competent. But I don’t practice to be a master, as there are no masters living in the world. I hope and work to fulfill the mission I brought into the world. But there is even more. This is from the teaching “Higher Education” in the book “Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1.”

“Knowledge is not only your ability to perceive the truth and to resonate with the truth, it also contains the memory of your life beyond this world and your reason for coming here. Everyone has come into the world to contribute and to learn to contribute; everyone has come into the world to learn more about the world. A few who have come into the world will graduate from it. By this, I mean that they will not need to come back here again.”

Is it foolish for me to even aspire to such a thing? Perhaps. But like all others in the world, I am working on learning the lessons of the world. But I read this poem, and happily think “I’m not crossing to cross back.”

* * *

A God Who Speaks Again At The Right Time

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Douglas

The writings of the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah (probably after 650 – c. 570 BC) appear in both the Jewish and Christian scriptures. His prophecies were often directed towards particular people. But there is a particular prophecy in Jeremiah 31 addressed to the people of Israel and the people of Judah.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband to them^,]”
declares the Lord.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”
(Jeremiah 31:31-34, New International Version)

A God who speaks again at the right time

No declaration was made as to when this would happen, only that it would happen. But hundreds of years later, the author of the letter to the Hebrews declared that this very thing had happened. How had this happened? In the teachings and demonstrations of Jesus. The author describes this further in Hebrews 8.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews forthrightly declared that God had spoken again in the life and work of Jesus:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1-2, New International Version)

But to me, the author is saying even more. The author is saying that in the prophesy of Jeremiah, God is promising to speak again at the right time. Furthermore, in the person and work of Jesus, God is fulfilling the promises made in Jeremiah 31. God is demonstrating speaking again at the right time. The God of the Bible is a god who speaks again at the right time.

The revelation “The Great Turning Point for Humanity” declares:

At this great turning point, Heaven has sent a New Revelation into the world, a Revelation unlike anything that has been given to the world since the days of Muhammad. For these Revelations are only given at great turning points, representing a response to a great need and a great opportunity to uplift humanity, to prepare it for its next great stage of development.

We face our greatest challenge now. But God has spoken again. Because God is a god who speaks again at the right time.

* * *

And Yet He Has Not Left Himself Without Witness

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Douglas

The book of Acts reports that when Paul and Barnabas visited Lystra, a man who had never walked was healed.

When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. (Acts 14:11-18, New International Version)

The apostle Paul clearly had little respect for the gods of the Greek pantheon. But I believe he was trying to say, “God has spoken again, and in a different way than He has ever spoken to you before.”

And yet He has not left Himself without witness

I feel that the author of the letter to the Hebrews was trying to say something similar in the opening verses of the letter.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1-2, New International Version)

God has spoken again in the person and demonstration of Jesus. God has spoken again, and in a different way than he has ever spoken to humanity before.

God promised to speak again at the right time

And yet He has not left Himself without witness. The author of the letter to the Hebrews quotes from the prophet Jeremiah to declare that God promises to speak and act again at the right time. But when God speaks, it will not be immediately obvious, because God will speak in a different way than he has ever spoken to humanity before. God is taking humanity’s progress into account.

“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.” (Jeremiah 31:33, New International Version)

God has kept His promise, more than once

And yet He has not left Himself without witness. Sometimes I feel a kinship with Paul at Lystra. Sometimes I experience an affinity with the author of the letter to the Hebrews. I feel this because I too, say “God has spoken again, and in a way He has never spoken to humanity before.” I say this as a student and advocate of the New Message from God. I saw this image in my mind’s eye a little over three years ago. People have asked me what it meant. Here is what I say:

God is watching over the world. God has not left himself without witness. Not just by giving rain and crops in their seasons, but by speaking to the world. God has promised to speak and act again when the time is right. God has fulfilled that promise, more than once, in the teachings and demonstrations of Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed. God has spoken again in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The messenger is the man Marshall Vian Summers. In the future he will be known as Vian or the Vian, just as Siddhartha Gautama is now known as Buddha or the Buddha. The word “Vian” means “messenger” in a language that did not originate in this world.

* * *

We Must Run Aground Upon Some Island

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Douglas

In the Book of Acts, the apostle Paul traveled on a cargo ship on his way to Rome to appeal his innocence to Caesar. Because of the time of year of the voyage, it was known there was a certain amount of risk involved. Paul warned against making the voyage, but was overruled by the decision-makers.

We must run aground upon some island

The ship was caught in a great storm. Despite the efforts of the crew, they despaired for their lives. At this point, Paul addressed the crew and passengers:

“After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” (Acts 27:21-26, New International Version)

The book of Acts reports the ship ran aground on the island of Malta, and was destroyed. However, all 276 of the crew and passengers survived the shipwreck.

A really big iron church bell. We must run aground upon some island.

An iron bell is ringing

I share this Bible story because of what we contemplated at the 2018 Encampment of the New Message from God. We contemplated a “New World reality.” Humanity faces a future of declining resources, affected climate, environmental degradation and extraterrestrial intervention. As I pondered this New World reality, I heard the words of Paul in my mind’s ear. “We must run aground upon some island.” These words ring like a large iron bell in my head.

I realize this may seem very negative. But I wonder some things. I think other people wonder them. Is humanity’s pattern of resource consumption and environmental impact sustainable? Doesn’t any species that grows without limit die in its own poisons? “We must run aground upon some island.” I take consolation that the crew and passengers survived the shipwreck. I take hope and determination that humanity will survive its future challenges.

* * *

Volumes and Books and Chapters and Verses

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Douglas

It is common for the source documents of many religions to be organized into smaller units to facilitate study and reference. The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form. It has 26 chapters, with each chapter having both a number and a name. Early Christians created chapter divisions for the books of the Bible. The ones used today were formulated in the 13th Century. The verse divisions used today were created in the 1500’s. Each of the surahs or chapters of the Quran have both names and numbers. The surahs are divided into ayahs or verses.

Volumes and books and chapters and verses

The New Message from God is following in this tradition. A major reorganization of the written works of the New Message from God is currently underway. This is part of the even larger project of compiling a final written version of the New Message from God in the lifetime of Marshall Vian Summers.

God Has Spoken Again is Volume 1, Book 1 (There are a number of other books to be released in the future which will be in Volume 1)
Greater Community Spirituality is Volume 2, Book 1.
Relationships and Higher Purpose is Volume 2, Book 2.
Steps to Knowledge is Volume 3, Book 1
Steps to Knowledge, Continuation Training is Volume 3, Book 2
Living the Way of Knowledge is Volume 3, Book 3
The Great Waves of Change is Volume 4, Book 1
Life in the Universe is Volume 4, Book 2
Wisdom from the Greater Community, Volume 1 is Volume 5, Book 1
Wisdom from the Greater Community, Volume 2 is Volume 5, Book 2
Secrets of Heaven is Volume 6, Book 1

Volumes and books and chapters and verses. One could consider the Bible as existing in two volumes (Old and New Testaments), with Volume 1 having 39 books (Genesis to Malachi) and Volume 2 having 27 books (Matthew to Revelation)

Volumes and books and chapters and verses. The book God Has Spoken Again is the first book to be released in verse form. The verses aren’t currently numbered, but they could be in the future. The existing books will be re-released in verse form in the future. Therefore, the larger vision is that each part of the New Message from God will be identifiable by volume, book, chapter and verse. For example, the portions of the revelation “The Proclamation” on which I have commented are Volume 1, Book 1, Chapter 1, Verses 1-12.

* * *

Ready, Willing, Capable, Permitted

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Douglas

This post is my contribution to the 2015 observance of International Women’s Day. I also wish to share that the New Message from God has a number of things to say about women’s roles in a society. Furthermore, the New Message from God has some things to say on the subject that aren’t being said by very many other voices. These things appear in the revelation “The Age of Women,” received by Marshall Vian Summers in November of 2007. The New Message offers, shall we say, a larger perspective:

“It will be interesting, perhaps, for you to consider that in advanced nations in the universe—advanced nations in the Greater Community of intelligent life in which you live—that where there is a distinction between men and women, or male and female, in those particular races, the races that are not androgynous in nature, that the female is usually given priority in matters of conscience and spirituality.”

Ready, willing, capable, permitted

It’s not like women have never held these roles. Deborah judged Israel in the Old Testament book of Judges. Huldah was a prophetess in the days of Jeremiah. Priscilla was called by Paul as “one of his fellow workers in Christ Jesus.” Rabia Basri was a Sufi saint and poet.

“Clearly, if you look in the past century, you have seen in all of society’s evolution, in many places in the world, the rise of women to roles of prominence that were previously only assumed by men. This is a natural evolution and should be continued. There are now heads of state who are women, but they are still blocked from becoming religious leaders in many, many traditions and in many cultures. They can become the president of a nation, but not a priest or a rabbi or an imam, in many circumstances.”

Ready, willing, capable, permitted. I therefore wish to modify this well-known quote from the book Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein:

A man or woman should be ready, willing, capable, and permitted to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

Ready, willing, capable, permitted. Furthermore, I wish to add a few things to Robert Heinlein’s list. A certain man or woman should be ready, willing, capable and permitted to celebrate mass, to lead Friday prayers in the mosque, initiate Buddhists as monks, say or sing the Kol Nidrei, pastor a church, prophesy, heal the sick, raise the dead, cure people with AIDS, cast out devils, display profound intuition, inexplicable knowing, wise perception of the present and future, wise understanding of the past.

Ready, willing, capable, permitted. I realize this may take a while to happen. That’s all right. It has to start somewhere.

* * *

I Wish To Speak To The Entire World

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Douglas

In the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” Judas Iscariot offered marketing advice to the master he betrayed:

If you’d come today
You could have reached the whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication

I wish to speak to the entire world

On the other hand, Jesus seemed to be fully aware as to how he wished to speak for himself. The gospel of Luke reports that Jesus had an “advance team” of seventy-two disciples, who went ahead of Jesus to every town and place where Jesus was about to go. Jesus clearly had no problem with requesting people’s attention. The gospel of John reports that Jesus stood up and cried out to the crowd on the last and greatest day of a religious festival of his nation. It’s possible that word about Jesus reached other nations during his lifetime. Perhaps Jesus had more marketing savvy than Judas thought.

I wish to speak to the entire world. I am pondering these things because I have a confession to make. I confess to wanting a Super Bowl ad for the New Message from God. I have already produced the ad in my imagination. It would involve some bits from the revelation “The Proclamation”, with our golden diamond logo and URL showing for the last 3 seconds or so.

I wish to speak to the entire world. Part of my confession is a confession of the deadly sin of Super Bowl ad envy. I have thought “If so-and-so can have a Super Bowl ad, why can’t we?” There are a lot of good answers to that question.

I wish to speak to the entire world. It’s possible that a Super Bowl ad isn’t the right vehicle for the New Message from God. Perhaps it would attract the ambitious and the self-serving. But what is the 2015 equivalent of Jesus standing up and crying out on the last and greatest day of the festival? Marshall Vian Summers said “I will call forth as far as I can.”. A YouTube channel, or a website, is the equivalent of setting up one’s stall in the marketplace of commitments. Is that good enough? I don’t think so. What am I doing about it? Writing another blog post. Is that good enough? I don’t think so.

* * *

Who Or What Will Guide Us Through The Narrows?

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Douglas

This is the fifth post in a series of posts about the New Message from God revelation, “The Race to Save Human Civilization,” received by Marshall Vian Summers in 2009. The first post in the series is here. The previous post in the series is here.

2/10/2015 UPDATE: The next post in the series is here.

Who or what will guide us through the narrows?

What have we seen so far? Humanity faces wrenching adjustments from a disrupted climate. Many inhabited places, most notably in the arid regions of the world, will become inhabitable. These changes will cause large human migrations, resulting in great stress and difficulty. This is the seventeenth paragraph.

“There will not be enough surplus food to simply ship out to stricken nations. There will not be enough. If humanity loses a percentage of its food production, it does not matter how much money is spent. The world is being exhausted. Are you going to exhaust it even more and more and more?”

Who or what will guide us through the narrows? While on a hiking trip in the Sierra Mountains of California, our guide told us “In the mountains, food is money.” I envision that in the future described by this revelation, food and clean water will be precious like money. In a previous paragraph, it was said that humanity would lose 30% of its agriculture. Hard choices are going to have to be made. Humanity’s current pattern of resource consumption and environmental use is not sustainable.

“This is the great uncertainty in the situation—how humanity will respond? What is human response-ability? Even the leaders of nations are blind. Even the leaders of religious institutions are blind. They only see the world as they are accustomed to see the world. They only see the world in terms of what they can expect and believe to be true from the past. But these things will no longer hold true.”

Who or what will guide us through the narrows? I realize this is a scathing indictment. But isn’t this the way most people see the future, in a context that the future will be an extension of the past, only with different names and faces? As I read this paragraph, I recall the times Jesus referred to the leaders of religious institutions as “blind guides” (once in Matthew 15, twice in Matthew 23). I don’t believe anyone took Jesus very seriously when he said that not one stone of the great buildings of Jerusalem would be left on another (Mark 13). And yet, about 40 years after Jesus spoke those words, it happened exactly as he said. How will you make yourself wiser, stronger, more resilient, more magnanimous than your leaders?

“There will be great human migration all over the world. Some of it will be normal, but much of it will have to be organized and agreed to between nations. If nations close their doors to the displaced peoples, it will be a tragedy never seen before. This tragedy will despoil the world in war and conflict.”

Who or what will guide us through the narrows? It was mentioned in an earlier paragraph that people in a stricken area won’t be able to move to the region next door, as it will be facing the same problem. I want to ask this revelation “Why are you telling me this? It’s not like I can open the door of my nation, or any other nation, to the displaced peoples. How am I supposed to respond to the need of the world, and to the blindness of my leaders?

* * *

Mystery of Ascension

A great mystery / Is my true self that I bring / From my ancient home

Tag Archives: Bible

What The Human Family Must Do Now

What the human family must do now

A Silenced God Is Not Good

A silenced God is not good

I’m Not Crossing To Cross Back

I’m not crossing to cross back

A God Who Speaks Again At The Right Time

A God who speaks again at the right time

And Yet He Has Not Left Himself Without Witness

And yet He has not left Himself without witness

God promised to speak again at the right time

God has kept His promise, more than once

We Must Run Aground Upon Some Island

We must run aground upon some island

An iron bell is ringing

Volumes and Books and Chapters and Verses

Volumes and books and chapters and verses

Ready, Willing, Capable, Permitted

Ready, willing, capable, permitted

I Wish To Speak To The Entire World

I wish to speak to the entire world

Who Or What Will Guide Us Through The Narrows?

Who or what will guide us through the narrows?