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Not Dated
Received by Dr Samuels.
Washington D.C.
When I came to Palestine to teach, I was very much aware of the evils
found among the Hebrew priesthood and I also was convinced through my
studies of the old prophets and the teachings of the Father that the priesthood
was not essential to a religion calling for a direct communication between
the human soul and the Heavenly Father through Love. But it was not my
intention to harm or destroy the prevailing system which had been built
up through the centuries to perpetuate the priesthood as an integral part
of the organization of the Hebrew nation, whether Israel, Judah, or both,
for the nation had been established as one consecrated to God with the
priesthood as the intermediaries between God and the people, and the conception
was to have the priesthood perform the religious functions of a special
or national nature and be the religious leaders of a people designated
to be a light to the gentiles - a people who would eventually lead the
pagan peoples into the path of true belief and worship of the eternal
God.
And the sacrifices of the animals seemed perfectly consistent with this
plan, because these sacrifices enabled the priesthood to live, and in
earlier times this priesthood had difficulties in making ends meet because
the people were not generous in their contributions towards them. And
for that reason the priesthood, as a class, organized for special duties
within a society that had developed with those special duties in mind,
were not to be attacked in my plan for the redemption of the Jewish people.
But I believed that through the New Covenant, and as all peoples obtained
the Divine Love, all people would of their own accord eradicate sin from
their souls, as far as they could, to the extent that they received this
Love and made their own reforms for the betterment of the entire nation,
with the development of their natural love tending toward social justice
and individual conduct more in accord with the laws of God and also the
transformation, at least to some degree, of each human soul, into the
Divine soul through the Divine Love.
I shall stop now with all my love and blessing upon you, and you may
rest assured that we are all working to see that your efforts in behalf
of our work will be successful and that the first church for the spreading
of the real good news of the Father's Love be established on earth as
it is in Heaven.
Your friend and elder brother,
Jesus,
Master of the Celestial Heavens
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