Neville Goddard Lectures False Gods
19 Jun Neville Goddard Lectures: “False Gods”
Date unknown (1972)
“When truth embodied in a tale shall enter in at lowly doors.”
For that is the story of scripture. The Old Testament is a prophetic blueprint of the story of Jesus. A prophet’s vision is foreshortened, and they see as present what really is the future. So, we open a book of the Old Testament, and here you’re looking at a prophecy. It’s not history, not secular history. It’s a prophecy. Man is not aware of it.
There’s a rabbinical principle which states that what is not written in scripture is nonexistent. The story of Jesus follows this principle. But as the poet said, it’s embodied in a tale that it may enter in at lowly doors.
So, you and I hear the story like a little tale. Now, listen to these words. They are from the end of Luke, the 24th chapter – the last chapter of Luke. He had just explained scripture, beginning with the law of Moses and all the prophets and the psalms. He interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And then they said to each other:
“Did not our hearts burn within us, while he opened to us the scriptures?”
And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished out of their sight. Now, you would think a man appeared to those walking along the highway, and they didn’t recognize him at first. And then he explained the scripture, and their hearts began to burn within them as he opened to them the scriptures and then their eyes were opened. They recognized him, and he vanished out of sight.
This one is called the truth. “I am the truth. I am the way. I am the life.” If I succeed in opening up the scriptures to you, then whatever you hold now as an image called Jesus Christ will vanish out of sight.
The only enemy of Israel is a false god. There is no other enemy for any man in this world. A false God. If I could now take scripture and so interpret it that I could show you who God really is, well then, anything you hold down in your mind’s eye concerning an external God would vanish out of sight.
Can I take the scripture and do it? I think I can. But it’s one of those difficult things in the world to change a fixed idea. It comes back time and time again. So, you simply repeat the story from different angles until finally you get through, and the man discovers who he is.
It is in us, as persons, that God the Father reveals himself. He comes to us as one unknown, yet one who, in the most ineffable mystery, lets man experience who he is. When we experience who he is, all false gods vanish, for in that experience we discover we are the Lord. And there is a definite way for the discovery – a definite plan.
The whole thing was planned before that the world was, but we are children in this world of darkness. We came out from the world of light and purposely came into this world of darkness, and took upon ourselves the form of this thing called man. The restriction, the contraction that is man. And, one day, in the fullness of time, it unfolds. The mystery unfolds in a man. And that man in whom it unfolds tells it to as many as will listen. Some will agree, and some will disagree. Those that agree and really see it clearly, their eyes are open. They recognize not the man talking to them; they recognize the truth. For he said, “I am the truth.” So they recognize the truth of scripture. And then, an external being that they turn to and worship vanishes out of their sight. There is no more external God in their world. They find him within themselves. That is the story.
Everything said in scripture concerning Jesus is taken from the Old Testament, and most of it you will find in the words of David. Now, let us take a look in the 10th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. You will find verse after verse taken from the 40th Psalm, which is credited to David – a Psalm of David:
“In the volume of the book it is all about me.”
That’s what David is saying. “I delight to do thy will, oh my God.” These same words are used in the 10th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews concerning Jesus. He said, “I have come to do the will of him who sent me. That’s my food. Just to do the will and to accomplish the work he gave me to do.”