Virtue and Vice, Naughty Yet Nice

Interviewer: Hello!
God: How are you? Been thinking?
Interviewer: Yes, I have. And as You can see, I’m here for another session.
God: Great! Shall we start?
Interviewer: You are very eager today.
God: I am always eager. When someone is ready to start listening to Me, I like to take advantage of it right away, because often he or she tires pretty quickly and I get left talking to Myself.
Interviewer: Must be very frustrating.
God: Extremely! It is a good thing I have patience.
Interviewer: I suppose that all the things we regard as virtues, such as patience, are part of Your nature.
God: At least all the ones that should be regarded as virtues.
Interviewer: And conversely do all the vices belong to the ugly fella?
God: You are going to really tee him off talking about him like that. So go for it! You are right in that he is the master of vice.
Interviewer: Did he come made with those vices originally or did he think them up all by himself?
God: Those vices are the opposites of the virtues. He saw the good and came up with the bad.
Interviewer: And then saddled us with those?
God: No, you have a choice! You choose whichever you want to yield to, whether virtue or vice. Human nature tends to gravitate toward the bad; it takes more effort to embrace the good. But people often do want to be good, so that gets them to see the need for Me, and having Jesus and the Holy Spirit in their lives. With Our power in them, the good is much more easily achieved.
Interviewer: So then we can all be goody-goodies, I imagine.
God: Good grief, man, goody-goodies are just selfrighteous. Letting Our power work through you won’t make you a goody-goody, but Our power will help you achieve good.
Interviewer: That is a bit confusing for me. What exactly is the difference?
God: Putting on a show of goodness and achieving good are two different things. If you are trying to achieve good for your fellow man, then oftentimes you may not look so good to some. Others may not like what you are doing, may misinterpret your actions, or may feel you are going too far, etc. Looking good is being concerned about yourself and how you appear to others-perfecting yourself, actually, or being in love with yourself. But doing good is being a help to others, being concerned about their needs and condition, and putting yourself at the bottom of the totem pole.
Interviewer: So what is the greatest virtue?
God: Why, love, of course. Because if you love others, that will motivate you to help them in every way, and it will supply you with the will and resources to practice all the other virtues such as patience, kindness, honesty, and so on.
Interviewer: And the greatest vice?
God: Self-righteousness.
Interviewer: I thought You would say hate.
God: The self-righteous “moral” man has wreaked untold damage on the world. Those who have been the greatest scourges of this century thought they were right and righteous. Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and others were so convinced of their rightness that they had no compunction in dispensing terror and bloodshed to achieve their “right” ends. And their confident self-righteousness convinced the masses that the horror they were perpetrating was for the greater good.
Self-righteousness causes man to think he is good without Me. Thus he has no need for Me, and he ends up straying far from Me. I have named some of the obvious culprits and there are many more that should spring to your mind, but if I named them, that could hit close to home and knock down some of your icons.
Interviewer: So I won’t pursue it. Somehow when the terms “virtue” and “vice” are mentioned, one subject that springs to mind is sex.
God: Why do you think that is?
Interviewer: Because they have become synonymous. When we say a woman is protecting her virtue, it means she is keeping her chastity. When one thinks of vice, you think of strip joints, hookers, or even a wild time with your girlfriend or spouse.
God: But sex is not a vice.
Interviewer: I think in many people’s minds it is naughty, yet nice.
God: Sex is supposed to be fun. So having a wild time, or a “naughty” time as you inferred, with your spouse should be looked on as getting pretty close to as good as it gets on earth.
Interviewer: Earlier You made some rather radical statements about sex, saying You don’t have to be married to enjoy it.
God: The world has made such an issue out of sex. Sex is supposed to be a wonderful part of marriage, really one of the most fun parts, but it doesn’t only have to be between husbands and wives. It shouldn’t be engaged in frivolously, and people need to be conscious that their actions don’t hurt others. But if it helps someone, hurts no one, and is not illegal, then there is no harm in it. In fact, there is a lot of good in it.
Interviewer: But there are consequences.
God: You mean children?
Interviewer: Yes, but not only children. I mean, sex can kill these days.
God: You mean AIDS and other diseases?
Interviewer: Yes.
God: That is why you shouldn’t have casual sex. There needs to be quite a bit of forethought by both parties.
Interviewer: So shouldn’t they wait till they are married?
God: Perhaps some should, but it is not essential. If you are going to have some sexual incompatibility, it would be good to know and get that sorted out before you get married, wouldn’t it?

Mayhem and Mammon

Interviewer: I’m back!
God: So am I.
Interviewer: Thank You for coming.
God: You’re welcome.
Interviewer: One thing I wonder is how You spare the time for these interviews. It seems that I should have to make an appointment, but I just sit down and ask and then You are here.
God: It is because I am omnipresent, so I am able to be everywhere at once.
Interviewer: So while You are talking to me, You can be attending to everything else that You need to do at the same time?
God: I can.
Interviewer: I find that I need to give my undivided attention to some project in order to do a good job at it.
God: Thank God you’re not God.
Interviewer: Ha! Isn’t that the understatement of the year!
God: Just to clarify things, though, it is not that I don’t give My full attention to things, it is that I am able to give My full attention to as many things as need it all at the same time.
Interviewer: What I would give for that ability. Tell me, do You like being God?
God: If I hadn’t wanted to, I would never have taken on the job. It can be pretty thankless at times, but the thanks that I get from those who genuinely appreciate Me makes it worth it.
Interviewer: You say You took on the job. Does that mean there is someone else up there who gave it to You?
God: By this I mean, if I hadn’t wanted to, I would never have created humanity. I would never have created a world. I would have just enjoyed being in Heaven with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the angels. But I wanted to show all creation, all in the spirit world, that We, the Trinity, are all-powerful and that right will always win over wrong, through Our help.
Interviewer: So at a certain point, You created the world and all that was and is in it. What were You doing before that?
God: That will be something for you to find out when you get Here.
Interviewer: You were doing something; You weren’t just dormant?
God: (Laughs.) “Dormant” is an interesting word. No, lots was going on.
Interviewer: So before time started here, You were busy in Your dimension doing things?
God: “Dimensions” would be more accurate.
Interviewer: I can only barely conceive of what You mean by that. As far as I understand, we have the dimensions of length, breadth, and depth, and then the more abstract one of time. I suppose in Your spiritual world there must be more dimensions that my mind can’t come to grips with. Is that right?
God: Yes. It would be a decided brain strain for you to try to grasp these realities, and from your perspective it is really impossible to begin to understand except in a vaguely conceptual way.
Interviewer: So I shouldn’t bother?
God: Why not just look forward to the fact that “all will be revealed” in due time?
Interviewer: You have me feeling like a kid the day before Christmas. Guess I’ll just try to be patient. Meanwhile, back to what we were talking about: You were doing things before the creation of the world. Were You sort of experimenting for the big enchilada here, or are we perhaps just a further experiment?
God: You are no experiment. I created you to be My companions and earth is the testing ground, as part of your preparation for this.
Interviewer: A while back You were talking about Jesus’ sacrifice and You said it was necessary because there were certain inviolable rules in the spirit realm. Why is it that You are bound to these rules? It would seem that You, being God, would not have to be bound by any rules.
God: There were certain conditions put in place at the beginning. Because I put them in place, I am not able to change them until certain conditions are met. I will use the example of a game. This is not to say that I look at the world and what is happening there as a game, but it is a useful parallel.
In a game or in sports there are rules, and no matter who you are, you cannot change those rules, at least not unilaterally. And so it is with Me. I cannot change the rules because I bound Myself to them when I started all this.
Interviewer: I almost had the impression that the rules had been dictated by an entity even higher than Yourself.
God: No, there is no higher authority.
Interviewer: You have mentioned Your opponent as being Satan. Is he bound by these rules?
God: Of course, though he tries to break them constantly and is also constantly screaming at Me that I have to keep them.
Interviewer: He is really a nasty piece of work, isn’t he?
God: Unfortunately.
Interviewer: Was he always like that?
God: He started off all right, but because he had a choice, as all the angels do, in the end he chose to be bad.
Interviewer: And he led a rebellion?
God: Yes, he was pretty persuasive, and in the end a third of the angels went into rebellion with him.
Interviewer: Keeping two out of three is not bad. Any politician on earth winning two-thirds of the vote would call it a landslide.
God: I am not a politician, and it was certainly a discouragement to lose those who fell with him.
Interviewer: Since angels have free choice, are there still some who are choosing Satan over You?
God: The event when one-third of Heaven chose to follow Satan was a one-time thing. None of those who can see the degenerate state that the fallen angels have ended up in wants that to happen to them. My angelic forces see that they are obviously on the winning side. Besides, their loyalty was tested and they passed because they chose to remain loyal. That was a watershed moment, and they are not now tempted to defect.

So who came first, man or the angels?

Interviewer: So who came first, man or the angels?
God: Angels. The rebellion of Satan and his followers happened shortly after I created the physical world. That is why Satan was in the Garden of Eden tempting Adam and Eve. From almost the very beginning of your time, the battle between him and Me for the souls of humanity was on.
Interviewer: Round one went to the Devil?
God: You mean with the fall of Adam and Eve?
Interviewer: Yes.
God: He never won their souls; he just led them to sin. In a way it could be looked on as a victory for him, but it was allowed by Me and all part of the master plan.
Interviewer: Satan and all of his crowd were originally created by You, then?
God: Yes.
Interviewer: So ultimately it would be said that You created evil.
God: I allowed it as an alternative to good. As the old proverb states, light can only be appreciated against a background of darkness.
Interviewer: Do any of the fallen angels want to get back on to the good side?
God: Their minds are now hardened. They want to come out on top, so they exert every effort to win.
Interviewer: But they won’t repent?
God: As of now, they have no reason to, because they believe they can still win.
Interviewer: But isn’t their outcome already decided-that they will lose? Don’t they know this?
God: They refuse to believe it. Otherwise, why would they continue to fight if they knew in the long run they would lose?
Interviewer: I figured it was just bloody-mindedness.
God: No, they are under the delusion that they will win. Because they have rejected the truth, therefore they are doomed to believe a lie.
Interviewer: Including Satan himself?
God: I have allowed him to be aware that I know he will ultimately lose, but he is so hardened through pride that he thinks he can still prevail. Even if he can’t, he has settled for second best, and that is to cause mayhem and bring as many others down with him as he can.
Interviewer: That is so bizarre!
God: Is it? Have there not been many tyrants and others throughout your history who have known that they were doomed to destruction and yet pursued their ambitions in war and other ventures, leading many others over the cliff like lemmings?
Interviewer: Why were they like that?
God: Pride! Their pride would not let them back down, and so they sacrificed themselves and as many others as they could in the fires of their own ambitions.
Interviewer: Why are others duped?
God: They basically want to be.
Interviewer: But why?
God: As I explained earlier, having rejected truth, all that is left to believe in is lies. To acknowledge that one has been wrong is one of the hardest things for any being, whether angel or man, to do. And so rather than confess mistakes, the proud go on to their own destruction. Sometimes the basic instinct for self-preservation kicks in and stops them, but not every time.

Education and New Revelations

Interviewer: Most people believe a good education is paramount to a successful life. Many focus large amounts of time, resources and energy toward getting an education for themselves, planning it for their children, or fretting about the abysmal state it apparently has descended to in many places. It is a big subject and worth soliciting Your opinion on.
God: It is a big subject. Care to be more specific about what you want My opinion on?
Interviewer: Well, I suppose the big question is, is it really that important?
God: It depends on the degree of education you’re talking about. It is important to learn things and not be unskilled and ignorant.
Interviewer: You are talking about a very basic education then.
God: Everyone has to start with the basics.
Interviewer: What about higher education?
God: Certain professions-such as being a surgeon, to cite one example-do require further years of study before one can safely practice on the job. But in most cases, you have to ask yourself what is the point of attending college for your “higher” education.
Interviewer: In most societies you need a higher education to land the better jobs.
God: And what does that mean, a “better” job?
Interviewer: The one that brings with it a better livelihood and quality of life.
God: Are you sure about the quality of life aspect?
Interviewer: Why do I feel that I am the one being interviewed here?
God: Because I am asking the questions. (Chuckles.) I am trying to get you to narrow down the question and clearly state where you are headed.
Interviewer: A higher education is understood to be the doorway to a successful life. Do You agree or disagree?
God: The reasoning for that is that most people won’t get a higher education, so that those who do will be able to move into positions where they will be over the people who don’t. But if everyone gets a higher education-which everyone seems to be admonished to do-then who will you end up being over? So the premise on which everyone is encouraged to get a higher education is basically flawed.
Interviewer: It is true that people go to college so they can get a degree, land a better and hopefully more fulfilling job and also make more money. But they want the money to provide a higher standard of living for themselves and their family and also, some I daresay, so they can give to good causes. What is wrong with that?
God: What you have just stated is probably the credo of most people in the world today. It is true that there are good aspects to that in that you want to be able to amply provide and care for those you love and also give to charity on the side. However, this also locks so many into a rat race to where the pursuit of money consumes their whole lives. The principle I laid down from the beginning was that if you give your lives trying to help and care for your fellow men, then I would take care of you. True, you may not end up with riches or great influence and power. but you will have an inner peace and well-being that those who have all those other things cannot buy at any price.
Interviewer: And yet the citizens of rich nations enjoy a better life than those of poor ones.
God: Poorer nations look to the Developed World and see people who look better off than themselves and attribute this to education. In part they are right, but the principal reason these others are “better off” is because they hog the world’s resources. The current way the world works is that for someone to be better off, someone else has to be worse off.
There is often an underlying selfish purpose in striving for a higher education. Most people are not attempting to get one to help humanity; they basically want to help themselves. I am not saying that there is not some more noble motivation with some people, but the dog-eat-dog world of your society, which includes the hallowed institutions of higher education, often stifles that.
Interviewer: Aren’t You being rather harsh?
God: I am showing My disappointment.
Interviewer: Why would it be so disappointing? I mean, here is humanity taking the knowledge that You have revealed to us and then expanding on it. One would think You would be proud of Your creation for not just being content with what we have, but going forward.
God: I think the “going forward” part can be disputed. Humanity has just concluded the most brutal, murderous, and barbaric century of its tenure on earth. I scarcely think that is going forward. Over 100 million people have died in wars in the last 100 years, and while at the beginning of the century most of those being killed were combatants, now it is mostly unarmed civilians, especially women and children. That is by anyone’s definition barbarism to a horrific degree. Man’s quest for knowledge has excelled in areas that can result in the total annihilation of life on earth. The amount of money spent on war and preparing for war is almost incomprehensible. The “best and the brightest” are sought out and recruited into the military-industrial complex, where they put their considerable skills into developing even more destructive weapons. No, I would say humanity’s “progress” has been anything but progress.
Interviewer: Aren’t You painting with a very broad brush here? There is a tremendous amount of research in the areas of medicine, agriculture, the environment, and many other areas, which are dedicated to humanity’s good.
God: That is the standard argument, and I agree that much good has been accomplished by those with true intentions to help others. But take the amount of money and other resources that go into the weapons industry and compare that to what is spent in these other areas and you will see that the comparison is really pathetic.
Interviewer: But even if there is a lot of money going into this, there are a lot of side benefits derived from this research.
God: Couldn’t those side benefits be derived from research directly into those fields?
Interviewer: Yes, I suppose You are right.
God: Human life is the most precious thing in this world, yet humanity spends the greatest amount of its resources and energy in finding ways to destroy it. Clearly you must understand that this is something that I cannot allow to go on much longer.
Interviewer: So You plan to intervene?
God: I have planned to intervene from the very beginning, but in some ways man has dictated the pace. If I don’t intervene soon, man will have left Me nothing to intervene for.
Interviewer: When will this be?
God: That is another subject.
Interviewer: Yes, of course, but You do realize that we have touched on a very interesting theme here, and one I will bring up later, if I may.
God: Absolutely.

Why didn’t God throw in the towel at the very beginning?

Interviewer: Was the flood a real event and Noah a real person?
God: Definitely.
Interviewer: But a flood that covered the whole earth sounds preposterous. Where would all that water come from?
God: The conditions prevalent in the world and atmospheric heavens in those days were far different than what exists today. You can’t judge what was by what now is.
Interviewer: So the Genesis account of creation is completely factual?
God: The Genesis account is wholly factual, though it is admittedly very brief.
Interviewer: In retrospect, should You have made it longer?
God: That is an interesting thought. But no, it is enough. What more should I have said there?
Interviewer: Well, perhaps a little about the mechanisms You used. I mean, to say something like “the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters” seems to leave a fair bit of the picture out. What were You doing, what were You thinking?
God: I was doing one thing at a time. I had to create one thing at time in the right progression. As for what I was thinking, I was thinking about the beautiful place I was going to create.
Interviewer: You had foreknowledge about what was going to happen?
God: You mean the fall of Adam and Eve?
Interviewer: Yes, but not only that. I mean the wars and other things that were going to ravage the world in the centuries to come.
God: Yes, I did.
Interviewer: So why didn’t You throw in the towel at the very beginning? I mean, why bother, since it looks like things didn’t turn out as beautifully as You had planned?
God: This world can be very beautiful. And the reasons that much of it is not can usually be traced back to man. But one always has to realize that this world isn’t the final product. It is a testing ground and a giant demonstration. It is a testing ground for humankind and a demonstration to show humanity that when left to their own devices, they don’t do a terribly good job of things. Thus they will be grateful for My authority, presence, and guidance in the world to come.
Interviewer: I think we covered some of this ground before. I apologize for making You repeat Yourself.
God: Not a problem.
Interviewer: So, back to education. What would You like to see man educated in?
God: In those things that will help him live in peace and harmony with the rest of his kind.
Interviewer: Which would be…
God: The skills involved in communication, the skills involved in providing a sufficient livelihood for himself and his neighbors.
Interviewer: That’s it?
God: Basically, yes.
Interviewer: Basic is just about the right word for it.
God: There is a lot in those two categories.
Interviewer: I suppose there is, but I think You have just handed a lot of people in the field of education pink slips.
God: I don’t think that they need worry that much, because in this world they’ll keep their jobs. But in the world to come they may need to choose something along the lines I just talked about to be their field of educational expertise.
Interviewer: Surely in the next world there wouldn’t be a need for educators.
God: On the contrary, learning doesn’t cease once you cross over. In the world to come, there are limitless opportunities to learn. And those who learn will require teachers. So there is a role for educators.
Interviewer: Well, why would we bother? We’ll know everything we need to know once we get there, won’t we?
God: Goodness, no! There will be lots to learn in the world to come. This world is only a shadow of that one, so if you thought that there was a lot to learn here, then you are going to be surprised at how much there is to learn there. Man has an inquisitiveness that is part of human nature. That part of his nature will live on, and there are limitless opportunities to learn and experience new things.
Interviewer: I notice that whenever You talk about the next world You tend to wax lyrical about it.
God: It’s worth waxing lyrical about. I want to make it sound so tempting-which it is, and really I am hardly scratching the surface of all there is to tell-that everyone will want to go there.
Interviewer: It does sound inviting. Well, just a few more questions, if I may, sort of in the same vein. We discussed evolutionists trying to disprove intelligent creation, and by extension, a creator. Can science prove the reverse, that there is a creator, that You exist?
God: Scientists, if they honestly review the data, will always come back to the conclusion that there is an intelligent design behind the universe. Some who differ on this point may howl at this and say that I am accusing them of being charlatans, but sometimes it is a case of those hit that howl. I know that there are plenty of avenues that invite investigation and speculation, and I am not calling scientists dishonest if they sometimes make wrong postulations along the way. I am saying that once they review the data objectively, they will have to come to the conclusion that this all didn’t happen by accident. And so if it didn’t happen by accident, then it happened by design, so there has to be someone or ones who designed it. So although you can’t isolate Me in a test tube and say, “Aha, here He is,” one can with rational reasoning, even scientific reasoning, conclude that I exist.

The Quality of Life

Interviewer: It is an incredible privilege to be able to discuss issues with You.
God: I am delighted to have the opportunity.
Interviewer: This time I wondered if we could perhaps bring things down to earth a little more and talk about quality-of-life issues that the average person faces.
God: Sounds interesting.
Interviewer: I am happy You think so, as I was concerned that You wouldn’t want to get down to what You might regard as more prosaic things, but rather would like to concentrate on more high-minded issues.
God: No, not at all. I am interested in people and involved with the most minute details of their lives.
Interviewer: Really? The small things in our lives would seem so insignificant and inconsequential in the overall that I had the impression You would find involvement in those very tedious.
God: Goodness, no! Each person is special to Me. As I explained in the last session, I went to great lengths to ensure the well-being of each of you.
Interviewer: May I begin?
God: Please do.
Interviewer: What about the age-old question, “How can I be happy?” I think everyone wants to be happy, but often we are not. Shouldn’t happiness be the norm more often than the exception?
God: For some it is the norm, but-you are right-for most it isn’t. Basically it is because people have not found the missing ingredient, which is the purpose for life. That purpose is actually twofold: to love Me and to love their fellow man. If they don’t fulfill both of these, then the purpose of life is not discovered, fulfillment is not obtained, and the resulting emptiness and dissatisfaction leads to not being happy.
Interviewer: I think some will claim to be happy while neither loving You nor others.
God: The definition or expectations of happiness vary. Some might be content and even at times enjoy a good deal of transitory happiness, but I am talking about enduring happiness of mind and soul, which only comes from what I explained. I created man to want and need to love Me and love others to be truly fulfilled. It is part of the basic design. Although other things can satisfy in part, they cannot completely satisfy. Even to love one and not the other is not enough. Man is created to be truly happy only when he is fulfilling both these purposes.
Interviewer: In other words, being solely involved in the religious realm to the neglect of helping others is not enough either?
God: If I may, please let Me clarify one point. You have made the correlation between love of Me and being religious. Although there are many in religious life who love Me, this does not make loving Me a religious undertaking. There are many who love Me who never darken the doorway of a place of religion.
Interviewer: Are You distancing Yourself from organized religion?
God: I love everyone. I do not appreciate that some feel they have a corner on the market-Me being the product. I am not confined to buildings, ceremonies, or rituals. In fact, the truth be known, I do not inhabit those buildings, and the ceremonies do not express My essence. I am the Spirit of Love that pervades everything.
Interviewer: So You are in the flower, the tree, the sky, etc.
God: In a way, yes, but I can see where you are leading here, as that gets into the ludicrous notion that everything is God. “He’s God, you’re God, the dog in the yard is God, as well as the tree it pees against.” No, that is not the case. I’m God. (God laughs.) I created all those things, so there is in them a touch of the divine, but they are not divine in themselves.
Interviewer: The tree was an interesting addition. I hadn’t taken that line of thought that far before. But getting back to the previous question, You are not exclusive to a particular group?
God: No, certainly not. Suffice it to say that those who love Me and love their fellow man and let that love move them into compassionate action are fulfilling their purpose on earth.
Interviewer: So we have to do something?
God: Yes. Love is not actually love unless it moves you to do something beneficial for others.
Interviewer: And love gives rise to happiness?
God: Yes.
Interviewer: What about something like a good joke? It can get one smiling and laughing and the result is that you feel happy. Is this happiness coming through love?
God: That is an example of transitory happiness. When the joke is forgotten, the happiness is gone. Now I like a good joke, so there is nothing wrong with jokes. I like it when people laugh and enjoy themselves. But what I was referring to before is a state of happiness in the heart of man. A true and never-ending state of mind and heart. Something that is permanent.
Interviewer: Here’s the difficulty I am having with this concept: Isn’t it true that even some of those who have gone down in the annals of history as truly loving You and others have at times gone through huge periods of struggle, even doubt and depression? It would seem that they didn’t have that happiness that You talk about. Sometimes good people seem to have even more troubles than those who don’t believe.
God: Sometimes those who love Me can go through difficult times, but that does not mean they are no longer happy, that they no longer have that certain peaceful joy inside that only I can give them. In other cases, they can be temporarily robbed of its benefits.-That is true.
Interviewer: Robbed of it? But You were saying it was permanent.
God: It is permanent. Notice I said “benefits.” The deep joy I give will always be there. A peace, an assurance that I will take care of him is part of the blessing I give everyone who believes in Me. But sometimes this confidence can be shaken and the ability to access the happiness I give is impaired. It is being interfered with, or hindered.
Let Me explain: As we covered in an earlier interview, there is an opposition. The Devil’s plan is to try to get people to disregard My blessings and get their eyes on their problems. They can forget that I am able and willing to bring solutions. When they get in that state, their power to rise above their problems is sorely diminished. They lose the magic power of faith.
Interviewer: So we are back to the cosmic battle.
God: Well, if you want to use the term “cosmic,” that is all right, but it is more precisely a battle fought largely in the spiritual realm. The Devil is using doubt to hinder and harass. Doubts are terrible things that can completely engulf people and leave them powerless. But doubts can be overcome.

What about religious terrorists?

Interviewer: What about religious terrorists?
God: What about them?
Interviewer: Well, by all measures of civilization they seem to be bad. Don’t they give You a bad name?
God: My commandments are to love Me and love others. If people’s actions are going against those commandments, then they are not obeying Me and cannot claim My sanction for their deeds. But there are those who love to smear Me and discredit those who believe in Me by taking the actions of a few and applying it to the many. Take, for example, the words “Islamic terrorists.” That wording has been used so often in the media that now many people immediately equate Islam with terrorist actions, whereas that could not be further from the truth. The true followers of Islam submit themselves to Me in peace, although I cannot blame them for the anger they feel because of the way they are often treated by the West, especially the Western press.
Interviewer: This brings up another subject-religious persecution. It is a phenomenon that has been around for a long time, but, as an example that it is apparently getting worse, I read that more Christians have been killed in this century because of their faith than the rest of history combined.
God: That example demonstrates how humanity is less “civilized” now than ever in many aspects.
Interviewer: Why is there religious persecution?
God: Those in the wrong hate the freedom and happiness of those who live right because it exposes what a sham their own lives are. These misguided ones become agents for the “opposition,” who hates the light and truth and will try to destroy it by any and all means.
Interviewer: You are referring to Your opposition here, the Devil.
God: Most definitely, because he is at the root of this kind of persecution.
Interviewer: But often these persecutors profess to be atheists, and so they don’t believe in him either.
God: They don’t have to believe in him to be the agents of his dirty work.
Interviewer: But on the other hand, there are some seemingly devoutly religious people who instigate this type of thing. Look at the persecutions carried out by the Roman Catholic Church in centuries past.
God: Where did they read that Jesus wanted them to persecute others? He even told His followers to love their enemies.
Interviewer: You explained how evil tries to destroy the truth. Will it?
God: It can persecute it and suppress it, but it will never destroy it. In the end the wrong will be destroyed by the right.
Interviewer: You mean that the right will do to the wrong what the wrong is doing to the right?
God: If by that you are asking if it will employ the same means, no! In the end the wrong will be destroyed by the right, just as darkness is banished by light.
Interviewer: That’s rather metaphorical.
God: True, but it is a concept that lends itself to instant understanding.
Interviewer: Indeed! Well, we will all look forward to that day. Thank You again for most graciously submitting Yourself to all these questions.

The End Is Near?

Interviewer: I think the topic of this session was decided in our previous one.
God: Yes, indeed. Tell Me what you would like to ask about the end of the world.
Interviewer: All right. Here we are in the third millennium since Jesus was on earth. People have been going on about the end of the world for around 2000 years, and probably longer. Yet this old world just keeps plugging along. I think people have gotten a little tired of hearing about the end of the world.
God: Just because they are tired of it doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
Interviewer: Yes, I agree with You. But I think people picture the stereotypical doomsayer, someone a bit off his rocker, wearing a sandwich board with a big sign on it saying “The End Is Near!” I think people can be excused if they disregard this kind of thing.
God: I agree. But just because there is a kook or two saying this, doesn’t mean that what they are saying is not fairly close to the truth.
Interviewer: So You are saying that the end is near?
God: The end of the world as you know it, yes!
Interviewer: Please elaborate on the “as you know it.” What is going to happen?
God: Do you want the good news or the bad news?
Interviewer: Well, I am relieved to hear there are both. Perhaps if You just listed it sequentially, it would be best.
God: Very well. There is a lot of detail, but for clarity and simplicity I’ll just hit the highlights.
Interviewer: Sounds good.
God: As many would agree, the earth has gotten into pretty bad shape. Its resources, especially water, are being used up at a rate that is not sustainable. So even if things were not heading for a climax according to the timetable that I set up at the beginning, something would have to be done. But because there is global disaster looming not just ecologically, but economically and militarily-a fact acknowledged in many quarters-these factors will help propel humanity into forming a united world government.
Interviewer: Like the United Nations.
God: No. The United Nations is just an organization with representatives from all nations but with little real authority. More or less a glorified debating society. What I am saying is that the nations will come together to form a one-world government that has the power to implement what it decides worldwide.
Interviewer: This sounds a bit far-fetched. Nations are not going to be that ready to surrender their sovereignty.
God: Nations already have. Many surrendered sovereignty over their economies long ago when they had to implement economic plans dictated to them by supranational institutions such as the IMF. Others, such as the nations of Europe, have surrendered parts of their sovereignty in order to form regional unions with other nations. So that bridge has been crossed.
Interviewer: Okay, say they do this. A united world government doesn’t sound like a bad idea. At least it could put an end to wars, allow for equal distribution of resources, etc.
God: Don’t kid yourself. Most wars in the world today are wars within nations, civil wars, and there is not a nation on earth that doesn’t exhibit great disparity between rich and poor. So all that talk about peace and equality being instituted if the nations of the world were united under one government of man is just hot air.
Interviewer: But we’ll still get a united world government according to what You just said.
God: Yes, you will.
Interviewer: Every government, even a one-world government, has its head.
God: Exactly, and you know who is going to be at the head of this one?
Interviewer: You?
God: Ha! No, not likely. At least not yet. The world is going to turn the reins of government over to a brilliant man who will command respect and allegiance from all.
Interviewer: A good leader for a change. Sounds like just the ticket.
God: That is what everyone-well, almost everyone-is going to say at first. But this man has a sinister secret. He is known by many names, but the one that is the most well known is “the Antichrist.”
Interviewer: That doesn’t sound very flattering. Why would he want to call himself the Antichrist?
God: He doesn’t. But I have called him that, and the many millions of Christians who are aware of his imminent arrival on the world stage will recognize him for who he is and will so label him.
Interviewer: With a name like the Antichrist, I suppose he must be the antithesis of the real Christ.
God: Exactly! And it doesn’t take a lot to conclude that if he is the Antichrist, he must therefore be getting his signals from a very different direction than Jesus did. As Jesus was God in human flesh, so, in parody, the Antichrist will be the Devil in the flesh.

Beyond the Hiccup

Interviewer: You left us with a hiccup last time.
God: (chuckling) So I did.
Interviewer: So my curiosity is aroused. What is the hiccup?
God: Well, after the titanic struggle on earth at the time of the Antichrist, with the good side-Ours-winning, there is the resultant thousand years of peace and goodness. At the end of those thousand years, the Devil is then freed from his prison in the Bottomless Pit and we have somewhat of a reprise of the Battle of Armageddon.
Interviewer: What! We go through all that again? Why does the Devil get released, for goodness sake?
God: For the same reason that I let him hang around in the world today. He provides an alternative, and the people of this new world will once again have the freedom to choose which way they want to go.
Interviewer: So what happens?
God: The Devil and his forces are again defeated, this time permanently. The earth then gets a complete makeover. The surface is burned up and recreated anew, becoming an even better and more splendid world.
Interviewer: So why not do this at the beginning of the thousand years? Seems like we work for all that time, or at least some do, and then it all goes down the tubes.
God: It got as good as it could get under the prevailing conditions. Don’t you want to see it improved?
Interviewer: Yes, without question, but why not do it right after the Battle of Armageddon? Why wait till this reprise, as You put it?
God: It once again has to do with the training program for humanity. It is practice for the ultimate home I have for you.
Interviewer: Must be quite a place if we need to practice for a thousand years.
God: You’re a bit hung up on that, aren’t you?
Interviewer: Well, it doesn’t seem to be that logical. I would think a hundred years max would be all we would need to practice. Besides, all those who started off at the beginning would be dead even before a hundred years are up, let alone a thousand. Doesn’t seem much point to it if you are still practicing when you die and never get to live out what you learned.
God: Who said you would die?
Interviewer: Common sense dictates that not a lot of people are going to live to be a hundred.
God: In the thousand-year period, things will change so much that people will think that you are still a child when you are a hundred.
Interviewer: Oh boy, that’s a big one to swallow. I am talking about normal people here, not the ones with the new super bodies You talked about earlier. Normal people won’t be able to live that long, will they?
God: If I work it out so they can, they can.
Interviewer: But the body naturally ages. The rigors of the environment take their toll also.
God: The environment does take a pretty bad beating before Armageddon and there is a lot of fix-up to be done. But all that is going to be taken care of during the thousand-year period, and the environment is going to get back into pretty good shape. Besides, you keep leaving Me and My power out of the equation. I am going to do a miraculous number on the human body, and it is not going to age like it does now.
Interviewer: So if I have things right, we’ve got the people who went up in the Rapture with new super bodies, but then we also have the people who survive Armageddon getting a makeover too?
God: That’s right. There will be those who survive on earth through Armageddon. Those survivors will not necessarily get a makeover, as you called it, but with a few changes in the environment, the aging process will decelerate markedly. So although the initial survivors will benefit marginally, the real benefactors will be their children and their children’s children.
Interviewer: What are all these survivors going to do? It sounds a bit like they all go back to the Stone Age.
God: (chuckles) That’s not a very nice way to describe the nearly paradisiacal lifestyle that they will eventually enjoy.
Interviewer: I don’t think a lot of people are chomping at the bit to go rural.
God: Too boring?
Interviewer: Yes. I think many will think so.
God: Got a better idea?
Interviewer: Most people go for the urban lifestyle.
God: Millions of people being lonely together? That is a better idea?
Interviewer: Not everyone is lonely. I admit that apparently a lot are, but most have some friends, at least.
God: Man was not designed to be an urban creature. Believe it or not, he was designed with a rural or at least semi-rural lifestyle in mind. Okay, I see the wheels turning in there, and you are going to say that I, knowing the future and all, should have been able to anticipate cities. Of course I did. But I still didn’t design man for that. He functions best in a more quiet, peaceful, but regular life. Modern urban stress is a killer that is doing more damage than most people realize.
Interviewer: But You said earlier that the centerpiece of Heaven is a giant city. Isn’t this contradictory-that Your idea of Heaven is a city but those on earth need to live as country bumpkins?
God: “City” is not perhaps the best way to describe it, but it comes closest in your understanding. It is huge-almost unimaginably huge. It is in the shape of a pyramid, with a base of nearly six million square kilometers and an apex over 2000 kilometers high. Now I admit some of it might have the appearance of being urban, but there is a lot of parkland and open space in an area that big. And I assure you the lifestyle will be relaxed. Even though much work will still be done there, it takes place at a relaxed pace.
Besides-back to your apparent critique of My plan for earth during those thousand years-I can assure you that people will enjoy life there, or at least most of them will.
Interviewer: Most, but not all?
God: There will be those who will not be satisfied. Just like Adam and Eve were not satisfied with what I had for them in Eden, so some people will not be satisfied in a world that will closely resemble Eden.
Interviewer: You would think we’d learn.
God: You would, wouldn’t you? But take heart-those rebels who have problems with it won’t cause the whole thing to be ruined for everyone else.
Interviewer: So these are the ones that are involved in the “hiccup”?
God: Yes. When the Devil comes along at the end of the thousand years, they gladly follow him into another rebellion.
Interviewer: What then?
God: Well, I put an end to it pretty quickly.
Interviewer: I guess You sort of run out of patience with the bad guys.
God: You could say that. There is always a limit, and they will have reached it by then.

Why did God choose Mary and Joseph?

Interviewer: Why did You choose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus’ parents on earth?
God: Mary was a special girl in many ways, but in her role as Jesus’ earthly mother, she is not just an individual.-She is a representative of humanity. She was a wonderful mother to Him, but she was not so extraordinary. She was a typical woman, as Joseph was a typical man. Part of Jesus’ mission was to be born and raised in a family very representative of the vast majority of other families. He was going to experience life as it was typically experienced, so that He would have firsthand knowledge of what it was like to be an average human being.
Interviewer: I think You have just preempted my next question: Why was Jesus not born to people of more standing in the world? His birth was in even more humble circumstances than His family was accustomed to.
God: Yes, that is so. That was all part of the plan. It really has been a test for humanity to see if they could believe that a man born in a stable in an obscure country-then under foreign rule-trained as a carpenter, later becoming an itinerant holy man and then executed as a criminal, would actually be God. It is a testament to the spiritual power behind this truth that people have believed that Jesus was God, not to mention that contemporary believers are numbered in the billions.
Interviewer: He certainly didn’t receive any encouragement from either the civil or religious authorities of His day.
God: He certainly did not. His fiercest critics should have been his greatest supporters.
Interviewer: You are referring to the religious Jews of the time?
God: There were some of His race that believed, but not that many. Most of them regarded Him as anathema, and it was they who brought the charges against Him. Then it was the Roman rulers, even convinced of His innocence, who nevertheless had Him executed in the most cruel fashion that they could. A lot of people have had a lot to answer for.
Interviewer: I imagine that they have. But even though some Jews opposed Him, nevertheless all His original followers were Jews.
God: Of course, and many of them were dynamos.
Interviewer: Tell me-the disciples Jesus chose-they weren’t really the most trained and educated people, were they?
God: That is the understatement of the year. You described them very delicately. Afraid that you might have to answer to some of them when you get up here?
Interviewer: Honestly, no! It is just that I am often dumbfounded at the accomplishments of the men and women who took up the torch once Jesus had gone, how they spread His teachings throughout the known world.
God: Once again it is a testament to the message even more so than to the messengers. But they were really a great bunch, once they got the fire in their bellies. It was their boldness and conviction that won people. Paul was the most zealous, and he wasn’t even around Jesus personally when He was on earth.
Interviewer: He was also the most educated and trained for the task, too.
God: In some ways, yes, but his education didn’t mean that much as far as what he did. His knowledge stood in the way of his belief for a long time, and it wasn’t till he saw the light that he was willing to accept that he was wrong. Later he was able to use his knowledge in his writing, but I would be the first to admit that you’ve got to be pretty bright to understand some of what he wrote.
Interviewer: By “saw the light” You are being quite literal here and referring to how he was blinded for a while by that brilliant light?
God: Yes. Before that, he was fanatically for the opposition, so much so that he refused to acknowledge the truth even when it was quite obvious.

Does God have a human heart?

Interviewer: Getting back to Jesus Himself, what was it like for You when He was on earth?
God: I had very mixed emotions. I was very happy that His mission that We had planned for so long was now in progress. On the other hand, I was sad because even though We had contact, it was not the same as it was between us when He was wholly in the spiritual realm with Me.
Interviewer: So it wasn’t as though You were in contact all the time?
God: We were in contact all the time, but it was similar, though much more constant, as it can be between Me and people on earth who love Me today. There is contact, but it is not always tangible and apparent. We wanted to have stronger contact, but because of the limitations I had originally put in place between the physical and spiritual realms at Creation, We couldn’t. During this time I grew to love humanity even more, as I learned to understand more how it felt to so want to reach out.
Interviewer: This is a revelation! You “learned”?
God: Is that so surprising?
Interviewer: Definitely, yes! You are in our eyes omniscient. If You know all things, how can You learn?
God: I had never been in the position of being separated from Jesus like this. It was a new thing, so I learned something from it.
Interviewer: I am still reeling over this. Wouldn’t You know what it was like anyway, because You are all-knowing?
God: Even being all-knowing doesn’t mean I had experienced everything. I loved and sympathized with humanity, but one can never empathize unless one has experienced something. I experienced many of the emotions that humanity goes through during the time Jesus was on earth. I felt the greatest tenderness when I saw Him there as a tiny babe at His birth. I felt the greatest pride in seeing Him reject all the temptations placed before Him to do something with His life other than what We had planned, and rather choose to go ahead with His mission. I felt the greatest sorrow and anguish when I watched as Jesus suffered and died on the cross. I had to hold Myself back and not interfere, or else all We had gone through would have been in vain. I then felt the greatest joy and happiness when I was reunited with Him after that ordeal was over.
Interviewer: Although that is logical and extremely touching, somehow it just seems to make You less omnipotent for some reason, less divine and more…
God: Human?
Interviewer: Yes, I suppose “human” is the word for it.
God: You don’t want Me to be “human”?
Interviewer: In some ways, no. If You can learn in this way, it gives the impression that You are not perfect and therefore could make mistakes or something.
God: You are afraid I will make a mistake?
Interviewer: Well, perhaps I am, I don’t know. I mean, we have enough of us down here making mistakes and so we can’t afford to have You making mistakes, too.
God: Yes, I see what you mean. Well, don’t worry, I am not making any mistakes. But don’t you want to learn more, to experience new things? Would you want to deny Me the same?
Interviewer: No! But it just seems to open a … a whole new aspect of things, so I am not so sure about it.
God: You were going to say “can of worms.”
Interviewer: True, but I thought better of it. It was not appropriate.
God: Glad you got that right.

So if I am good, I get to go to the good place?

Interviewer: To be talking to You in this way is still very awesome for me. You are so far out there and beyond understanding.
God: I have revealed a lot about Myself to humanity in My Word.
Interviewer: You are referring to the Bible?
God: Yes.
Interviewer: But many find it rather difficult to read.
God: They say that because they haven’t really tried. There is a lot in there that is very straightforward and understandable. Then there is much that is a bit more on the mysterious side. Believing the mysterious without fully understanding it is a matter of faith.
Interviewer: But why make it mysterious in the first place?
God: That serves a number of purposes. First, it allowed Me to place in My Word secrets that could later-sometimes millennia later-become understood. Their later fulfillment or disclosure proves divine authorship of the words in the first place. Second, when something becomes understood by a person, it inspires in them a greater interest in reading My Word more, to want to search for other secrets. Third, it is a test of faith. I like it when people believe what I say just because I said it and not because they necessarily understand it. To Me it shows that they love and trust Me even though they might not understand.
Interviewer: So is the Bible the sum total of Your Word?
God: Well, I think the answer to that would be obvious. If the words in the Bible were all I ever wanted to say, I wouldn’t be giving these interviews. These dialogues contain My Words, do they not?
Interviewer: Well, that is rather flattering, but I really wouldn’t put this interview on the same level as the Bible.
God: That’s modest of you! (God chuckles.) But you see, I have spoken and do indeed speak to men and women, boys and girls of all nations and religions. I am a living and moving God. I didn’t hang up My pen-or My megaphone, for that matter-when the Bible was completed. I still talk to people today, trying to show them what I would like them to do with and in their lives. True, these things are not on the level of the Bible, but they are still My Words.
Interviewer: You stated before that the idea of this life is to prepare us for the next life.
God: It is a preparation for the next life, but that is not the whole purpose for this life. You are also supposed to be a force for good in the present world. But the next world is the one that you will be in for eternity.
Interviewer: So if I am good, I get to go to the good place?
God: You mean Heaven?
Interviewer: Yes.
God: Ah, Heaven! The paradise of the afterlife! A place of infinite beauty that is forever getting better. But there is a prerequisite to get in the door. You first have to receive My Son, Jesus, into your heart.
Interviewer: This is an absolute prerequisite? I mean, I am talking to You here and so it seems I could bypass Jesus.
God: There is only one way to get into Heaven and be reconciled to Me, and that is through Jesus.
Interviewer: What do You mean by “reconciled”?
God: It is a long story, but the short version is that the original inhabitants of the earth did something that I asked them not to.
Interviewer: I assume You are referring to Adam and Eve.
God: Yes, dear Adam and Eve. By doing what they did, they introduced sin into the world. This sin is what separates mankind from Me. Jesus died so that that sin might be forgiven. Oh, I know to some that might sound a bit macabre, but there are certain rules in place in the spirit world that are inviolable. Rather than trying to understand it all right now, just believe that it had to be this way.
Because Jesus died and rose again, all that has to happen to be forgiven of all sin in your life is to believe in Him and ask Him to forgive you. When He forgives you, I forgive you. And then we are reconciled. Simple as that!
Interviewer: You said “all sin.”
God: Yes, all sin!
Interviewer: So that covers all past sin?
God: Not only all past sin, but also all present and future sins.
Interviewer: Isn’t that carte blanche to do whatever you want, even if it is sin?
God: No. Your sins are forgiven by Me, but that doesn’t mean you won’t suffer in some way for willful sin. People have to live with the consequences of their actions. Even if there is forgiveness, it does not mean there are not consequences; and even if I forgive you, others may not. If you commit crimes, you will certainly pay for them sooner or later in some way. If you hurt others, whether they forgive you or not is up to them. And if you knowingly do something wrong, it may result in permanent damage to you in some way.
Interviewer: But the sinner is still reconciled with You; I mean, if he believes in Jesus and has asked for forgiveness?
God: Yes. There is no way that can be withdrawn. It is also an inviolable law that once you are saved, you are forever saved.
Interviewer: You are introducing another word here, “saved.”
God: It is another term for what we were talking about. It is the same as “reconciled.” The Bible refers to it as salvation, which means being saved. You are saved from a life without Me and saved from Hell in the afterlife.
Interviewer: So Hell is a real place? It is not just a metaphor?
God: Hell is very real. It is the antithesis of Heaven. In every way that Heaven is beautiful, Hell is devoid of beauty. Imagine your worst nightmare and you have a taste of Hell.
Interviewer: But why Hell? If You are love, then how can You allow such a place to exist?
God: It serves a purpose similar to that which punishment and jail serve on earth. More than anything, it is a deterrent. No one really wants to be punished or go to jail, so the majority behave. You don’t have to go there unless you choose to by your actions. I am trying to get everyone into Heaven, and frankly, human nature being what it is, some people have to be scared into it by this unpleasant alternative.
Interviewer: But that doesn’t seem the best motive for being reconciled to You.
God: It works with some.
Interviewer: It still comes down to a choice, though.
God: Man has free choice. Everyone must choose for himself. Man wasn’t created as an automaton. Of course, I want people to choose My way and I give them every encouragement to.
Interviewer: But what about all those who haven’t heard how to be reconciled to You? It seems very unfair to send them to Hell simply because they haven’t had the chance to hear how to go to Heaven.
God: Who said I send them there if they haven’t had a chance to hear?
Interviewer: Well, that is logical, because there are billions of people in the world and not all of them-in fact, I would say hardly a majority of them-have heard about You, Jesus, or salvation.
God: Why are you limiting it to them hearing about all this in this world?
Interviewer: That seems the reasonable conclusion. Are You implying that these things can be presented to them in the afterlife?
God: Exactly, or as you suggested, it would scarcely be fair, would it? I know there are some who say that the only chance for receiving salvation is in this world, but I am afraid that they do Me a disservice in this.
Interviewer: So that means people could put off the decision till after they die?
God: No. If you have been presented with the information in this life and refuse it, then your decision has already been made.
Interviewer: But surely a lot of good and respectable people may well refuse?
God: Yes. It is their choice, as with everyone.
Interviewer: That would mean that some real nasty criminal type could end up in Heaven and a good, upstanding, law-abiding person could end up in Hell.
God: It could and does happen. Entry to Heaven does not depend on what you have done with your life, but it depends on your acceptance or refusal of Jesus. Everyone is on a level playing field when it comes to this choice.
Interviewer: I can’t help but feel that that is somewhat unfair. A good person ends up in Hell and the bad person ends up in Heaven scot-free.
God: I didn’t say scot-free. Just because a bad person ends up in Heaven does not mean that he or she will not have to make right what he or she has done wrong. What a person receives in Heaven in the way of rewards is meted out according to what good he or she has done in this life. One could well end up the equivalent of a pauper on his initial arrival and could also be required to make amends for what he had done on earth.
Likewise the “good” person who ends up in Hell, but then receives and believes in Jesus, will not stay there. However, if he stubbornly and adamantly refuses Jesus, he cannot enter Heaven. Receiving Jesus and believing in His sacrifice on humanity’s behalf is the only acceptable ticket for entry into Heaven.

Social and ethical issues

Interviewer: I would like to focus on social and ethical issues today. The world has reached a few milestones in the last year. We have passed the year-2001 mark and are now in a new millennium. The world population is now in excess of 6 billion. It seems we are barreling into the future without much foresight as to what the outcome will be. Did You ever intend this planet to be so crowded?
God: It was not My intention that some parts of it would be so crowded, but as far as the overall numbers, I did, of course, realize that this would happen.
Interviewer: So You are not concerned with overpopulation, that we would become so numerous that earth’s resources would not be able to stretch to accommodate the demand?
God: I am concerned with the unfair distribution of the earth’s resources-that some hoard and consume well above what they should, and others are dying of hunger and thirst because of it.
Interviewer: But why design the world so that some areas have abundance and others suffer scarcity?
God: The world was not designed that way. Man has run the world for millennia, and the inequality of distribution is a result of what he has done, not Me.
Interviewer: The greatest need of all is water. In some areas it is abundant; in others it is almost absent altogether. It seems that at least for that, You have to take responsibility.
God: There are lots of reasons for the lack of water in some areas, and nearly all of them are the result of man’s poor stewardship. Even today man is destroying the rain forest and sowing the seeds for more disasters. The world’s ecology has been pretty hardy up till this time, but man’s continued, unabated assault on it is the reason for disaster.
Interviewer: Sounds like God is “green.”
God: In a way I suppose I am. But there is a limit. The most precious assets in the world are human lives. They must come first. Man should make the most of My creation, the world I made, in order to sustain humanity. The greedy exploitation that is so prevalent is indeed wrong, but to put the survival of animals and woodlands before that of mankind is also wrong. The truth lies in the middle. If earth’s resources are reasonably utilized to the equitable benefit of all, so that both mankind and the environment are sustained, then that is right.
Interviewer: My goodness! You are not only green, but You sound like a socialist with all this equal benefit talk.
God: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need, is My own slogan.
Interviewer: Whoa! You’re quoting Marx!
God: Marx was stealing ideas from Me-from the Bible.
Interviewer: The Bible promotes socialism?
God: The Bible promotes love of Me and mankind. The ideal istic society set up by Jesus’ disciples-after His ascension-was a society where His followers contributed their goods to common use, and then those who had needs had these supplied by those who had excess.
Interviewer: Obviously this way of life didn’t last long .
God: Many religious communities still practice this lifestyle today and it works as well for them as it did for those early disciples.
Interviewer: However, communism is a failed system.
God: I am not talking about the godless communist political system. That was doomed to failure because it left Me out of the picture. It was based on enforced sharing where the powerful, pretending to be the protectors of the common man, enriched and empowered themselves at the common man’s expense. No, I hold no truck with communism. What I am talking about is a society based on love and consideration of others. If everyone were concerned about making sure the needs of others were met, then in turn his or her needs would also be met.
Interviewer: Sounds like a utopian pipe dream. People just don’t live and function like that. Maybe there are some saints that could, but for most of us, any sort of consideration for others doesn’t go much further than our own immediate families-and sometimes not even that far, sad to say.
God: It is only possible to have this kind of love if you have My love as the motivator.
Interviewer: But there are millions of people who claim to have Your love motivating them, and it doesn’t seem to make much difference in their lifestyles. True, they may act a little more religious, but it seems their religion doesn’t reach down to their wallets.
God: If your religion doesn’t reach down into your heart and cause you to be compassionately motivated to help others, then it is not much of a religion.
Interviewer: Communism’s currently victorious competitor is capitalism. What are Your thoughts on capitalism?
God: Capitalism certainly seems more attractive than communism because most see it as an opportunity to get rich. It holds that “carrot” in front of people’s noses, and so they labor their whole lives within a system that exploits the many for the benefit of a few. Because there is the possibility that one day they might strike gold, people continue on this treadmill. No, the political-economic systems of the world are not ordained by Me.
Interviewer: What system is ordained by You?
God: The Garden of Eden was the ideal. With few exceptions, everything from then on was a poor substitute.
Interviewer: So Your original plan was for us humans to be in an idyllic world where all was love and beauty. Wouldn’t we all grow rather lazy in that type of environment?
God: I can hear most of your readers saying, “Speak for yourself.” It was idyllic, but Adam and Eve were far from lazy.
Interviewer: You are saying that they were busy doing something?
God: Goodness gracious, yes! They had the whole of the Garden to tend to.
Interviewer: Oh? I thought they would have just lain around in that paradise, sipping the Eden equivalent of piña coladas and soaking up the sunshine.
God: No, no! They were busy looking after the whole place and raising a family. Anyone who has raised kids knows that’s quite a task.
Interviewer: What? Cain, Abel, et al., were born in the Garden of Eden?
God: Cain and Abel, yes, but not all the “et al.”
Interviewer: Funny! One sort of has the impression that the kids came afterwards, when Adam was out there toiling and sweating away in the field to produce his food. Like having kids was part of the Curse for eating the forbidden fruit.
God: The Curse? You think having kids is a curse?
Interviewer: Well, no, but…
God: Oh, you think that sex was part of the Curse?
Interviewer: Well, that is the impression one has-that sex and sinlessness are not really that compatible.
God: Oh dear, you are mixed up. No, sex was around from the beginning. Adam and Eve had plenty of it and had children long before they had to leave the Garden of Eden.
Interviewer: So sex is okay with You?
God: Do you think that an act of love which can result in the birth of a whole new being would not be okay with Me?
Interviewer: Some might have that impression.
God: Well, let’s lay that impression to rest right now. Sex is the ultimate in expressing physically the love that a man and a woman have for each other. I made it fun, pleasurable, and just about downright irresistible. I love for people to express their love for each other by making love. Why else would it be called “making love”? No, there is nothing unhealthy or wrong about it, and neither is it the result of sin or the Curse.
Interviewer: Nevertheless, it is exclusively for marriage.
God: Who said exclusively for marriage?
Interviewer: I assumed that is what You want.
God: It does not have to be exclusively for marriage. If two people are of age and want to have sex, it has to be decided along the lines of whether it is good for them and does not harm others.
Interviewer: Those are the only rules?
God: There are a lot of things to consider before having sex, so it is not something to rush into without much forethought. But this is a huge subject that we could perhaps cover more in a later interview.

Where is Heaven?

Interviewer: You find talking to humans fun?
God: I love to communicate with people, but I will admit “fun” isn’t the word to describe every aspect of it. It can often be hard work.
Interviewer: So who are these “agents” You referred to?
God: There are two general classes of agents that help Me in My work: angels and spirits. Angels are supernatural beings of many sorts with various functions. Spirits are former or future spirits of humans who have or will spend time on earth in a human body. Although they lack some of the power of angels, they have a greater understanding of mankind.
Interviewer: Fascinating!
God: Glad you think so.
Interviewer: I assume these all live in Heaven. Where exactly is that?
God: They all dwell in the spiritual dimension where Heaven is located right now.
Interviewer: You say right now as though that is going to change.
God: It will, somewhat.
Interviewer: And how is that?
God: Eventually Heaven will come to earth.
Interviewer: This is extremely intriguing. What exactly do You mean by “come to earth”?
God: In the course of time, I will transform the earth’s surface into a paradise that will surpass even the original Garden of Eden in beauty. Then upon that paradise will descend a city of enormous dimensions. Those who live there will not be confined to living within it, but will be able to travel throughout all the physical and spiritual realms. The beauty of this city will be unsurpassed.
Interviewer: When will this happen?
God: Over a thousand years from now.
Interviewer: Good Lord, that is a terribly long time to wait!
God: Nice of you to call Me good!
Interviewer: Yes, well, of course that is just an expression. First time I have used that when I actually was talking to the good Lord. But I must say that is a long time to wait.
God: You don’t have to wait to live there, but it will be over a thousand years before it comes to earth.
Interviewer: So this … this city, is going to be Heaven?
God: It is part of Heaven-the central core, so to speak. But it is by no means the be all and end all of Heaven.
Interviewer: It seems You are not telling the full story.
God: It would be impossible to tell the full story here, but I will tell you more about it in a later interview.
Interviewer: A later interview?
God: Yes. We’ve just made a start here. There is still much to cover. You didn’t think you could confine an interview with God to just one sitting, did you?
Interviewer: Why I … I mean, I never really considered that You would consent to this first interview, let alone come back for another. I am very pleasantly surprised.
God: Life is full of surprises, and I am glad this one was enjoyable.
Interviewer: Then on behalf of my readers, if I ever have any, let me say thank You.
God: You are more than welcome. And I look forward to covering all sorts of issues with you.
Interviewer: It has been a pleasure.

Is God conservative?

Interviewer: All right. I asked about what You look like. Perhaps I can ask what You like?
God: If you want to know what I like, just check and see what I made.
Interviewer: One must conclude that You like a lot of different things if we look at the variety of creation. But not all of it is beautiful.
God: In its original state, it is.
Interviewer: That would be wilderness?
God: No, I didn’t originally create it wilderness, but if it is not tended, it turns into wilderness.
Interviewer: So You intended humanity to tend the earth?
God: Yes. Looking after the earth was one of the original tasks for humanity.
Interviewer: You say “one of.” Are there others?
God: Living in harmony with his fellows and helping each other are also the duties of man.
Interviewer: I assume, from what I have heard, that interacting with You is another?
God: Yes, most definitely.
Interviewer: You said You gave us the job of tending the earth. Did You then intend for man to leave it pretty much as is? Or was it in Your plan for us to improve things?
God: Oh yes! Of course I wanted humanity to improve on what I gave, to make advancements, to learn and to progress.
Interviewer: But aren’t You conservative by nature?
God: Explain what you mean by conservative.
Interviewer: One has the opinion that those who are religious tend to be conservative in their views, liking things the way they are and preferring not to change. If You are the main influence in their lives, it would seem by association that You must also be conservative.
God: If by that you mean someone who is resistant to change, then I would have to say that I am anything but conservative. But if you mean someone who holds traditional views, then depending on what the tradition is, I could be regarded as conservative.
Interviewer: So You are and You aren’t.
God: I am not someone or something that you can neatly define. I am God and so I do not fit into any of your pigeonholes.