The Journey to Bethsaida

I take the time to write these things down not to establish an accurate record, for this was a vision, of what purpose I am not yet sure; so I write these things down for my own profit and learning- perhaps to teach others.  And these things I now write, being moved upon by the spirit to do so, according to my own conscience and to explain what I have seen through vision during my meditation.  I was moved upon by the spirit during the writing and the words came to me from a still small voice within my head- so not only was the vision heavenly but when I went to write it- it came out in the way it is.." 

1And it came to pass, soon after Jesus began his ministry; after he had gone unto the river called Jordan- into the waters of baptism under the hand of John, the same called John the Baptist who held the lesser priesthood of Aaron- given unto him under the hands of an angel while he dwelt in the wilderness- the same called the Levitical Priesthood- who had come to prepare the way of the coming of the Son of God according to the prophecy of Elias.
 
2And after Jesus had suffered temptation in the wilderness, he went forth and began to administer unto his people about the land of Jerusalem.
 
3And he went forth proclaiming the word and converting all those who did truly believe and he did establish a unity and group among them, a church among the Jews, and he did go forth to call his apostles to direct over the church.
 
4And he did go forth unto the land of Jerusalem and all the lands round about preaching that the law of Moses had been fulfilled and that he was the promised Messiah who had come to redeem the sons of men.
 
5And behold, he began to go forth and work mighty miracles according to the faith of the people and the will of God.
 
6And it came to pass that his name began to be known throughout all the land of Jerusalem and all the lands round about because of the works he had done; for he was known to heal the sick, cause the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and also to confound the wise and the learned of the Jews and the Pharisees according to his words and doctrines which were simple to understand but confounding to the wise and the prudent.
 
7And it came to pass in the third year of his ministry, the apostle called Peter came unto Jesus at Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee from the city of Bethsaida; thus Bethsaida being the home of Peter and other apostles, being a city of fishermen.
 
8And Peter said unto Jesus that there was a woman in Bethsaida whom had been possessed of a lying spirit and who had gone forth in the city preaching against the word of the Lord and stirring up the people against the apostles.
 
9And Jesus inquired of Peter saying : Is she so against my words that ye can not convert her?  And Peter saith unto him; Yea Lord, we have preached unto her of repentance but she mocks us saying: There is no need for repentance, for the Lord has not yet come- and it is human to err, so therefore God shall blot out our sins through grace and there be no need for repentance.
 
10And it was by this manner that she spake unto the inhabitants of the city called Bethsaida; saying that God would come to earth with his hosts of heaven to destroy the armies of the earth in all his glory; and that only if someone would believe in God then they would be saved being no need for repentance and those who would not believe in God would be destroyed and would be consumed by fire.  And that God was a single God with vengeful power and none other stood before him nor advocated with him.
 
11Therefore there was no Savior to come according to her words and that this Jesus of Nazareth was a mad man who deceived his people by the power of Satan and that his followers were blinded and preaching in vain, for she taught that God would never take the form of a lowly man but would come and take over the kingdoms of the earth.
 
12And it was by this that many people of Bethsaida believed her words and rejected the apostles of the Lord.
 
13And the apostles preached unto the people saying that this woman had been possessed of a lying spirit and they did continue to preach repentance and the words of Christ.
 
14But behold, the people were wroth with them, saying : If thou art servants of God then show us your power and authority by a great sign and if this woman is deceived of the devil then cast it out of her.
 
15And the apostles agreed to do such but to no avail could they cast out the devil in the woman and this did cause the apostles to sorrow, and to contend with one another.
 
16And it came to pass that the apostles were cast out of the city of Bethsaida and all those who did follow the teachings of Jesus and his apostles were likewise persecuted and cast outside the city.
 
17And when Peter said these things; Jesus was troubled in heart and inquired of Peter if they had gone about the city in much prayer and fasting, and Peter said : Nay Lord, we have done nothing save preach your words unto the people and continue to establish the church.
 
18And Jesus said unto Peter : On the morrow prepare and take Thomas and Andrew and go up unto the city of Bethsaida and ye shall in nowise do this save it be by much fasting and prayer and the Holy Ghost shall go before you and when evening comes I shall go up unto Bethsaida so that I may not be seen to enter therein.
 
19And it came to pass that on the morrow the apostles went to the city of Bethsaida through the opposite side in which they were cast out.  And they did go by much fasting and prayer as Jesus directed them.  And Peter went unto his own house within the city and did have meeting with Thomas and Andrew and some of those elders who were cast out of the city.
 
20And it was by morning that they did secretly administer to the saints outside and within the city and did comfort them.
 
21And it came to pass that Jesus did hide himself in sackcloth and did cover his head and entered into the city of Bethsaida at night.
 
22And as Jesus entered into the city a guard came unto him and inquired who he was.  And Jesus said to him; I am but a lone traveler who is passing by on way to Caesarea and I have come to hear the words of the woman who is called the prophetess that I may know these things for myself.  And thus the guard believed Jesus and let him pass.
 
23And Jesus then went unto Peter's house and met the apostles.
 
24And in the morning he went out to seek the woman who had by this time taken and blinded the hearts of many.
 
25And as Jesus walked the streets a young girl came to him and cried saying : Please help my mother for she is sick from the palsy and I fear she will die.  And Jesus saith unto the child; Do you believe I can heal your mother?  And the child said; You are the Lord of the Jews and the Son of God and can do all things and I believe you can heal my mother, I dreamed of you before you came.  And Jesus said unto the child; Blessed are ye for it is not by thine physical eyes have ye seen me but ye have listened to the Holy Spirit and I shall heal your mother.
 
26And the girl took Jesus unto her mother and Jesus placed his hands upon her head and said: Be thou healed, and the mother was healed and she kissed Jesus.  And Jesus said unto her; It is the faith of thy child which has made thee whole and it has been said: That out of the mouths of babes shall be uttered great and marvelous things.  And Jesus told the child and the mother to tell these things to no man but to keep them as a testimony of him.
 
27But it came to pass that there was a lawyer who knew of Jesus’ works for he was once numbered among the saints.  And he saw that the apostles were again preaching outside the city and he saw that this woman had been healed.
 
28And Jesus passed by the house of the lawyer and the lawyer saw him and that he was a stranger to the town of Bethsaida and also that he had been with the apostles.
 
29And the lawyer went unto Jesus and inquired: Who art thou that ye can heal this lame woman who I know she has suffered from palsy?  And Jesus said: I am but a man, it is her faith in God that has made her whole.  And the man inquired; Art thou the one they call Jesus of Nazareth? And Jesus said; What ye say, I am.  And the man saith unto Jesus; If thou proclaimest to be the Son of God or what your apostles call you; Lord, Lord, then prove this to me by some sign.  If thou art the same God that was of Moses then ye can turn water to blood and raise the dead and cause all manner of miracles, can ye not?
 
30And Jesus saith unto the man; An adulterous nation seeketh a sign, and be ye therefore careful for thou can receive of what thou ask.
 
31And the lawyer was in a stupor of thought.  And Jesus saith unto the man; These things shall be fulfilled, for there needs be a sign, for these people are stiff-necked and unbelieving.  Ye know that there are adulterers and fornicators amongst thine household and ye seeketh a sign to reprove of thy sin.  And the wife of the lawyer did hide nearby and heard these words and knew her husband had committed adultery so therefore she did sorrow and hide in her house.
 
32And the lawyer did become wroth with Jesus and cast him off his property.
 
33And Jesus then went forth into the city and came to a crowd near the heart of the city.  And he did enter to the crowd and saw that a woman was preaching unto them and saw that her garments were stained with dove's blood and that she did cause people to lay prostrate upon the earth in a manner of worship.
 
34And Jesus went to the front of the crowd to hear her words and she spoke in a like manner that Peter said unto him and she said that the apostles were again within the city and that they must be destroyed.

35And Jesus went before the woman and asked:  Why dost thou seek to destroy the kingdom of God?*  And the woman said; How can one destroy the kingdom of God when it is not upon the earth?  And Jesus asked:  Why do ye pervert the ways of the Lord and rebel against his servants and deceive the hearts of this people?  And the woman asked: Who art thou, one of the apostles?
 
36And Jesus saith unto the woman:  Behold it is said that the Lord shall come into the world the first as a lamb, and that on the second coming he shall be as a lion.  And is it not written by the prophets that the Lord would come and dwell among his own people and that he would be despised and rejected of men and that he would be a man of sorrows and would be aquatinted with grief.  And you hid as it were your faces from him; he is despised and you esteemed him not.  Surely he hath borne your griefs and carried your sorrows; yet you did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  but he shall be wounded for your transgressions, he shall be bruised for your iniquities, and the chastisement of your peace is upon him; and with his stripes are you healed.
 
37And when Jesus spoke these words they were confounded.
 
38Then the woman spoke unto Jesus saying: Thou ar a false prophet!  And she commanded the people to lay hands upon him and they did so and removed his sackcloth.
 
39And Jesus revealed himself unto the multitude saying:  Behold, I am Jesus Christ, and I have come unto this world by the will of the Father to redeem the sons of men from the fall of Adam and to break the chains of hell and spiritual death.  I have come into the world to show the way back to the Father and to fulfill the law of Moses.  Ye see that this woman does make sacrifices and covers her garments with blood; but I say unto you that the Lord is full of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings and requires no more sacrifices save it be a broken heart.  And whosoever continues to do this thing is evil and is not of me.  No unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God, for there needs be repentance, for it is a false teaching to say; Do as ye will and drink and be merry for tomorrow we die and when we stand before God we shall only receive a few stripes- behold this is not the way- for simple is the way and straight is the path to the Father.
 
40And when Jesus did this the woman was angered and did begin to wail and move about like a wild beast.  And Jesus held up his right hand and said: Satan I command thee to come out of this woman, be gone!  And the woman fell to the earth and the devil was cast out of her.  And Jesus went forth and took her by the hands and said:  Arise woman, and be made whole.  And the woman arose and smiled at Jesus and said:  Praise God and holy be his name for I have seen the light and am free from mine enemy which held me bound!  And the woman did praise Jesus and did repent before him.  And the Lord forgave her and said :Go thy way and sin no more.
 
41And Jesus asked the multitude to bring forth the sick and afflicted that he might heal them and they did as he asked and he healed them.  And he spoke unto the people many great things and did prophesy unto them.
 
42And it came to pass that about eight-thousand people were converted unto the Lord and it did take all the apostles and some of the elders to baptize them.
 
43And it came to pass that as Jesus was on his way out of the city to gather the former saints that had been cast out- he came to the house of the lawyer at a pool of water with his wife.  And he saw that the lawyer was weeping for his wife who did end her own life out of sorrow for her husband's sin and that she had opened her bowels and the water in the poll was like blood.  And the lawyer spake unto Jesus saying: Because of my sin hath I caused my wife to sin and I now know ye are the Son of God and I do remorse greatly for my sins.  I know that thou hast power to raise the dead for I was once of your fold but I was persuaded by the sins of the world and I did fall; but Lord, my wife was a good woman and I ask of thee to put life back into her.
 
44And Jesus asked: Dost thou believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost?  And the man said; Yea Lord.  and Jesus asked; Dost thou believe if ye truly repent I can cleanse your sin?  And the man said; Yea Lord, I believe.  And Jesus asked;  Dost thou believe that I can bring your wife back from the dead?  And the man answered:  Yea Lord, I know thou canst do all things by the will of the Father and by the power of the Holy Priesthood.
 
45And Jesus laid his hands upon the body and commanded it to live again and arise and be made whole and the lawyer's wife was risen from the dead.  And Jesus said: your faith is made whole, believe in me, learn of me, follow me, and sin no more...

*When Jesus questioned the woman to why she was seeking to destroy the kingdom of the Lord, she replied by asking how that was possible when the kingdom of God was not on the earth. If you see the manner in which Jesus speaks to the woman- he answers her question with a question.  If you look at the information he supplied in his question to her you will see that he not only answered her question but asked another in the same sentence.  He often spoke this way, so those prompted by the spirit would recognize what he was teaching while others were left dumbfounded or to contemplate.

September 25, 1997 - UPDATE

Recently I purchased a copy of the URANTIA book, found an entire chapter about Jesus's ministry in Bethsaida!  So I am including a link here to the web version of that book.  This pretty much leads me to know that the vision I had was of an actual event- most likely the event which started all the events that took place in Bethsaida.
 

• THE URANTIA BOOK




• PAPER 148 - TRAINING EVANGELISTS AT BETHSAIDA

Enoch Theos "The Learned One."

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