Neville Goddard Lectures: “Thy Dead Shall Live”

19 Jan Neville Goddard Lectures: “Thy Dead Shall Live”

11/13/64

Tonight’s subject is taken from Isaiah, the 26th chapter, just as a title because it’s really not on that chapter. The title is “Thy Dead Shall Live.” To understand this we have to go all through the Bible and take pieces from here and pieces from there and put them all together. So we turn now to the Book of Romans, the 6th chapter, you’ll find it in the 3rd and 4th verses. I am quoting from the New Age Bible. I find it far more clear when it comes to this passage, in fact, many, many passages. But in this a question is asked—-in the other Bibles they state “Do you not know”—that passage has been interpreted “Have you forgotten?” All the difference in the world! Have you forgotten that when we were baptized into union with Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death and lay dead? By baptism we were buried with him and lay dead, in order that Christ would rise in the splendor of his Father; then comes a hope, so also we would step into this new life (Rom. 6:3,4).

So you and I through what he called baptism—-it doesn’t mean the baptism that you and I experience when we couldn’t even experience it, for we were just simply days old—-hasn’t a thing to do with that earthly baptism. He’s telling us, before the whole thing was, you and I were incorporated into one body, all of us, and we lay dead. And then like life coming out of the depths, like the seed falling into the earth—-“Unless the seed falls into the earth and dies it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”—the mystery of life through death. So, all of us have union with Christ. You can’t think now, if you believe this, of God as “other,” can’t be other. So we are told, As a body is one and has many members, so it is in Christ. By one Spirit we were all baptized into Christ, and all were made to drink of one Spirit (Rom. 12:4). Well, that you can see. I say “Who are you?” and as you reply you say “I am John.” And before you go any further I can stop you and turn to another and another and all will begin “I am” and then they’ll say so-and-so. We all say the same thing. You ask me “Who are you?” I am…I may say Neville, I may say I’m an American by adoption, I may say anything; but before I say anything I first say “I am.” So we’re all made to drink of one Spirit and that Spirit is God. There’s nothing but! So God is not “other.” Until that comes into man’s consciousness and remains there and he feeds upon it, he will die in despair. So, have you forgotten? he asked. So we’ve all forgotten. We’ve drunk deeply of the Spirit and lay dead; and now we’re about to be resurrected, raised from the state of death. But how did we simply die?

Now let me tell a story. It’s taken from 1st Kings, the 13th chapter. It’s a strange story but a fascinating story…the entire chapter, not just a verse. “And the man of God came from Judah by the word of the Lord, and came to Bethel.” As he came to Bethel, he pronounced this I wouldn’t call it a curse but a prophecy on the altar of Bethel, for it was used for idolatry, and said it would be destroyed and all the ashes would be poured out. The king, Jeroboam— whose name simply means “may the people be multiplied, may they become numerous or unnumbered like the sands of the sea,” that’s his name, that’s what it means—he was at the altar and when this prophecy was made against the altar of Bethel the king stretched forth his hand to injure and the king said, “Take hold of him, this man of God.” And as he did so his hand stiffened and withered so he could not bring it back to himself. And he knew he was in the presence of the man of God. Then he said to the man of God, “Entreat the Lord your God to restore my hand” and so the man of God entreated his Lord and the hand was restored to its former healthy state.