Concept of Our Great Power

An apocalypse of three aeons — the aeon of the flesh, the soulish aeon, and the unchangeable aeon — and the work of the Saviour in each.

1Hear, O ye that have ears. He that hath understanding, let him understand. The great Power is the Father of every fulness; the great Power hath spoken, and the worlds have come to be.

2There are three aeons: the aeon of the flesh, the soulish aeon, and the unchangeable aeon. And in each aeon there hath been a work of the great Power; and the work hath been mighty.

3Now the first aeon was the aeon of the flesh. In that aeon men were as the beasts. They knew not God; they walked in their own ways; they did wickedness one with another.

4And the great Power, in His mercy, sent forth a flood; and the wickedness of the flesh was washed from the earth. But Noah was preserved; he and his sons. And from them the earth was peopled afresh.

5Yet still the flesh prevailed. Men built cities; they made kings; they raised up empires. And the empires devoured one another. And the great Power was grieved.

6Then began the second aeon — the soulish aeon. In that aeon the great Power sent forth prophets. He gave law unto Moses; He raised up David; He spake by Isaiah and Jeremiah and the rest of the company of the seers.

7And the prophets bare witness; yet the people heard them not. They slew the prophets; they cast them out; they stoned them. And the great Power was further grieved.

8Therefore, in the fulness of the time, the great Power sent forth His own Son. He came down from heaven. He was born of a virgin. He took upon Himself the flesh; and yet He brought into the flesh the Spirit of the unchangeable aeon.

9And He went about doing good. He healed the sick; He raised the dead; He opened the eyes of the blind; He preached the kingdom. He showed unto men the Father; He showed them the way of light.

10But the rulers of the soulish aeon hated Him. They could not abide His Light. They conspired against Him; they took Him by night; they delivered Him unto the powers of Rome.

11And He was scourged; and He was crowned with thorns; and He was nailed to the cross. And He died. And He was laid in a tomb. And the rulers rejoiced; for they thought they had won.

12But on the third day He rose. He came forth from the tomb in glory. He appeared unto His disciples. He breathed on them the Holy Spirit. He commissioned them to go into all the world. He ascended unto the Father.

13And by His resurrection He ended the soulish aeon. He opened the door unto the third aeon — the unchangeable aeon. He set the captives free; He led captivity captive. The seal of the unchangeable aeon was given unto His Church.

The signs of the consummation, the day of the great judgment, and the entrance of the saints into the unchangeable aeon.

1Now ye live in the latter part of the soulish aeon — that is, the time which lieth between the resurrection of the Lord and His coming again. In this time, the Spirit hath been poured out; the gospel hath been preached; the Church hath been gathered.

2But take heed: the soulish aeon shall not endure for ever. It draweth toward its consummation. The signs are at hand. The wicked wax bolder; the saints are persecuted; the love of many waxeth cold; iniquity aboundeth.

3And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginnings of sorrows.

4And in the latter days there shall come the Imitator. He shall be a mockery of the Christ. He shall do great signs; he shall deceive the whole world. He shall set himself in the holy place; he shall demand worship; he shall make war against the saints.

5But his time shall be short. The Lord shall come down from heaven with the holy angels. He shall destroy the Imitator with the brightness of His coming. He shall sit upon the throne of His glory; and all nations shall be gathered before Him.

6And He shall separate them one from another, even as a shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats. He shall set the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Unto the sheep He shall say: Come, ye blessed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Unto the goats He shall say: Depart from me, ye cursed; for I never knew you.

7Then shall the soulish aeon pass away. The heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; the elements shall melt with fervent heat. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

8And the saints shall enter the unchangeable aeon. They shall be clothed with the body of glory; they shall behold the face of the Father; they shall reign with the Lamb for ever and ever.

9There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying. The former things shall be passed away. The Lamb in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

10Therefore, ye children of light, watch ye. Pray ye. Stand fast in the faith. Be ye sober. Resist the Imitator; cleave unto the Christ. Let no man take your crown.

11He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. He that overcometh, the same shall inherit the unchangeable aeon. Glory be unto the great Power, and unto His Son the Saviour, and unto the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.