After I had written down the commandments and parables of the shepherd, the angel of repentance, he came to me and said, “I want to show you everything that the Holy Spirit, who spoke with you in the form of the Church, showed you. For that Spirit is the Son of God. Since you were weaker in the flesh, it was not revealed to you through an angel. But when you were strengthened through the Spirit and became strong enough to see even an angel, then the building of the tower was revealed to you through the Church. You saw everything well and reverently, as though instructed by a virgin. Now you see through an angel, but by the same Spirit. Yet you must learn everything more accurately from me. For this reason I was also assigned by the glorious angel to dwell in your house, so that you may be strong enough to see everything, fearing nothing as you did before.” Then he took me away to Arcadia, to a certain rounded mountain. He seated me on the summit of the mountain and showed me a great plain, and around the plain twelve mountains, each with a different appearance. The first was black as soot. The second was bare and had no vegetation. The third was full of thorns and thistles. The fourth had vegetation that was half-withered: the tops of the plants were green, but the parts near the roots were dry; and some of the plants became dry whenever the sun scorched them. The fifth mountain had green vegetation and was rugged. The sixth mountain was entirely full of clefts, some small and others large. The clefts had vegetation, but the plants were not very flourishing; rather, they looked withered. The seventh mountain had cheerful vegetation, and the whole mountain was thriving. Every kind of livestock and bird grazed on that mountain, and the more the animals and birds grazed, the more the vegetation of that mountain flourished. The eighth mountain was full of springs, and every kind of the Lord’s creation drank from the springs of that mountain. The ninth mountain had no water at all and was entirely desolate. It had wild beasts and deadly reptiles that destroy people. The tenth mountain had very large trees and was entirely shaded; beneath the shelter of the trees sheep lay resting and chewing the cud. The eleventh mountain was very densely wooded, and those trees were loaded with fruit, adorned with different kinds of fruit, so that anyone who saw them would desire to eat their fruit. The twelfth mountain was entirely white, and its appearance was cheerful; the mountain was exceedingly beautiful in itself.
In the middle of the plain he showed me a great white rock rising out of the plain. The rock was higher than the mountains and square, large enough to contain the whole world. That rock was ancient and had a gate cut out of it, but the cutting of the gate seemed to me quite recent. The gate shone brighter than the sun, so that I marveled at its brilliance. Around the gate stood twelve virgins. The four who stood at the corners seemed to me more glorious, though the others were glorious as well. They stood on the four sides of the gate, with two virgins between each of them. They were clothed in linen tunics and girded in a dignified manner, with their right shoulders bare as though they were about to carry some burden. They stood ready in this way, for they were very cheerful and eager. After seeing these things, I marveled within myself because I was seeing things so great and glorious. Again I was perplexed about the virgins, because although they were so delicate, they stood courageously as though they were about to carry the whole heaven. The shepherd said to me, “Why do you reason within yourself and become perplexed, bringing sadness upon yourself? If you are wise, do not attempt to grasp what you cannot understand. Instead, ask the Lord so that, receiving understanding, you may comprehend it. You cannot see what is behind you, but you see what is before you. So leave what you cannot see and do not torment yourself. Master what you do see, and do not busy yourself about the rest. I will explain to you everything that I show you. Look, then, at what remains.”
I saw six men arrive, tall and glorious and alike in appearance, and they called a multitude of men. Those who came were also tall, handsome, and strong. The six men ordered them to build a tower on top of the rock. There was a great commotion among the men who had come to build the tower as they ran here and there around the gate. The virgins standing around the gate urged the men to hurry with the building of the tower. The virgins had stretched out their hands as though they were about to receive something from the men. The six men ordered stones to rise from a certain deep place and go into the building of the tower. Ten stones came up, square and bright, not hewn from a quarry. The six men called the virgins and ordered them to carry all the stones that were to go into the building of the tower, to pass through the gate, and to hand them to the men who were going to build the tower. The virgins took the first ten stones that had risen from the deep, placed them upon one another, and carried them together, one stone at a time.
Just as they had stood together around the gate, so they carried the stones: those who seemed strong enough got beneath the corners of each stone, while the others got beneath its sides. In this way they carried all the stones. They carried them through the gate as they had been commanded and handed them to the men at the tower, and the men took the stones and built. The tower was built upon the great rock and above the gate. Those ten stones were fitted together and covered the whole rock, and they became the foundation of the tower’s construction. The rock and the gate supported the whole tower. After the ten stones, another twenty stones came up from the deep. These also were fitted into the building of the tower, carried by the virgins just as the first ones had been. After these, thirty-five came up, and they too were fitted into the tower in the same way. After these, another forty stones came up, and all of them were put into the tower’s construction. Thus there were four rows in the foundations of the tower. Then the stones stopped coming up from the deep, and the builders also stopped for a little while. Again the six men ordered the multitude of people to bring stones from the mountains for the building of the tower. Stones of various colors were brought from all the mountains, hewn by the men and handed to the virgins. The virgins carried them through the gate and handed them over for the building of the tower. When the variously colored stones were placed into the building, they all became alike and white, changing their various colors. Some stones, however, were handed directly by the men into the building and did not become bright. They remained just as they had been placed, because they had not been handed over by the virgins or carried through the gate. These stones were therefore unsightly in the building of the tower. When the six men saw the unsightly stones in the building, they ordered them to be removed and carried back down to their own place, from which they had been brought. They said to the men who were bringing the stones, “Do not yourselves hand any stones into the building at all. Place them beside the tower, so that the virgins may carry them through the gate and hand them over for the building. For unless they are carried through the gate by the hands of these virgins,” they said, “they cannot change their colors. So do not toil in vain.”
The building work came to an end that day, but the tower was not completed, for more was still to be built upon it, and there was a pause in the construction. The six men ordered all the builders to withdraw for a little while and rest, but they ordered the virgins not to leave the tower. It seemed to me that the virgins had been left to guard the tower. After everyone had withdrawn and rested, I said to the shepherd, “Why, Sir, has the building of the tower not been completed?” “The tower cannot yet be completed,” he said, “until its master comes and tests this building, so that if any stones are found rotten, he may replace them. For the tower is being built according to his will.” I said, “Sir, I would like to know what the building of this tower means, and about the rock and the gate and the mountains and the virgins and the stones that rose from the deep and were not hewn, but went into the building just as they were. And why were ten stones first placed in the foundations, then twenty, then thirty-five, then forty? And what about the stones that went into the building but were removed again and put back in their own place? Set my soul at rest about all these things, Sir, and make them known to me.” “If you are not found indulging in idle curiosity,” he said, “you will learn everything. For after a few days we will come here, and you will see what happens next to this tower and understand all the parables accurately.” After a few days we came to the place where we had sat, and he said to me, “Let us go to the tower, for the owner of the tower is coming to inspect it.” We went to the tower, and there was no one there at all except the virgins. The shepherd asked the virgins whether the master of the tower had arrived. They said that he was about to come to inspect the building.
After a little while I saw an array of many men coming, and in their midst was a man so tall that he rose above the tower. The six men who supervised the building walked with him on his right and left, and all who had worked on the building were with him, together with many other glorious figures around him. The virgins who guarded the tower ran up, kissed him, and began to walk near him around the tower. That man inspected the building carefully, so that he touched each stone one by one. Holding a rod in his hand, he struck each of the stones that had been built in. Whenever he struck them, some became black as soot, some scabbed, some developed cracks, some were shortened, some became neither white nor black, some became rough and did not fit with the other stones, and some had many spots. These were the various conditions of the rotten stones found in the building. So he ordered all these stones to be removed from the tower and placed beside it, and other stones to be brought and put in their places. The builders asked him from which mountain he wanted stones brought to replace them. He did not order stones to be brought from the mountains, but from a nearby plain. The plain was dug up, and bright square stones were found, along with some round ones. Every stone that was in that plain was brought, and the virgins carried them through the gate. The square stones were chiseled and set in the places of those that had been removed. But the round stones were not placed in the building, because they were too hard to chisel and the work on them went slowly. They were placed beside the tower as though they were going to be chiseled and put into the building later, for they were very bright.
When the glorious man, the master of the whole tower, had finished these things, he called the shepherd and handed over to him all the stones lying beside the tower that had been rejected from the building. He said to him, “Clean these stones carefully and put into the building of the tower those that can fit with the rest. Throw far away from the tower those that do not fit.” After giving these orders to the shepherd, he departed from the tower with all those who had come with him, while the virgins remained standing around the tower and guarding it. I said to the shepherd, “How can these stones go into the building of the tower after they have been rejected?” He answered me, “Do you see these stones?” “I see them, Sir,” I said. “I myself,” he said, “will chisel most of these stones and put them into the building, and they will fit with the remaining stones.” “How, Sir,” I said, “can they fill the same space after they have been cut down?” He answered me, “Those that are found to be small will be placed in the middle of the building, while the larger ones will be placed farther outside and will hold them together.” After saying these things to me, he said, “Let us go, and after two days let us return, clean these stones, and put them into the building. Everything around the tower must be cleaned, in case the master suddenly comes and finds the area around the tower dirty and becomes displeased. Then these stones will not go into the building of the tower, and I will appear negligent before the master.” After two days we came to the tower, and he said to me, “Let us inspect all the stones and see which ones can go into the building.” I said to him, “Sir, let us inspect them.”
We began by inspecting the black stones first. They were found just as they had been when they were set aside from the building, and the shepherd ordered them to be carried away from the tower and separated. Then he inspected the scabbed stones. He took many of them, chiseled them, and ordered the virgins to carry them and put them into the building. The virgins carried them and placed them in the middle of the tower’s construction. He ordered the rest to be placed with the black stones, for these too were found to be black. Then he inspected the stones that had cracks. He chiseled many of these and ordered them to be carried by the virgins into the building. They were placed farther outside because they were found to be sounder. The rest could not be chiseled because they had so many cracks, and for this reason they were rejected from the building of the tower. Then he inspected the shortened stones. Many among them were found black, and some had developed large cracks. He ordered these also to be placed with the rejected stones. But he cleaned and chiseled those that remained and ordered them to be placed in the building. The virgins carried them and fitted them into the middle of the tower’s construction, because they were weaker. Then he inspected the stones that were half white and half black. Many of them were found black, and he ordered these also to be taken away with the rejected stones. All the rest were carried away by the virgins. Since they were white, the virgins themselves fitted them into the building. They were placed farther outside because they were found sound enough to hold together those placed in the middle; none of them had been shortened at all. Then he inspected the rough and hard stones. A few of these were rejected because they could not be chiseled, for they were found to be very hard. The rest were chiseled, carried by the virgins, and fitted into the middle of the tower’s construction, because they were weaker. Then he inspected the stones that had spots. Very few of these had turned black and were rejected with the others. The rest were found bright and sound, and the virgins fitted these into the building. They were placed farther outside because of their strength.
Then he came to inspect the white, round stones and said to me, “What shall we do with these stones?” “How should I know, Sir?” I said. “Do you have no thought about them?” he asked. “Sir,” I said, “I do not know this craft. I am not a stonemason, and I cannot understand.” “Do you not see,” he said, “that they are very round? If I want to make them square, a great deal will have to be cut away from them. Yet some of them must necessarily be placed in the building.” “If it must be so, Sir,” I said, “why trouble yourself? Why not choose the ones you want for the building and fit them into it?” He selected the larger and brighter ones and chiseled them. The virgins carried them and fitted them into the outer parts of the building. The remaining stones were taken away and put back in the plain from which they had been brought. They were not rejected, because, he said, “A little of the tower still remains to be built. The master of the tower greatly desires all these stones to be fitted into the building, because they are very bright.” Then twelve women were called, very beautiful in appearance, dressed in black, girded, with their shoulders exposed and their hair loose. These women seemed wild to me. The shepherd ordered them to take the stones rejected from the building and carry them to the mountains from which they had been brought. They cheerfully took all the stones away and put them back where they had been taken from. After all the stones had been removed and no stone remained around the tower, the shepherd said to me, “Let us walk around the tower and see whether there is any defect in it.” So I walked around it with him. When the shepherd saw that the tower was exceedingly beautiful in its construction, he was very joyful. The tower was built in such a way that when I saw it I longed for its construction. It was built as though from a single stone, without a single joint in it. The stonework appeared as though it had been hewn out of the rock itself; it seemed to me to be one solid stone.
As I walked with him, I was joyful at seeing such good things. The shepherd said to me, “Go and bring lime and finely crushed pottery so that I may fill the impressions left by the stones that were taken up and placed in the building. Everything around the tower must be made smooth.” I did as he commanded and brought them to him. “Assist me,” he said, “and the work will soon be finished.” So he filled the impressions left by the stones that had gone into the building and ordered the area around the tower to be swept and made clean. The virgins took brooms and swept. They removed all the rubbish from the tower and sprinkled water, and the place around the tower became cheerful and exceedingly beautiful. The shepherd said to me, “Everything has been cleaned. If the master comes to inspect the tower, he has nothing for which to blame us.” After saying this, he wanted to leave. But I took hold of his bag and began to adjure him by the Lord to explain to me what he had shown me. He said to me, “I have something to attend to for a little while, and then I will explain everything to you. Wait for me here until I return.” I said to him, “Sir, what will I do here alone?” “You are not alone,” he said, “for these virgins are with you.” “Then entrust me to them,” I said. The shepherd called them and said to them, “I entrust this man to you until I return,” and he departed. So I was alone with the virgins. They were very cheerful and kindly disposed toward me, especially the four who were more glorious than the others.
The virgins said to me, “The shepherd is not coming here today.” “What, then, will I do?” I said. “Wait for him until evening,” they said. “If he comes, he will speak with you; but if he does not come, you will remain here with us until he comes.” I said to them, “I will wait for him until evening. But if he does not come, I will go home and return early in the morning.” They answered me, “You were entrusted to us. You cannot leave us.” “Where, then,” I said, “will I stay?” “You will sleep with us as a brother, not as a husband,” they said, “for you are our brother, and from now on we are going to live with you, because we love you very much.” But I was ashamed to stay with them. Then the one who seemed to be first among them began to kiss and embrace me. When the others saw her embracing me, they too began to kiss me, lead me around the tower, and play with me. I became as though I were younger and began to play with them as well. Some danced in a circle, others danced, and others sang. But I remained silent as I walked with them around the tower, and I was joyful with them. When evening came, I wanted to go home, but they would not let me go and held me back. So I remained with them for the night and slept beside the tower. The virgins spread their linen tunics on the ground and made me lie down in their midst. They did nothing at all except pray, and I prayed with them continually, no less than they did. The virgins rejoiced that I prayed in this way. I remained there with the virgins until the next morning, up to the second hour. Then the shepherd arrived and said to the virgins, “Have you mistreated him in any way?” “Ask him,” they said. I said to him, “Sir, I was delighted to stay with them.” “What did you have for supper?” he asked. “Sir,” I said, “I feasted on the words of the Lord all night.” “Did they receive you well?” he asked. “Yes, Sir,” I said. “Now,” he said, “what do you want to hear first?” “In the same order in which you showed things to me from the beginning, Sir,” I said. “I ask you, Sir, to explain them to me in the order in which I ask you.” “As you wish,” he said, “so I will explain them to you, and I will conceal absolutely nothing from you.”
“First of all, Sir,” I said, “explain this to me: what are the rock and the gate?” “This rock and the gate,” he said, “are the Son of God.” “How, Sir,” I said, “is the rock ancient while the gate is new?” “Listen,” he said, “and understand, foolish man. The Son of God existed before all His creation, so that He was the Father’s counselor in His creation. For this reason the rock is ancient.” “Then why is the gate new, Sir?” I asked. “Because,” he said, “He was made manifest in the last days of the consummation. For this reason the gate became new, so that those who are going to be saved may enter through it into the kingdom of God. Did you see,” he said, “that the stones that entered through the gate were put into the building of the tower, while those that did not enter through it were cast back again to their own place?” “I saw, Sir,” I said. “In the same way,” he said, “no one will enter the kingdom of God unless he receives His holy Name. For if you want to enter a city, and that city is walled all around and has only one gate, can you enter that city except through the gate it has?” “How could it be otherwise, Sir?” I said. “If, then, you cannot enter the city except through the gate it has, so also,” he said, “a person cannot enter the kingdom of God in any other way except through the Name of His Son, whom He loves. Did you see,” he said, “the multitude building the tower?” “I saw them, Sir,” I said. “They are all glorious angels,” he said. “The Lord, then, is surrounded by them like a wall. But the gate is the Son of God; this is the one entrance to the Lord. Therefore no one will enter into His presence in any other way except through His Son. Did you see,” he said, “the six men and the glorious and great man in their midst, who walked around the tower and rejected the stones from the building?” “I saw him, Sir,” I said. “The glorious man,” he said, “is the Son of God, and those six are the glorious angels who support Him on His right and left. None of these glorious angels,” he said, “will enter into God’s presence without Him. Whoever does not receive His Name will not enter the kingdom of God.”
“But what is the tower?” I asked. “This tower,” he said, “is the Church.” “And who are these virgins?” “They are holy spirits,” he said, “and no one can otherwise be found in the kingdom of God unless these clothe him with their garment. For if you receive only the Name but do not receive the garment from them, you gain nothing. These virgins are powers of the Son of God. If you bear the Name but do not bear His power, you will bear His Name in vain.” “The stones you saw rejected,” he continued, “bore the Name, but they did not clothe themselves with the garment of the virgins.” “What is their garment like, Sir?” I asked. “Their very names,” he said, “are their garment. Whoever bears the Name of the Son of God must also bear the names of these, for the Son Himself bears the names of these virgins. As many stones as you saw enter the building of the tower, handed over through their hands and remaining in the building, have been clothed with the power of these virgins. For this reason you see the tower made into one stone with the rock. So also those who have believed in the Lord through His Son and clothe themselves with these spirits will become one spirit and one body, and their garments will be one color. The dwelling of those who bear the names of the virgins is in the tower.” “Why, then, Sir,” I said, “were the rejected stones cast out? For they passed through the gate and were placed in the building of the tower by the hands of the virgins.” “Since all these things concern you,” he said, “and you investigate carefully, listen about the rejected stones. All of them received the Name of the Son of God, and they also received the power of these virgins. Having received these spirits, then, they were strengthened and were with the servants of God. They had one spirit, one body, and one garment, for they had the same mind and practiced righteousness. But after some time they were persuaded by the women you saw dressed in black, with their shoulders exposed, their hair loose, and beautiful in appearance. When they saw them, they desired them and clothed themselves with their power, while they stripped off the garment and power of the virgins. Therefore they were cast out from the house of God and handed over to those women. But those who were not deceived by the beauty of those women remained in the house of God. You now have,” he said, “the interpretation of those who were rejected.”
“What then, Sir,” I said, “if these people, being as they are, repent, put away their desires for these women, return to the virgins, and walk in their power and in their works, will they not enter the house of God?” “They will enter,” he said, “if they put away the works of these women, take up again the power of the virgins, and walk in their works. This is why the building was paused: so that if they repent, they may go into the building of the tower. But if they do not repent, others will enter, and these will finally be cast out.” For all these things I gave thanks to the Lord, because He had compassion on all who call upon His Name and sent the angel of repentance to us who had sinned against Him. He renewed our spirit, and when we were already ruined and had no hope of living, He renewed our life. “Now, Sir,” I said, “show me why the tower was not built on the ground, but on the rock and over the gate.” “Are you still foolish and without understanding?” he said. “I have to ask you everything, Sir,” I said, “because I am entirely unable to understand anything. For all these things are great and glorious and difficult for people to understand.” “Listen,” he said. “The Name of the Son of God is great and cannot be contained, and it sustains the whole world. If, then, all creation is sustained through the Son of God, what do you think of those who are called by Him, bear the Name of the Son of God, and walk in His commandments? Do you see, then, the kind of people He sustains? Those who bear His Name with their whole heart. He Himself, therefore, has become their foundation and gladly sustains them, because they are not ashamed to bear His Name.”
“Show me, Sir,” I said, “the names of the virgins and of the women dressed in black.” “Listen,” he said, “to the names of the stronger virgins, those stationed at the corners. The first is Faith, the second Self-control, the third Power, and the fourth Patience. The others stationed between them have these names: Simplicity, Guilelessness, Purity, Cheerfulness, Truth, Understanding, Harmony, and Love. Whoever bears these names together with the Name of the Son of God will be able to enter the kingdom of God. Listen also,” he said, “to the names of the women who wear black garments. Four of these are also more powerful than the others. The first is Unbelief, the second Lack of Self-control, the third Disobedience, and the fourth Deceit. Their followers are called Sadness, Wickedness, Licentiousness, Quick Temper, Falsehood, Foolishness, Slander, and Hatred. The servant of God who bears these names will see the kingdom of God, but will not enter it.” “And the stones, Sir,” I said, “that came up from the deep and were fitted into the building—who are they?” “The first ten,” he said, “those placed in the foundations, are the first generation. The twenty-five are the second generation of righteous men. The thirty-five are prophets of God and His ministers. The forty are apostles and teachers of the proclamation of the Son of God.” “Why then, Sir,” I said, “did the virgins also hand these stones into the building of the tower after carrying them through the gate?” “Because these were the first to bear these spirits,” he said, “and they never separated from one another at all—neither the spirits from the people nor the people from the spirits. Rather, the spirits remained with them until their falling asleep. If they had not had these spirits with them, they would not have become useful for the building of this tower.”
“Show me still more, Sir,” I said. “What else are you seeking?” he said. “Why, Sir,” I said, “did the stones rise from the deep and get placed in the building of the tower, even though they had borne these spirits?” “They had to rise through water,” he said, “so that they might be made alive. For they could not otherwise enter the kingdom of God unless they put away the deadness of their former life. So these who had fallen asleep also received the seal of the Son of God and entered the kingdom of God. For before a person bears the Name of the Son of God,” he said, “he is dead; but when he receives the seal, he puts away deadness and takes up life. The seal, then, is the water. They go down into the water dead and come up alive. This seal, therefore, was preached also to them, and they made use of it so that they might enter the kingdom of God.” “Why then, Sir,” I said, “did the forty stones also come up with them from the deep, though they had already received the seal?” “Because,” he said, “these apostles and teachers who preached the Name of the Son of God, after falling asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, also preached to those who had fallen asleep before them, and they themselves gave them the seal of the proclamation. So they went down with them into the water and came up again. These went down alive and came up alive, but those who had fallen asleep before them went down dead and came up alive. Through these, therefore, they were made alive and came to know the Name of the Son of God. This is why they also came up together with them, were fitted together into the building of the tower, and were built in without being chiseled. For they had fallen asleep in righteousness and in great purity; only they did not have this seal. You have, then, the explanation of these things as well.” “I have, Sir,” I said.
“Now then, Sir, explain the mountains to me. Why are their forms different from one another and so varied?” “Listen,” he said. “These twelve mountains are the tribes that inhabit the whole world. The Son of God was proclaimed to them through the apostles.” “Then show me, Sir,” I said, “why the mountains are varied and each has a different appearance.” “Listen,” he said. “These twelve tribes that inhabit the whole world are twelve nations, and they differ in understanding and in mind. Just as you saw the mountains differing from one another, so also the nations differ in mind and understanding. I will show you the deeds of each one.” “First, Sir,” I said, “show me this: although the mountains are so varied, why did their stones, when they were placed into the building, become bright and of one color, just like the stones that had come up from the deep?” “Because,” he said, “all the nations dwelling under heaven, when they heard and believed, were called by the Name of the Son of God. After receiving the seal, they had one understanding and one mind; one faith and one love became theirs, and together with the Name they bore the spirits of the virgins. For this reason the building of the tower became one color, bright as the sun. But after they entered together and became one body, some of them defiled themselves and were cast out from the company of the righteous. They became again what they had been before—or rather, even worse.”
“How, Sir,” I said, “did they become worse after coming to know God?” “The one who does not know God,” he said, “and acts wickedly has a certain punishment for his wickedness. But the one who has come to know God must no longer act wickedly, but do good. If, then, the one who ought to do good acts wickedly, does he not seem to commit greater wickedness than the one who does not know God? For this reason, those who have not known God and act wickedly are condemned to death. But those who have known God, have seen His mighty works, and still act wickedly will be punished twice over and will die forever. In this way the Church of God will be purified. Just as you saw the stones removed from the tower, handed over to the evil spirits, and cast out from there—and there will be one body of those who have been purified, just as the tower, after it was purified, became as though it were made from one stone—so also will the Church of God be after she has been purified and the wicked, hypocrites, blasphemers, double-minded, and those who practice many kinds of wickedness have been cast out. After these have been cast out, the Church of God will be one body, one understanding, one mind, one faith, and one love. Then the Son of God will rejoice and be glad in them, having received His people pure.” “Everything is exceedingly great and glorious, Sir,” I said. “Still, Sir, show me the power and deeds of each mountain, so that every soul that trusts in the Lord may hear, and glorify His great, marvelous, and glorious Name.” “Listen,” he said, “to the variety of the mountains and of the twelve nations.”
“Those who believed from the first mountain, the black one, are these: apostates, blasphemers against the Lord, and betrayers of the servants of God. For these there is no repentance, but death; and for this reason they are black, for their kind is lawless. Those who believed from the second mountain, the bare one, are these: hypocrites and teachers of wickedness. They too are like the former, for they have no fruit of righteousness. Just as their mountain is barren, so people of this kind have a name but are empty of faith, and there is no fruit of truth in them. Repentance is available to them if they repent quickly; but if they delay, their death will be with the former.” “Why, Sir,” I said, “is repentance available to these but not to the first? Their deeds are nearly the same.” “Repentance is available to these,” he said, “because they did not blaspheme their Lord or become betrayers of the servants of God. Rather, because of their desire for gain, they acted hypocritically, and each taught according to the desires of people who were sinning. But they will pay a certain penalty. Repentance is available to them because they did not become blasphemers or betrayers.”
“Those who believed from the third mountain, which had thorns and briars, are these: some are wealthy, while others are entangled in many business affairs. The briars are the wealthy, and the thorns are those entangled in various business affairs. Those, then, who are entangled in many and various business affairs do not attach themselves to the servants of God, but go astray, choked by their affairs. The wealthy attach themselves to the servants of God only with difficulty, fearing that they may be asked for something by them. People of this kind, therefore, will enter the kingdom of God only with difficulty. For just as it is difficult to walk barefoot among briars, so it is difficult for people of this kind to enter the kingdom of God. But repentance is available to all of them, and it must be swift, so that in the days now before them they may make up for what they failed to do in former times and do some good. If, then, they repent and do some good, they will live to God. But if they persist in their deeds, they will be handed over to those women, who will put them to death.”
“Those who believed from the fourth mountain, which had much vegetation—with the upper parts of the plants green, the parts near the roots dry, and some plants also being dried by the sun—are these: the double-minded and those who have the Lord on their lips but not in their heart. For this reason their foundations are dry and have no power. Their words alone live, while their works are dead. People of this kind are neither alive nor dead. They are therefore like the double-minded, for the double-minded are neither green nor dry; they are neither alive nor dead. Just as these plants withered when they saw the sun, so also the double-minded, when they hear of tribulation, worship idols because of their cowardice and are ashamed of the Name of their Lord. People of this kind, therefore, are neither alive nor dead. Yet if they repent quickly, they will be able to live. But if they do not repent, they have already been handed over to the women who take away their life.”
“Those who believed from the fifth mountain, which had green grass and was rugged, are these: they are faithful, but slow to learn, self-willed, and self-satisfied. They want to know everything, yet they know nothing at all. Because of this self-will, understanding withdrew from them, and foolish senselessness entered them. They praise themselves as though they had understanding and want to be self-appointed teachers, though they are fools. Because of this pride, many came to nothing while exalting themselves, for self-will together with empty confidence is a great demon. Many of these, therefore, were cast out, but some repented and believed and submitted themselves to those who have understanding, recognizing their own foolishness. Repentance is also available to the rest who are like them, for they did not become wicked, but rather foolish and without understanding. If, then, they repent, they will live to God. But if they do not repent, they will dwell with the women who act wickedly against them.”
“Those who believed from the sixth mountain, which had large and small clefts and withered plants in the clefts, are these. Those with the small clefts are the people who hold things against one another and, because of their mutual slander, have become withered in the faith. But many of these have repented. The rest also will repent when they hear my commandments, for their slanders are slight and they will repent quickly. Those with the large clefts persist in their slander and become grudge-bearers, nursing anger against one another. These, therefore, were thrown away from the tower and rejected from its building. People of this kind will live only with difficulty. If God, our Lord, who rules over all and has authority over all His creation, does not hold a grudge against those who confess their sins but becomes gracious to them, does a mortal person, full of sins, hold a grudge against another person as though he were able to destroy or save him? I, the angel of repentance, say to you: all of you who have this practice, put it away and repent, and the Lord will heal your former sins if you cleanse yourselves from this demon. But if not, you will be handed over to it for death.”
“Those who believed from the seventh mountain, where the plants were green and cheerful, the whole mountain was flourishing, every kind of livestock and the birds of heaven fed on its plants, and the plants they fed on became even more luxuriant, are these. They were always simple, guileless, and blessed, having nothing against one another, but always rejoicing over the servants of God. They were clothed in the holy spirit of these virgins and always had compassion on every person, and from their labors they supplied everyone without reproach and without hesitation. The Lord, therefore, seeing their simplicity and complete childlikeness, caused them to prosper in the labor of their hands and showed them favor in everything they did. But I, the angel of repentance, say to you who are like this: remain this way, and your offspring will never be blotted out. For the Lord has tested you and enrolled you among our number, and all your offspring will dwell with the Son of God, for you received from His Spirit.”
“Those who believed from the eighth mountain, where there were many springs and all the Lord’s creation was watered from them, are these: apostles and teachers who preached throughout the whole world and taught the word of the Lord reverently and purely. They held nothing back at all for evil desire, but always walked in righteousness and truth, just as they received the Holy Spirit. Such people, therefore, enter with the angels.”
“Those who believed from the ninth mountain, the desolate one that had reptiles and wild beasts which destroy people, are these. Those with the spots are deacons who served badly: they plundered the livelihood of widows and orphans and enriched themselves from the ministry they had received to perform. If they persist in the same desire, they are dead and have no hope of life. But if they turn back and complete their ministry in purity, they will be able to live. Those who were scabbed are the ones who denied their Lord and did not return to Him. Instead, they became barren and desolate. Because they do not cling to the servants of God but remain by themselves, they destroy their own souls. For just as a vine left neglected within a fence is ruined and laid waste by weeds and in time becomes wild and no longer useful to its owner, so people like these have given themselves up in despair and, having grown wild, become useless to their Lord. Repentance is possible for them, provided they are not found to have denied Him from the heart. But if someone is found to have denied Him from the heart, I do not know whether he can live. I do not say this about these present days, as though someone who denies the Lord may afterward receive repentance. It is impossible for one who is now going to deny his Lord to be saved. Rather, repentance seems to have been appointed for those who denied Him long ago. Therefore, if anyone intends to repent, let him do so quickly before the tower is completed. Otherwise those women will destroy him and he will die. And those who were stunted are treacherous people and slanderers; they are also the wild beasts you saw on the mountain. For just as wild beasts corrupt and destroy a person with their venom, so the words of people like these corrupt and destroy a person. They are stunted in their faith because of the conduct they have within themselves. Some, however, repented and were saved, and the rest who are like them can be saved if they repent. But if they do not repent, they will die by the power of those women whose power they possess.”
“Those who believed from the tenth mountain, where there were trees sheltering certain sheep, are these: bishops and hospitable people who always gladly welcomed the servants of God into their homes without hypocrisy. The bishops, moreover, continually sheltered the needy and widows through their ministry and always conducted themselves in purity. All these, therefore, will be sheltered by the Lord forever. Those who have done these things are glorious before God, and their place is already with the angels, if they continue serving the Lord to the end.”
“Those who believed from the eleventh mountain, where the trees were full of fruit and adorned with many different kinds of fruit, are these: those who suffered for the Name of the Son of God, who suffered willingly with their whole heart and gave up their lives.” I said, “Why then, sir, do all the trees bear fruit, but some of their fruits are more beautiful than others?” “Listen,” he said. “All who have ever suffered for the Name are glorious before God, and the sins of all of them were taken away because they suffered for the Name of the Son of God. Now listen to why their fruits differ and why some surpass others. Those who were brought before authorities and examined, and did not deny Him but suffered willingly, are more glorious before the Lord. Their fruit is the one that surpasses the others. But those who became afraid and fell into uncertainty, debating in their hearts whether they would deny or confess, and yet suffered, have lesser fruits, because this thought entered their hearts. For this is an evil thought: that a servant should deny his own Lord. Therefore, you who entertain such thoughts, take care that this thought does not remain in your hearts and you die to God. But you who suffer for the Name ought to glorify God, because God considered you worthy to bear this Name and to have all your sins healed. Count yourselves blessed, then. Indeed, consider that you have done a great work if any of you suffers for God’s sake. The Lord grants you life, and you do not realize it. Your sins were weighing you down, and if you had not suffered for the Name of the Lord, you would have died to God because of your sins. I say these things to you who waver between denial and confession: confess that you have a Lord, lest by denying Him you be handed over to prison. If the nations punish their own servants when one denies his master, what do you think the Lord, who has authority over all things, will do to you? Remove these thoughts from your hearts, so that you may live to God forever.”
“Those who believed from the twelfth mountain, the white one, are these: they are like little infants, into whose hearts no wickedness enters. They have not even learned what evil is, but have always remained in childlike innocence. Such people, therefore, will dwell without doubt in the kingdom of God, because they did not defile God’s commandments in any matter, but remained in the same childlike mind throughout all the days of their lives. As many of you as continue this way,” he said, “and become like infants without wickedness will be more glorious than all those mentioned before. For all infants are glorious before God and stand first before Him. Blessed, therefore, are all of you who remove wickedness from yourselves and put on guilelessness; you will be foremost of all in living to God.” After he had finished the parables of the mountains, I said to him, “Sir, now explain to me the stones taken from the plain and placed in the building in place of the stones removed from the tower, the round stones that were placed in the building, and those that are still round.”
“Listen,” he said, “about all these things as well. The stones taken from the plain and placed in the building of the tower in place of those that were rejected are the roots of the white mountain. Since all who believed from the white mountain were found guileless, the Lord of the tower ordered stones from the roots of this mountain to be put into the tower’s building. For He knew that if these stones entered the building of the tower, they would remain bright and none of them would turn black. If He had added stones from the other mountains, He would have had to inspect the tower again and cleanse it. But all these were found white—both those who have believed and those who are going to believe—for they are of the same kind. Blessed is this kind, because it is innocent. Now listen also about the round and bright stones. They too are all from the white mountain. Hear why they were found round. Their riches dimmed them a little from the truth and obscured them, but they never departed from God, nor did any evil word come from their mouths, but only righteousness and the virtue of truth. When the Lord saw, therefore, that their minds could favor the truth and that they could remain good, He commanded that their possessions be cut back, though not taken away entirely, so that they might be able to do some good with what was left to them. And they will live to God, because they are from a good kind. Therefore they were trimmed down a little and placed in the structure of this tower.”
“But the other stones that remained round and were not fitted into the building, because they had not yet received the seal, were returned to their own place, for they were found to be very round. This world and the vanities of their wealth must be cut away from them, and then they will fit into the kingdom of God. For they must enter the kingdom of God, because the Lord has blessed this innocent kind. No one from this kind, therefore, will perish. Even if one of them, when tempted by the most wicked devil, commits some fault, he will quickly return to his Lord. I, the angel of repentance, pronounce all of you blessed who are innocent like infants, because your portion is good and honored before God. And I tell all of you who have received this seal to keep simplicity, not to hold grudges, and not to remain in your wickedness or in the bitter memory of offenses. Become one spirit, every one of you, and heal these evil divisions and remove them from among you, so that the owner of the flock may rejoice over them. He will rejoice if he finds them all sound and none of them scattered. But if he finds any of them scattered, woe to the shepherds. And if the shepherds themselves are found scattered, what will they say to the master of the flock? That the sheep scattered them? They will not be believed, for it is unbelievable that a shepherd should suffer anything at the hands of sheep. Rather, they will be punished for their falsehood. And I too am a shepherd, and I especially must give an account for you.”
“Set yourselves right, therefore, while the tower is still being built. The Lord dwells in people who love peace, for peace is truly dear to Him; but He is far from the contentious and from those ruined by wickedness. Return the spirit to Him whole, just as you received it. Suppose you give a fuller a new garment in perfect condition and want to receive it back in the same condition, but the fuller returns it torn. Would you accept it? Would you not immediately become angry and pursue him with reproaches, saying, ‘I gave you the garment whole. Why did you tear it and make it useless? Because of the tear you made in it, it can no longer be used.’ Would you not say all these things to a fuller because of the tear he made in your garment? If, then, you are so distressed about your garment and complain because you do not receive it back whole, what do you think the Lord will do to you? He gave you the spirit whole, and you made it entirely useless, so that it can no longer be of any use to its Lord. Its usefulness came to nothing when you corrupted it. Will not the Lord of that spirit put you to death because of this deed of yours?” “Certainly,” I said, “He will punish all whom He finds continuing to hold grudges.” “Do not trample on His mercy,” he said. “Rather, glorify Him because He is so patient with your sins and is not like you. Practice repentance, then, for it is beneficial to you.”
“All these things written above I, the shepherd, the angel of repentance, have shown and spoken to the servants of God. If, therefore, you believe and listen to my words, walk in them, and correct your ways, you will be able to live. But if you remain in wickedness and in holding grudges, no one of this kind will live to God. Everything I had to say has now been said to you.” The shepherd said to me, “Have you asked me everything?” I said, “Yes, sir.” “Then why did you not ask me about the forms of the stones that were put back into the building, since we filled in their forms?” I said, “I forgot, sir.” “Listen now,” he said, “about them. These are the people who have now heard my commandments and repented with their whole heart. When the Lord saw that their repentance was good and pure, and that they could remain in it, He ordered their former sins to be erased. These forms were their sins, and they were smoothed away so that they would not appear.”