PREFACE
Joseph's advocate, his Angel-Guardian, collected testimonies preparing to defend 'the tyrant of all times and nations' at the High Judgment. To this place, to the Threshold, got Joanna who at the cost of her life has saved from killers the Leader opposing the New Worldly Order of the coming Antichrist. Here on the verge of life and death she got a chance to return to the past, repeating her way from her childhood to her gray hair, and not only overestimate her own destiny but perceive the depth of the tragedy of her country making the greatest breakthrough in human history from the clutches civilization of consumption and now again gasping in the world, which 'knows the value of everything but cannot see anything valuable'...
The Threshold of the Judgment. AG (Angel-Guardian) and Joseph's advocate, AD (Angel-Destroyer and prosecutor) and Joanna were present.
The film reader again began to crackle in the viewing room where Yana was laying face downwards. She was afraid of impenetrable doors to death.
The doctor confirmed the diagnosis: drying arm, blood poisoning; the only hope was for Joseph's strong constitution. Katherine hoped only for God, and the hotter his hands and forehead became, the more fervent her prayers were,
"I gave him to you, o Lord, so spare him and don't take away Soso so early..."
THE SECOND SONG ABOUT NAIN THINGS SUNG BY THE GUARDIAN ANGEL TO THE INFIRM BOY JOSEPH
"The mystery of God's Plan about the world and God-humanity cannot be understandable without the mystery of the consubstantial and inseparable Holy Trinity. Three in One - how can it be? The answer is concluded in all-penetrating, al-merciful and all-saving Divine Love, which doesn't exist on the earth.
The world was planned just in this way 'in the image and after the likeness of the Holy Trinity'. Everything around us declares the Plan; everything is instructive for an attentive eye.
Take for example the sun. It gives light, warmth and life. They exist in the sun inseparably; they are origins of everything's existence. Life can't exist without warmth and light; warmth can't exist without sunshine. And all of that is the sun.
Every tree, plant, bird and our body, every living organism proves the Plan...
A root, a trunk, branches and every life - all of them are in their right places; all of them self-forgetfully work for the whole, and the whole works for every one of them. None of them is at war with each other; none of them hinders each other, and the old humbly gives the place to the new... but even leaves, which fall off in autumn, keep living in a tree - in leaves, branches and a trunk in following years. It's the very perpetual motion machine..."
"It's an anthill!" the AD said scornfully, "The Social Anthill according to Dostoyevsky..."
"Negative, man is not an ant; he is created 'in the image and after the likeness'. For an ant unity is a way of survival in a forest but for a man it's a way of survival in the eternity. The main thing is the Plan. The Heaven or the Earth. The Lord gathers not bodies but immortal souls. The Law of Trinity, Divine Love, is an elixir of immortality in Father's House. I will quote from Fedorov's 'Philosophy of Common Cause' especially for you, son of darkness,
"This standard of immortal society was elaborated neither in conventions, nor in parliaments, nor in declarations of human rights. The Persons of the Holy Trinity are presented as 'inseparable ones', i.e. not estranging from each other, not coming to struggle, which by itself leads to destruction of a society and its death; in such presentation the union of divine Persons is indestructible and immortal. But the presentation the Persons of the Holy Trinity as non-confluent essence eliminates their death because non-confluence means removal of a situation when one person absorbs others who lose their personalities under him and become his unintentional instruments, and finally conflows with him turning together with him into profound indifference, into nothing."
"We, negatives, are also immortal," the AD grinned, "and we also don't struggle with each other..."
"The hatred to the Origin of Life, which eternally unites you, is nit immortality but eternal death. Eternal death is nit immortality at all.
"Objection!" said the AD.
"The objection is sustained," a voice answered from somewhere. I ask the advocate not to digress from the point."
"Therefore, the humanity driven away from the paradise grew and increased; generations changed each other. But the Plan of the Creator about God-humanity is inseparable from the plan of every man created in the image and after the likeness'. That means that man is Godlike and God's Son.
Godlike people after the end of the history and after the Judgment should be revived in the Kingdom, in the Father's House.
Godlike people ripen in earthly people like a butterfly in a cocoon in order to rise into Heaven having got rid of all useless, sinful and unnecessary things. Flesh belongs to the earth but a soul, which has chosen Light, belongs to the Light. A soul, which has chosen darkness, belongs to darkness.
And it was told to the sick boy Joseph that every one of us was a cell and an atom of this single Godlike soul created and planned by the Law of Heaven and in the image of the Holy Trinity.
A hundred thousand, a hundred million and even more 'selves' who absorb each other and aren't at war with each other, and who are free and simultaneously united in the comprehensive whole by free Love with the new world, will be in the new earth and with each other in the Father's House. How infinitely far it is from your earthly reality, Joseph! How many things one has to change in himself and in his life to get rid of selfishness, enmity, avarice and self-affirmation at the cost of others! Everyone is priceless and necessary in this Whole according to the Creator's Plan, and how terrible it is when your place and the plan towards you will be given to other person because of your inability!
A miracle happens every minute in every living organism, which spends all its strengths on its own recovery because no cell can recover alone. But when a cell is incurable, alien, hopeless and harmful for an organism, it must reject it.
Mankind is corrupted; it can't live in the House of the Father according to the Heavenly Law. The purpose of everyone's life is to serve his own and universal recovery. It is conciliarity or collective salvation.
"Now, Joseph, all your organism hastens to help your sick arm. Both your mother and I, your Guardian Angel, help you with our love and ask God, The Origin of Life, to heal you so that you can perform the Plan.
It would be reckless of a cell, for a group of cells and every single organ, to serve for itself to the detriment of the Whole or even to force a hand, a foot or a stomach, other cells or even the Whole itself to do so, taking essential functions from other organs. As a result the whole organism falls ill, including this rebellious cell. It falls ill and dies.
This is the original sin, which is similar to cancer, swift growth of one part of the Whole at the cost of vitality of other parts to the detriment of the Whole. Such cells are useless for the Kingdom and for the fulfillment of the Purpose, because if at least one cell feels painful, bad and hungry, all others also suffer from it. This thing contradicts the Plan because in the Father's House there are no suffering and darkness.
At the end of times the Lord will gather souls of all children of the Light who have ever lived on the earth into his garner and recreate Godlike people of them, the new Adam who has freely chosen and loved the Heaven and who has overcome darkness. The confinements of mortal and sinful bodies will be removed... it's said, "The Kingdom of God is within you." The new life matures in everyone who keeps the Heavenly Law and serves Heaven, turning our vain days into warmth and light. The Trinity teaches that only Warmth and Light can give birth to Life, transitory and eternal one."
"May I ask a question?" the AD said. "What does it mean, gentlemen? You should either to obey, or go to a junkyard. Where is love here?"
"When the loving Father calls his child home because eternal night comes near but a child runs to a forest, to an opposite direction, where there are a lot of wild beasts..."
"Then such one should be locked up."
"God's children are free, Negative, of course there are hirelings who serve in expectation of reward in Heaven. There are servants who obey Him with their minds and because of their fear. And there are sons who have loved Him with all their hearts, 'born from above'".
"Poor servants and hirelings! Doesn't it mean that they have nothing to rely on? It's one more deception"
"Son of darkness, The Lord is merciful. Even if after the Judgment only a monad is left, an empty shell without any merits, but having chosen God as its Master, the Lord can fill it with His Light and save it. Remember the wise thief on the cross..."
"And the Angel-Guardian suggested to the infirm Joseph that when he would become a shepherd, as Katherine had promised to the Heaven, he should try to train 'sons', fervent, self-denying and sacrificial servants of God's Work on the earth, for increase of Lord's harvest,
that every part of future God-humanity, every soul is born and called from nonexistence in certain time and in a certain place and with a certain super task. For the fulfillment of this task it was given heavenly gifts: time, health and talents and also the Heavenly Law inscribed in heart and the knowledge of the Plan towards you, that there is no higher title than a title of a shepherd and a fisher of men is. Such ones are true warriors of the Savior."
"Positive, do you think the boy understood something of your boring sermons and was inspired by them? He liked to boss over other boys, to always be first; he was aggressive, vindictive and cunning..."
"Boys, don't quarrel! The voice from eternity said angrily, "I will drive you out of the room!"
"He had never been humble and obedient," the AD said, "Joseph liked to boss over other boys, to always be first. He even was nicknamed 'Koba', which means 'Irreconcilable' in honor of a robber."
This literary character Koba was a protector of the week and oppressed. Joseph liked to read about such Robin Hoods and related about them to his friends. And they were all ears. Isn't said in the Scripture,
'The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound' (Isaiah 61:1).
'But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked' (Isaiah 11:4).
In the religious school Joseph moved up from one class to another being the best pupil, sang in a church choir and knew by heart many chapters of the Scripture. The Old Testament was particularly dear to him,
'Put them in fear, O LORD: [that] the nations may know themselves [to be but] men' (Psalms 9:20).
'For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous' (Psalms 10:3).
'He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, [and] humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see [it]. Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble' (Psalms 10:9-12).
'Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite [it] with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless' (Psalms 10:14).
Joseph liked to introduce himself as a shepherd and preach retelling his favorite books and chapters from the Bible to children. And now we can see an incident when you, Negative, tempting him, brought him to a wealthy house where Katherine earned for a living by doing the laundry for them. Joseph waited for his mother to help her to bring home a heavy basket with washing. As ever he was escorted by children listening to every word of his."
"These are conceit and love for power."
"But I say it is zeal for God. It's a necessary quality of character for a future 'fisher of men'. That time he told about his favorite noble heroes who defended truth and justice. And you sent him this carriage with a dressed up girl and drunken young lords. "Here, Joseph, you can see how merrily and carelessly these people live for whom your mother breaks her back... And you being so young and strong can become like them, and other people will break their backs for you. It is not so difficult for such a man as you are to make your way in the world. But leave your miserable sermons for weaklings..."
They were waiting for somebody at the front door. A girl was full-bosomed, risible and red-haired. She continuously chewed something from a basket with delicacies standing at her feet and put straight her bonnet; she pretended to be shy, giggled and evaded her boyfriends who fondled her. All three of them were drunken...
Yes, it was a complete triumph of flesh over spirit, an insolent triumph of money, idleness and mammon. All kinds of fables about saint and starry-eyed heroes standing up for his people can't be compared with it. The girl smiled at Joseph and made face at him, "Why are you staring at me?"
"And you, Destroyer, whispered, "Bow down to my boss, refuse your Calling and break your mother's oath, and you will get this and even more... and other people will slave away for you. But you, Negative, made an error. Joseph even more hated the system when many mothers, sisters, fathers and brothers had to earn for daily bread, serving and pleasing contemptible idlers, and even destroy their souls like this harlot who was also someone's daughter and sister..."
"Then I devised something else," the AD giggled. The Girl again smiled at children dressed in rags and whispered something to her boyfriend. He fumbled about in his pocket and threw a handful of coins to boys. They greedily rushed to their loot, rolled in the dust and began to fight with each other. They in the carriage had a nice time. Joseph grew pale and silently looked at them clenching his lips.
"Here is your flock," I whispered him, "Your starry-eyed listeners, God's children, and all these fables about the Plan and the Truth... Here is the truth. Satan runs the show here, and it will always be so.
'The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.' Now you know the value of everything. Bow down to us, Joseph!"
And when Katherine went out of the yard, from the back door, Joseph silently took her burden, stuffy smell of sweat, perfumes and vomit, and went away.
Son of darkness, you made Joseph hate humiliating poverty and begin to hunger for mammon and vices but you achieved reverse results: he once for all began to hate humiliating and enslaving wealth and at the same time poverty that made it possible to humiliate and enslave itself in this way. "Yes, I will be a shepherd", he thought, "And I lead the nation to the Light..."
'Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. 21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name' (Psalms 74:20).
'When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth' (Psalms 75:10).
'He shall cut off the spirit of princes: [he is] terrible to the kings of the earth' (Psalm 76:12).
'And now let's give the floor to witnesses. Here are the evidences of D. Gogohia:
"At the final exams Joseph particularly excelled. Besides the certificate with high marks, the certificate of progress and good conduct was issued to him. It was an outstanding event at that time because his father was not a cleric but was engaged in shoemaking."
"In autumn 1894 Joseph Dzhugashvili tool high place in the examinations for Tiflis theological seminary and was admitted with full board and lodging," S. Goglichidze witnesses.
After his admission to the seminary Soso noticeably changed. He became thoughtful. He ceased to take interest in children's games" (The witness D. Papitashvili).
"So the next testimony is all the more regrettable," the AD said gloatingly, "In 1899 Soso spent only several months in the seminary. He left this school and completely dedicated himself to underground work among workers."