Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/1966

1966 Value of spiritual and earthly knowledge in the hereafter....

June 24, 1941: Book 28

Everything spiritual has eternal value and eternal duration.... everything earthly passes away with the death of the human body. Joys and sufferings pass away and therefore need not be taken seriously. However, what has been spiritually achieved or missed is decisive for the stay in eternity and therefore significant for the soul of man. Spiritual endeavour will now always relate to the human being's inner life and to everything that is separate from earthly matter.... which therefore has nothing to do with a pleasurable earthly life or any physical desires but completely eliminates the body and only touches (concerns) spiritual questions and spiritual experiences. Spiritual endeavour is everything that is connected with God, i.e. that concerns life that does not end with the death of the body....

For only that which belongs to earth is transient, thus also man's thought material, which only comprises earthly things. Whatever knowledge the human being has absorbed that was of value for earthly existence, for the human being as such, is completely worthless from the moment he enters the beyond. It belongs to another world, it is therefore useless for the new world. And if the human being now considers what spiritual possessions will then remain to him, he will be able to understand why he should strive for spiritual good on earth.... spiritual treasures on earth. For he is in the greatest poverty if he has not likewise received spiritual possessions on earth. And in most cases it is precisely the person possessing earthly knowledge who will concern himself little with spiritual questions and thus also pass over into the beyond correspondingly poor in spiritual treasures. And it is then unspeakably bitter for such a soul to have to recognize its lack.... whereas, conversely, some souls possess spiritual wealth which had no knowledge worth mentioning on earth because they only focused their attention on the soul's maturing, because earthly questions did not affect them that much and their desire was not for earthly possessions and earthly knowledge. This soul also retains the success of earthly life in the beyond, it does not need to give anything away because it is spiritual good that it has gathered and because this good is imperishable and cannot be taken from it in eternity. While earthly knowledge is no longer of use to anyone in the beyond, the soul who possesses spiritual possessions can be indescribably blessed with it.... it can give it to ignorant souls and itself finds its most beautiful reward in being able to help those who enter the kingdom of the beyond in utmost poverty, whereas the people who strived for earthly knowledge also found their reward on earth, honour, reputation and earthly wealth.... which all comes to an end with bodily death. For they can carry none of this over into eternity. But how short is the enjoyment of earthly pleasures.... and how endlessly long is life after death.... For what illusory happiness have men used their mental activity and what inconceivable bliss have they forfeited, which could easily be attained through spiritual endeavour. And if man would first concern himself with that which has a connection with God, then his earthly knowledge would be imparted to him effortlessly at the same time, as soon as he strives for it out of love for humanity, i.e. he would like to serve his fellow human being through earthly knowledge. This earthly knowledge alone has value and at the same time brings him spiritual wealth. For his will to serve his fellow human beings will be valued when the earthly knowledge has become obsolete.... Yet the spiritual hardship of those who only absorbed earthly knowledge for the sake of their earthly success will be indescribable in eternity, for they will stand naked and bare in an environment where what they possess is of no value whatsoever. And it takes a long time until they decide to receive what they lack from loving souls.... until they decide to do what they should do on earth.... to collect spiritual goods in order to be able to pass them on in love to those who, like them, have failed to do so on earth....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers