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"THE BABY"--MO March 1973 NO.213--LTA
--A Dream of November 1972
Copyright © March 1973 by The Children of God
P.O. Box 31, London WC2E 7LX, England or GPO Box 3141, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936
1. We had a little cottage on the top of this high mountain, I'd say at least a thousand feet high, and it was a mountain peak, although the top had been levelled off flat about one acre in size, and the sides of the mountain were like steep slopes on all sides except for this one side where this steep winding road wound up, frighteningly steep, and from the top of this mountain we could survey it seemed the whole world,--cities, valleys, the whole world!
2. We took this nice little white ball and threw it off the mountain, and it bounced and bounced and bounced and kept going and it never stopped! It seemed like it bounced clear around the world, and we were all jumping up and down for joy the way that ball kept bouncing like it was alive--bounced on rooftops and across cities and down the roads, almost without effort! The law of gravity seemed to take care of it, once we threw it off the mountain. We marvelled at the way it seemed to bounce!--We just got it started.--All we did was obey and started the ball bouncing, and the message has just kept on going and been proclaimed around the world! The word was alive!--It seemed to go everywhere! It was like we were standing there for hours watching that ball bouncing!
3. But by and by we got tired of watching the ball bouncing and started having a picnic in the yard. We were all feasting, but I kept warning the kids to stay away from the edge, because there was no fence.
4. Then there was this huge steam or power shovel like a monstrous bulldozer, a huge big shovel that worked on a crane arm with a scoop, and that big thing kept grinding around trying to catch up with the ball and smash it with that arm! That huge, big cumbersome thing kept crawling and growling around, but was never able to catch up with the ball. Every time it was about to crush it, the ball bounced out of reach again.
5. So then the Machine decided to attack the mountain and me, and it came up the mountain and made several passes at me, but I was too fast and I kept dodging it. But one time it came so close I fell over the edge into some bushes, and that big thing just missed me, but came down with such a whack it gouged out a big part of the hill! So I grabbed hold of the edge and crawled back up again. That big Machine had horrible eyes and tusks and everything, like one of those machines made into a monster! The Devil's spirit was in that Machine! It was the System! But I kept dodging it, and thank God, it missed me!
6. So here we were, finally, and the Machine had left us alone for awhile, and finally we were having a nice picnic again. Then suddenly one of the little naked babies fell over the edge, tumbled over the side of the mountain, and landed on a ledge, lying there kind of dazed and stunned and naked! It was one of those little kids just learning to crawl, and it had fallen over the edge while we were busy feasting when we should have been watching him and taking care of him and keeping him away from the edge!
7. (Tongues and weeping) "Woe to the children of David that hear not the words of their Shepherd and care not for the sheep!"
8. That baby falling over the edge just about scared the daylights out of me, and I got all excited about it and tried to reach it and climb down there, but I couldn't reach it. But thank God, the poor little child just stayed there without crying or complaining, just sort of acted like, well, I guess this is where I'm supposed to be!--Because I seemed to be the only one concerned about it--none of the rest of you were!
9. I was trying to interest the rest of you guys in trying to help me rescue the kid before he fell on over clear down the mountain, and a couple of you finally came and casually looked over the edge and said, "Well we don't know how to get him up.--Maybe we'll think of something and figure out some way later."--And then you all went off shopping! "We'll come up with something," you said--and you went off shopping!--And I just couldn't believe it! I chased after you, tearing down to the shops and yelling breathlessly, "We've got to rescue that baby!" It was getting dark and cold, and I frantically tried to get you to listen: "That child is going to die of exposure!"
10. I finally got so desperate I said, "I guess we'll have to call for the Emergency Rescue Squad!--They'll surely know how to get him off the ledge! We cannot leave that child there all night!--It's naked and cold and will die of exposure if we leave it there!"--But you all were still casually visiting and shopping!--And do you know what somebody piped up and said down at the store while you were indifferently putting things in your bags, unconcerned?--"We don't dare call the rescue squad, because then they might have an investigation.--They might ask: 'How come you didn't call us sooner? How long's the baby been there? How did it happen? Why weren't you watching the child?"
11. The last part of this dream was so terrifying!--I was so shocked, it was almost unbelievable! The Lord was trying to scare the daylights out of me, and I persisted: "But if we don't rescue the baby or get them to do it, it's going to die there!" And somebody said again, "Well, that would be better than an investigation. That would be better than letting them find out we so carelessly let the baby fall over the side. Better to let it die there of exposure or fall on over, than to let them find out how careless and negligent we were, and how long it's been since it fell, without our saving it or calling on them to save it. Better to just hush it up."
12. So I practically screamed!--"You mean to tell me you would let that child die out there rather than let your carelessness be exposed!-- [ALERT! CHECK FOR SANITIZATION: "
"] --Then what kind of investigation do you think you'll have! Then you'll really be in trouble!" Then I woke up instantly and remembered the dream so vividly!
13. The baby, of course, represents these little kids. The most horrifying thing about it was not that the baby fell over, or was in such danger, because it didn't seem to be totally impossible to rescue the baby. But it was that we just didn't know how or were to lazy! It was the casual, nonchalant, indifferent attitude of the leaders, who were feasting, picnicking and went out shopping that amazed me! I believe God was talking about you, because you were the ones at the picnic!--This group sitting right here today, and others! I believe it was a startling, shocking warning from the Lord. [ALERT! CHECK FOR SANITIZATION: "
"]
14. [ALERT! CHECK FOR SANITIZATION: "
"] That one little baby symbolised all the babies, all the kids.--And if you don't get busy and take better care of them, so they won't fall off or freeze to death, or rescue them when they do, should your lack of concern be exposed, it could hurt the whole Revolution!--The baby could die for your lack of concern, your negligence, and the Lord then, as your judgement, could let the System come in and sock it to you for it, some real scandal!
15. Why do you think I used to go around and check everyone's vehicle on the road, to see if they were warm and had proper ventilation, and why was I the only one who cared? I think you'd better read Ezekiel 34 again to yourselves and picture yourselves as the shepherds that God was talking about, who didn't care about the sheep and the way you've been treating them, and pray that God will help you take care of them in a hurry, before something disastrous happens!
16. What if one of your kids died of pneumonia standing on guard too long, or sleeping in a cold, unheated room, or out witnessing too long?--How would you explain that to the authorities?--Or if we had some epidemic in one of our Colonies due to a lack of proper sanitary conditions or facilities, or a whole dorm full of people wiped out in one night because of a faulty heater and no ventilation, or have a whole Colony wiped out because of food poisoning, or laid up in the hospital at least! We sing a song, "You Gotta Be a Baby": My God, help that poor baby!--I pity it! [ALERT! CHECK FOR SANITIZATION: "
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17. I believe Jesus took good care of his sheep--the ones he had, the best he could. If you've got more sheep than you can take care of, you'd better get rid of a few, and give them to somebody that can take care of them! "You Gotta Be a Baby!"--That poor baby! "You Gotta Be a Baby!"--You poor little sucker! What is the last time you checked to find out if they had proper heat and warm clothes and proper food? Once I have written you about all these things, I figure that's it!--Why should I have to write it all over again?--How could I write it again, when I'm so busy yelling at you while you're feasting and shopping, trying to get you to take care of the poor babies falling over the cliff!
18. You had better get busy and see that all these Colonies are taken care of, or when it happens I'm going to tell you I warned you!--I told you so! [ALERT! CHECK FOR SANITIZATION: "
"] Are you going to be good shepherds or are you not?--Are you going to be obedient to your Chief Shepherd, or are you not?--Are you just hirelings, who are there just for the hire not because you love or care for the sheep? Are you hirelings who couldn't care less for the sheep, who are just there for the pay, because you like the work, but the sheep are falling over the edge, or starving, or cold, or getting ripped off by the wolves?
19. Jesus said the hireling careth not for the sheep--just for himself! He's making sure he's warmed and fed and clothed and protected, but couldn't care less for the sheep! But just let one of those poor little sheep make the slightest mistake, and you beat him unmercifully with the rod of your mouth for mistakes you are probably guilty of yourself, because you didn't instruct or train him!--So you beat him so he'll think he's guilty, When you yourself are guilty! You bawl them out for failing, when it was your own fault!
20. In that dream I was concerned and tried to do everything I could think of to rescue the child, but I couldn't do it without help, until I even finally threatened to get the System, and even then you wouldn't let me! But I want to tell you, if you can't take care of these kids, we'd better give them back to the System, and put them back in school, and back at their jobs, and back with their parents! Some of these parents have been entirely too right about the things they accuse us of!--Lack of provision and lack of care. At least we should furnish them with what we've got, and give them the best we have, even if it's nothing but beanstalks and potatoes, and warm and well-ventilated rooms, and good heavy clothes to go witnessing in.
21. I was never in a Colony, but what I didn't concern myself with every little detail of that Colony, as servant of all! What is the last time you went around to every room in your Colony, checking to see if they all were tucked in, feeling their covers to see how many they've got, checking the windows to see if they have proper ventilation, checking the heater to see if it was safe? I used to do that every night in any Colony I was ever in.
22. When you hear somebody in your Colony is sick, what do you do about it? How good are your office conditions? Does your secretary have proper lighting? Do your disciples have proper lighting conditions under which to read?--(Etc., etc.!)--Amen? Do it now!--Before it's too late!--This is a warning from the Lord!--And you better believe it!--Amen?--Hallelujah! God bless and keep you, and help you to take better care of your sheep!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family}
