Chapter 31

And thus our good Lord answered to all the questions and doubts that I might make, saying full comfortably: I may make all thing well, I can make all thing well, I will make all thing well, and I shall make all thing well; and thou shalt see thyself that all manner of thing shall be well.

And so our good Lord answered all the questions and doubts I might have. He said with great comfort: I may make everything well, I can make everything well, I will make everything well, and I shall make everything well. You shall see for yourself that all manner of things shall be well.

In that He saith, I may, I understand [it] for the Father; and in that He saith, I can, I understand [it] for the Son; and where He saith, I will, I understand [it] for the Holy Ghost; and where He saith, I shall, I understand [it] for the unity of the blessed Trinity: three Persons and one Truth; and where He saith, Thou shalt see thyself, I understand the oneing of all mankind that shall be saved unto the blessed Trinity. And in these five words God willeth we be enclosed in rest and in peace.

When he says I may, I understand this to refer to the Father. When he says I can, I understand this to refer to the Son. When he says I will, I understand this to refer to the Holy Spirit. When he says I shall, I understand this to refer to the unity of the blessed Trinity: three Persons and one Truth. When he says Thou shalt see thyself, I understand this to mean the union of all mankind who will be saved with the blessed Trinity. Through these five words, God wants us to be enclosed in rest and peace.

Thus shall the Spiritual Thirst of Christ have an end. For this is the Spiritual Thirst of Christ: the love-longing that lasteth, and ever shall, till we see that sight on Doomsday. For we that shall be saved and shall be Christ's joy and His bliss, some be yet here and some be to come, and so shall some be, unto that day. Therefore this is His thirst and love-longing, to have us altogether whole in Him, to His bliss,—as to my sight. For we be not now as fully whole in Him as we shall be then.

Thus Christ’s spiritual thirst will come to an end. His spiritual thirst is his loving desire, which lasts and will continue until we see that sight on Doomsday. For we who will be saved will be Christ’s joy and bliss. Some of us are already here, and some are yet to come. This will continue until that day. So, as I see it, his thirst and loving desire are to have us all together, fully united in him, for his bliss. For we are not now as fully united in him as we will be then.

For we know in our Faith, and also it was shewed in all [the Revelations] that Christ Jesus is both God and man. And anent the Godhead, He is Himself highest bliss, and was, from without beginning, and shall be, without end: which endless bliss may never be heightened nor lowered in itself. For this was plenteously seen in every Shewing, and specially in the Twelfth, where He saith: I am that [which] is highest. And anent Christ's Manhood, it is known in our Faith, and also [it was] shewed, that He, with the virtue of Godhead, for love, to bring us to His bliss suffered pains and passions, and died. And these be the works of Christ's Manhood wherein He rejoiceth; and that shewed He in the Ninth Revelation, where He saith: It is a joy and bliss and endless pleasing to me that ever I suffered Passion for thee. And this is the bliss of Christ's works, and thus he signifieth where He saith in that same Shewing: we be His bliss, we be His meed, we be His worship, we be His crown.

We know through our faith that Christ Jesus is both God and man. This was also shown in all the Revelations. As God, he is himself the highest bliss. He has been so from before the beginning and will be so without end. This endless bliss can never increase or decrease in itself. This was shown abundantly in every Revelation, especially in the Twelfth, where he says: I am that which is highest. As for Christ's humanity, we know through our faith that he suffered pain and anguish and died. This was also shown in the Revelations. He did this through the power of his divinity, out of love, to bring us to his bliss. These are the works of Christ's humanity in which he rejoices. He showed this in the Ninth Revelation, where he says: It is a joy and bliss and endless delight to me that I suffered the Passion for you. This is the bliss of Christ's works. He also makes this clear in the same Revelation, where he says: we are his bliss, we are his reward, we are his honor, we are his crown.

For anent that Christ is our Head, He is glorified and impassible; and anent His Body in which all His members are knit, He is not yet fully glorified nor all impassible. Therefore the same desire and thirst that He had upon the Cross (which desire, longing, and thirst, as to my sight, was in Him from without beginning) the same hath He yet, and shall [have] unto the time that the last soul that shall be saved is come up to His bliss.

As our Head, Christ is glorified and can no longer suffer. But his Body, in which all his members are united, is not yet fully glorified or entirely free from suffering. Therefore, he still has the same desire and thirst that he had on the Cross. As I see it, this desire, longing, and thirst have been in him from before the beginning. He will have them until the last soul to be saved has come into his bliss.

For as verily as there is a property in God of ruth and pity, so verily there is a property in God of thirst and longing. (And of the virtue of this longing in Christ, we have to long again to Him: without which no soul cometh to Heaven.) And this property of longing and thirst cometh of the endless Goodness of God, even as the property of pity cometh of His endless Goodness. And though longing and pity are two sundry properties, as to my sight, in this standeth the point of the Spiritual Thirst: which is desire in Him as long as we be in need, drawing us up to His bliss. And all this was seen in the Shewing of Compassion: for that shall cease on Doomsday.

Just as surely as God has the qualities of compassion and pity, he has the qualities of thirst and longing. (And through the power of this longing in Christ, we must long for him in return. Without this longing, no soul comes to Heaven.) This longing and thirst come from God’s endless Goodness, just as his pity comes from his endless Goodness. In my sight, longing and pity are two different qualities. Yet the heart of the Spiritual Thirst is his desire for as long as we are in need, drawing us up to his bliss. All this was seen in the Showing of Compassion, for that will cease on Doomsday.

Thus He hath ruth and compassion on us, and He hath longing to have us; but His wisdom and His love suffereth not the end to come till the best time.

So he feels pity and compassion for us, and he longs to have us with him. But his wisdom and love do not allow the end to come until the best time.