DISCOURSE ON ABBATON

By Timothy, Archbishop of Alexandria

E. A. Wallis Budge, Coptic Martyrdoms, Vol. IV, Pub. British Museum , London , 1977.

 

This Text was copied by Timothy from the existing document at the library in Jerusalem about 380-385 A.D.  The Archbishop seeking information on the origin of Satan and why death and suffering exists in the world, in his words, he was Awishing to learn concerning this fearful and terrifying being who God made, an who pursueth every soul until it yieldeth up it=s spirit.@

 This text is described as the Savior=s answers to these very questions by the Apostles:

AThe Apostles asked the Savior about [Abbaton] so that they might be able to preach about him to all mankind, for they knew that men would ask them questions about everything.  And the Saviour, who did not wish to disappoint them about any matter concerning which they asked Him questions, informed them saying AThe day on which my Father created Abbaton . . . He made him king over all creation which he had made, because of the transgression of Adam and Eve@

 Timothy requests this text to know why death is in the world,  why evil exists, and how Satan became the God of this world.  This document speaks of the ACouncil in Heaven,@   The AWar in Heaven,@ the fall of Satan and his angels.  These doctrines are some of the Aplain and precious things@ that have been taken out of the Bible, as Nephi reveals.  There exists other ancient  documents and records that teach these things, however, the Discourse on Abbaton is most complete and of a most ancient date, and may have been included in the scriptures at one time.  Inserted within the text below are comments and explanations, by Bruce Porter, which are written in italics and in blue.

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 And it came to pass that when our Saviour, Who is the Root of all good, had finished everything, when the days of his Apocalypse were completed, and he was to ascend up to his Father, he laid His hands upon each one of His holy Apostles, and he prayed over them, and sent them forth into all the world to preach His holy Resurrection to all the heathen, and He filled them with power and with His Holy  spirit, and He spake unto them, saying, >The mighty deeds and miracles which I have performed, ye yourselves also shall do.  Ye shall lay your hands upon the sick and they shall have rest (or, relief).  Ye shall tread upon serpents and scorpions.  Ye shall take up serpents in your hands.  And when ye drink deadly poisons they shall have no evil effect upon you.  Baptize those who believe in Me, and in My Good Father, and the Holy Spirit, and I will forgive them [their sins].  Those who do not believe shall be condemned to the second death.  Depart in peace.  The peace which is Mine shall be with you.  And I will never cease to walk with you even to the end of this world.=

Then the Lord answered and said unto Peter, the greatest of the Apostles, the pillar of the Church, the steward of the kingdom which is in the heavens, >Him that thou wishest to take into it, take; and him that thou wishest to reject, reject.= [And Peter] said unto the saviour, >My Lord and my God.  Behold, Thou hast informed us concerning everything about which we have asked Thee, and Thou hast hidden nothing from us.  And now, O my Lord and my God, behold, Thou hast sent us out into the whole world to preach Thy Holy Resurrection to all the nations, and the mighty deeds and miracles which Thou hast done, the which we have seen with our eyes, and concerning which we have heard, and Thou hast explained them all to us, even [the matter of ] Thy Mother, and Thy Birth.  And, O my Lord, Thou knowest that there are very many contentious and unbelieving people who will ask questions of us concerning everything, and we wish to be able to explain unto them everything.  Now therefore, O my Lord, we wish Thee to inform us concerning the day wherein Thou didst establish  Abbaton, the Angel of Death, and didst make him to be awful and disturbing, and to pursue all souls until they yield up their spirits, so that we may preach concerning him to all mankind, even as we preach concerning all his fellow angels whom Thou hast created, and whom Thou hast shewn us the days of their establishing, and also that when men hear of [him on] the day of his establishing they may be afraid, and my repent, and may give charities and gifts on the day of his commemoration, just as they do to Michael and Gabriel, so that their souls may find mercy and respite on the day of Thy Holy Resurrection.=

And the Saviour, the Storehouse that is filled with mercy and compassion of every kind, who loveth everything which is good in respect of His day, Who wisheth not to cause us disappointment about anything concerning which we are asked, and said unto them, >O ye whom I have chosen from out of the whole world, I will hide nothing from you, but I will inform you how My Father established  him (i.e. Abbaton) over all the created things which He had made.  For I and My Father are one, according to what Philip said unto me, ALord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.@  And I said unto him, AO Philip, in all the time which thou hast been with Me, hast thou not known Me?  He who hath seen Me hath seen My Father, Believe thou that I am in My Father, and My Father is in Me.  If it be impossible [for thee], believe His works.@ And now, O my holy members, whom I have chosen from out of the whole world, I will hide nothing from you.

   This is the creation and the council in heaven, which each and every world created by our Father must have.  The spiritual offspring must all have a chance to approve of the plan or reject it.  "Without agency there is no existence.@

   It came to pass that when My Father was creating the heavens, and the earth, and the things which are therein, He spake the word, and they all came into being, angel, and Archangel, and cherubim, and Seraphim, and Thrones, and divine Governors, and Dominions, and all the Powers that are in the heavens, and all the army of heaven.   And he made the earth also, [and] the wild animals, and the reptiles, and the cattle, and the birds, and everything which moveth upon it.  And He planted also a paradise in the eastern part of the earth.  And My Father saw that the whole world was a desert, and that there was no one to work it.  And My Father said, ALet us make a man in Our image and likeness, that he may continue to praise us by day and by night, and that [every one] may know that it is the hand of the Lord that hath made all these things; for I existed before these things were.@  And My Father commanded and angel saying, ABy My wish and by My command get thee to the land of Edem (i.e. Akerem,@ the East land), and bring to Me some virgin earth in order that I may make a man in Our image and likeness therewith, so that he may ascribe blessing unto Us by day and by night.@

Abraham 3:24-26; states that the Gods created this earth to see if we will be obedient, and show our love to our Father in Heaven, by this obedience with the promise that if we keep our first estate we will be added upon in the second estate, which if we are obedient here on this earth (the second estate) we will receive glory upon our Aheads for ever and ever.@

>And the angel went to the land of Edem, according to My Father=s command.  And he stood upon the earth, and he reached out his hand to gather together some of it and take it to My Father.  And straightway the earth cried out with a loud voice, saying, AI swear unto thee by Him Who sent thee to Me, that if thou takest me to Him, He will mold me into a form, and I shall become a man, and a living soul.  And very many sins shall come forth from my heart (or, body), and many fornications, and slanderous abuse, and jealousy, and hatred and contention shall come forth from his hand, and many murders and sheddings of blood shall come froth from his hand.  And they shall cast me out to the dogs, and to the cats, and into pits and holes in the ground, and into streams of water before my time, and after all these things they will finally cast me into punishment, and they will punish me by day and by night.  Let me stay here, and go back to the ground and be quiet.@

>And when the Angel of God had heard these things he was afraid of My father=s name, and he returned and came to My Father, and said, AMy Lord, when I heard Thy awful Name I did not wish to bring the earth unto Thee.@  And straightway My Father commanded an angel a second time to go to it, and then a third angel, and so on even unto seven angels, and not one of them wished to approach the earth because it took awful oaths by mighty [names].  And when My Father saw that none of the angels wished to bring the earth to him, He sent the angel Mouriel to the earth, saying unto him, AGo thou by My command to the land of Edem, and bring unto me some virgin earth so that I may fashion a man therefrom, after Mine own image and likeness, that he may ascribe blessing unto Us by day and by night.@

>And when the Angel of God had departed to the earth he stood upon it in great power and might, and in the commandment of God.   And he reached out his hand to take some of it, and straightway the dust (or, clay) cried out with a loud voice, saying, AI swear unto thee by the name of Him that created the heavens, and the earth, and the things that are therein, that thou shalt not approach me to take me unto God.@  And the angel Mouriel was not afraid at [the mention of ] the Name of My Father when he heard it, and he paid no heed thereto, but he went to it, and he laid hold of it with firmness and determination, and he brought it to My Father [Who] rejoiced over it.

   Mankind must be made of the dust of this earth, at least those who will be, or have had temporal bodies on this earth.  This is so, because, in order to be governed by Anatural law@ our physical bodies must be made from the elements from the Asphere in which God has placed it@ (D&C 93:28) Other worlds may not have the same elements as ours therefore, the physical bodies there must be made from those other elements in order to have natural law (death, disease, pain, sickness, etc. etc.) govern them.

 And He took the clay from the hand of the angel, and made Adam according to Our image and likeness, and He left him lying for forty days and forty nights without putting breath into him.   And he heaved sighs over him daily, saying, AIf I put breath into this [man], he must suffer many pains.@ 

   The plan of salvation is presented, and the Savior accepts the responsibility to become the redeemer of the offspring of the Father.
 

 And I said unto My Father, APut breath into him; I will be an advocate for him.@  And My Father said unto Me, AIf I put breath into him, My beloved son, Thou wilt be obliged to go down into the world, and to suffer many pains for him before Thou shalt have redeemed him, and made him to come back to primal state.@  And I said unto My Father, APut breath into him; I will be his advocate, and I will go down into the world, and will fulfil Thy command.@

>And whilst He was wishing to put breath into him He took a book, and wrote therein [the names of] those who should come forth from him and who should enter into the kingdom which is in the heavens, according to what is written, AThese are they whose names are written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the World.@   
 
The names of the righteous are written in the ALambs Book of Life@ before the foundation of  this world. 

 And He put breath into him in this way; He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life three times, saying, ALive!  Live!  Live!  According to the type of My Divinity.@   And the man lived straightway, and became a living soul, according to the image and likeness of God.  And when Adam had risen up he cast himself down before [My] father, saying, AMy Lord and my God!  Thou hast made me to come into being [from a state in which] I did not exist.@
 

 The spirit of Adam (Michael) is placed into the created body now that the plan of salvation was accepted and the redeemer is made known.  Adam is excited above stating that he can feel the difference that a body makes saying AMy Lord and My God!  Thou hast made me to come into being [from a state in which] I did not exist.@

Thereupon My Father set him upon a great throne, and he placed on his head a crown of glory, and he put a royal scepter [in his hand],

Adam is given the priesthood, this is the Awa=as@ scepter in Egypt that represents the priesthood, and authority of god to be a prophet, priest, and king.

 and My Father made every order [of angels] in the heavens to come and worship him, wether angel or archangel.  And all the hosts of heaven worshiped God first of all, and then they worshiped Adam, saying, AHail, thou image and likeness of God!@  

 This perhaps, is the true doctrine behind  the origin of the AAdam God Theory@ and is more complete once it is understood in the correct context.  The Father has all worship Him first, as their God and Father of their spirits, He then has all  of heaven (those coming to this earth) worship (bad translation, should be >give homage=)  to Adam the god and father of their physical bodies.  Adam, or Michael, because of his righteousness and valency in the pre-earth life (see Alma 13:3-5) was chosen to become the first physical man on the newly created earth, and to hold all the keys, rights, and powers of the priesthood, under the direction of Christ, and our Father in Heaven.  This places Adam as the AAncient of Days@ the AGrand Patriarch@ the AProphet, Priest, and King@ of all  the Father=s spiritual offspring that will come to this earth.  This choice of Michael, a younger but more righteous spirit doesn=t set well with the ASon of the Morning@ an older spirit child. (Christ is the Firstborn of all our Father=s spiritual offspring.  Could Satan be the firstborn of the spirit children that were to come to "THIS EARTH@, but Adam or Michael was more righteous and received the honor of being the first patriarch, and "Ancient of Days@  for this world?  Could Abraham 3:27 be speaking of the one who would be the first patriarch?  "Michael@ means is Hebrew Alike unto God.@  This would account for the discrepancy between Moses 4, and Abraham 3.)  This is a pattern seen throughout biblical history. Cain/Abel, Isaac/Ishmael, Jacob/Esau, Joseph/Reuben, Laman/Nephi, and Adam/Satan.  The pattern is there for a reason.
 

And He intended that the order of the angels who were fashioned [before Adam] should worship him, and My Father said unto him (i.e. their chief), ACome, thou thyself shalt worship my image and likeness.@   And he, a being of great pride, drew himself up in a shameless manner, and said, AIt is meet that this [man Adam] should come and worship me, for I existed before he came into being.@
 

 The pride of Satan cannot allow a being younger than himself to rule over him.  This same pride turns Cain against Abel,  producing murder for gain, secret oaths and combinations, Master Mahan, and the first >son of Satan, (perdition).  D&C 29:36-37 states: AAnd it came to pass that Adam, Being tempted of the devil--for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency; and they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels.@  
 

 He commanded all the armies of heaven, saying, ARemove the writing [which is] in the hand of the proud one, strip ye off his armor, and cast ye him down upon the earth, for his time hath come.  For he is the greatest of them all, (the rebellious angels)  he is the head over them and is like a king, and he commandeth them as the general of an army [commandeth his] soldiers; he is the head over them, and their names are written in his hand.@ 

 AThe writing in his hand@ is the priesthood authority that he had been give before his fall to perdition.  This is the same writing in Pharaoh=s hand, depicted in the statues in Egypt .   

   Thus is it with this cunning one, and the [names of the] angels were written in his hand.  And all the angels gathered together to him, and they did not wish to remove the writing from his hand.  And my Father commanded them to bring a sharp reaping-knife, and to stab him therewith on this side and that, right through his body to the vertebrae of his shoulders, and he was unable to hold himself up.   And straightway My Father commanded a mighty Cherubim, and he smote him, and cast him down from heaven upon the earth, because of his pride, and he broke his wings and his ribs and made helpless, and those whom he had brought with him became devils with him.

The Areaping-knife@ is the ancient sign of Satan, as his middle finger is arched in the shape of the reaping-knife.  This knife is used to preform the oath which he had taken in the pre-earth existence. He was stabbed from his shoulder, and cut to the vertebrae, across the body to his other shoulder.  This completes the loss of his powers and priest hoods, as he had Aaltogether turned therefrom@ his oath and covenant of the priesthood which he had made with the Father.  The braking of his wings symbolize that his power to move about was taken, he was on the earth to stay.  This lone and dreary world became his kingdom, and he became,  in name only, Athe god of this world.@    

   >And My Father made them take Adam into Paradise , and a multitude of angels sang hymns before him, and they left him there, and he continued to ascribe blessing unto God.  And Adam lived alone in Paradise for one hundred years.  And when he had completed the period of one hundred years--now Adam lived in the Paradise of Delight, and remained there alone, and the angels used to come to him every day--My Father said, AIt is not good to allow the man to live by himself, but let Us make for him a helper like unto himself.@  And he brought a slumber upon Adam, who fell into a deep sleep, and he took out one of his ribs and filled up [the place thereof] with flesh, and He made a woman according to the form of Adam.  And when Adam woke up out of his sleep he saw her, and he said, AThis now is bone of my bones, and flesh of [my flesh]; she shall be called >woman=, because she was taken out of her male.@  Now it was Adam who gave names to all the cattle, and to the wild beasts and to the birds, and to every living creature which moveth upon the earth, and even to those which are in the waters; unto all of them did Adam give names, according to the command of My Good Father.

>And Adam lived in the Paradise of Delight, he and Eve his wife, for two hundred years; and they were virgins, and they were even as the angels of God.  And when they had been living in the Paradise of Delight for two hundred years, Eve came forth and passed through the northern part of Paradise, close by the wall, in order to obtain fruit for the cattle and for all the [other] creatures, because My Father had told Adam and Eve to feed them according to His command, and they received their food from the hand of Adam and Eve.  And the serpent himself came at the hour of evening to receive his food according to his wont, for the serpent was like unto all the [other] beasts, and he walked upon his feet just as did they.  And the Devil lived nigh unto Paradise, and he lay in wait for Adam and Eve by day and by night, and when he saw Eve by herself he went into the serpent, and said within himself, ABehold, I have found [my] opportunity; I will speak into her ear, and I will make her to eat of the tree, and I will cause them to be expelled from paradise, for I myself was expelled from Paradise for their sakes.@ 

>And the Devil spake unto Eve through the mouth of the serpent, saying, AWhy do ye not eat of the tree which is in the middle of Paradise, as ye do of all the [other] trees, for the fruit therreof is good?@  And [Eve] said, AGod said unto us, Ye may certainly eat of every tree which is in Paradise with the exception of the tree of knowledge of the good and of the evil; in the day wherein ye eat thereof ye shall surely die.@  And the serpent said unto her, AYe shall not surely die, but ye shall be like unto these gods, ye shall know the good and the evil, and ye shall [be able] to separate the sweet from the bitter.  God spake unto you in this manner because when ye have eaten thereof ye shall become as gods.@  And the Devil ceased not to speak into her [ear] until he had beguiled her and she ate of the tree.  And straightway Eve became naked, and she knew that she was naked, and she took some leaves of the fig-tree, and covered her nakedness.  And she went to Adam, and when Adam saw her, and saw that she was naked, he was exceedingly grieved, and he became very sorrowful in heart, [and shed] tears in great abundance.  And he said unto her, AWherefor hast thou acted in this wise?  Behold, from this day forward we shall die, and God will be wroth with us, and he will cast us forth from Paradise .@  And Eve said unto him.  ACome thou and eat.  If God shall blame thee, I will take everything upon myself before God,@ And in this way Adam took, and ate, and he became naked, and he knew immediately that he was naked; and he covered his nakedness with fig-leaves.

>And straightway the voice of My Father came to him in Paradise , saying, AAdam, where art thou@ And he said, AMy Lord, I heard Thy voice, but I was afraid, and I hid myself because I was naked.@  And My Father said unto him.  Who told thee [so]?  Hast thou eaten of the tree until thou hast become naked?@  And Adam said, AMy Lord, the woman whom Thou didst give unto me as a helper made me eat, and I became naked.@  And My Father said unto her,   AWherefore hast thou done this thing?@  She said unto Him, AMy Lord, the serpent led me astray; I ate, and I became like the gods.@  And My Father said unto the serpent, ABecause thou hast done this thing, cursed art thou among all the beasts of the earth.  Thou shalt walk upon thy belly all the days of thy life, and all thy seed [shall be accursed] throughout all generations on the earth.  Thou shalt eat earth and ashes all thy time, and so shall all those that shall come forth from thee.@  It was in this way that the serpent came to walk upon his belly, according to what My Father decreed for him.  And He said unto the woman also, ABecause thou hast done this thing thou shalt bring forth children in sorrow and sighing, and thou shalt turn to thy husband.@  And similarly He turned to Adam, and said unto him, ACursed be the earth because of thy deeds.  Thou shalt eat thy bread by the sweat of thy face, and all those who shall come out of thee shall do likewise.  Behold, thou shalt die from this day onwards, because thou art earth, and thou shalt return again to the earth.  Thou shalt live in the world a life of nine hundred and thirty years, and when death cometh upon thee thou shalt turn to the earth again.  Thy soul shall abide in Amente, (Hades, or the spirit world) and thou shalt sit in black darkness for four and a half thousand of years . . .

AAnd when five and a half thousand of years are fulfilled I will send My beloved son into the world, and he shall abide in a virgin womb, (her name shall be Mary).  She shall give Him birth on the earth in lowliness and humility . . .he shall pass thirty-three and a half years in the world, and He shall receive every attribute of humanity, sin alone excepted.  He shall perform innumerable mighty deeds and wonders, He shall raise the dead, He shall drive out the devils, he shall heal those who are sick of the palsy, he shall make the lame to walk, the deaf He shall make to hear, and the dumb He shall make to speak, He shall cleanse the lepers, and [restore] the arms that are withered, and He shall open the eyes of the blind by the word of His power, In short, there shall be no limit to the miracles which He shall perform, but in spite of all these men will not believe on Him.  And at length, after all these things, they shall rise up against Him, and they shall deliver Him over unto death, and they shall give Him into the hand of the Governor, that is to say, Pilate, and he shall judge Him for thy sake.  He shall be in the form of a servant for thy sake.  They shall smite Him in the face for thy sake.  They shall treat Him with contempt and vilify him for thy sake.  The shall pass sentence of condemnation upon Him as if He were a sacrilegious person.  They shall mount Him upon the wood of the Cross, between two thieves, for thy sake.  They shall set a crown of thorns upon His head for thy sake.  They shall make Him drink vinegar and gall for thy sake.  They shall drive nails into His hands and feet for thy sake.  He shall yield up His Spirit on the Cross.  They shall pierce his side with a spear so that water and blood shall flow forth therefrom, and it is these which shall cleanse the sins of the world.  They shall lay Him in a new tomb.  He shall rise from the dead on the third day.  He shall go down into Amente, He shall shatter the gate of brass, and break in pieces the bolts of iron, and shall bring thee up therefrom together with all those who shall be held there in captivity with thee.  For thy sake, O Adam, the son of God shall suffer all these things until He hath redeemed thee, and restored thee to Paradise, unto the place whence thou didst come, for He made Himself to be thy advocate (or, protector), when thou wast clay, before He put spirit (or, breath) into thee.@ 

>It was I, the Son of God, Who suffered all these things until I delivered man from the hand of the Devil.   And you have seen all these things with your eyes, O my holy Apostles.  It was in this wise that My Father expelled Adam and Eve from Paradise .  He shut the gate [thereof], and He placed a mighty being of fire to watch the gate of Paradise , so that no one might enter therein until all those things which He had proclaimed concerning Adam had been fulfilled.

>And the Devil went to meet Adam outside Paradise, and he said unto him, ABehold, O Adam, I was cast forth from my glory through thee, and behold, I have made thee to be expelled from the Paradise of Delight because thou hast caused me to become a stranger to my dwelling-place in heaven.  Know thou that I will never cease to contend against thee and against all those who shall came after thee from out of thee, until I have taken them all down into Amente with me.@

 Again Satan confronts Adam and Eve speaking of the pre-earth life where it was Adam/Michael that had caused Satan to be cast out of his former glory with his power, and priesthood.  Satan ratifies to Adam, his goal to keep Adam and Eve and all their posterity from their glory, powers, priesthoods, and dominions, in exaltation and glory in the presence again of our eternal Father in Heaven.  This is the quest for the celestial Eden , the Father=s A Garden of Delights .@ (see the Apycolypse of Adam, re: the exaltation of Adam.)

   >And when Adam heard these things he became very sad, and shed many tears both by day and by night.  And My Father said unto Mouriel the angel, ABehold, the man whom I created in My image hath transgressed the commandment which I gave him.  He hath eaten of the tree and hath brought a great injury upon all mankind.  For this reason I make the king over him, for it was thou who didst bring him to Me on this day, which is the thirteenth of the month Hathor.

AThy name shall be a terror in the mouth of every one.  They shall call thee Abbaton, the Angel of Death.

AThy form and thine image shall be [associated with] complaining, and wrath, and threatening in all souls, until they have yielded up their spirits.

AThine eye and thy face shall be like unto a wheel of fire which beareth waves and waves [of fire] before me.

AThe sound of thy nostrils shall be like unto the sound of a lake of fire wherein burn fire and sulphur (or, naphtha).

AThe sound of the noises made by thy lips shall be like unto the sounds of the seven thunders which shall speak with their tongues.

AThy head shall be like unto these great pillars of fire which [reach] from heaven downwards.

AThy teeth shall project from thy mouth the length of half a cubit.

AThe fingers of thy hands and [the toes of] thy feet shall be like unto sharp reaping-knives.

ASeven heads shall be on the top of thy head, and they shall change their shapes and forms [continually].

ATheir teeth shall project outside their mouths for the length of two palms, and they shall point towards the four quarters of the world.  Thou shalt be suspended in the midst, and thou shalt sit upon a throne of fire.

AThine eyes shall look down upon the earth, and upon whatsoever is in the depths of the waters; nothing shall be hidden from thee in heaven, nor from one end of the earth to the other, from the north to the south, and from the east to the west, among all the created things which I have made.

ANot one of them shall yield up his spirit until he hath see thee.

AThou shalt shew compassion neither upon small nor great, and thou shalt carry all away mercilessly.  The Powers shall be under thy control, and thou shalt send them after every soul.  They shall strike terror into souls, and shall change their forms.  When the period of their life hath come to an end thou shalt appear to them, and they shall look upon thee; and when they look upon thy face their souls shall not be able to abide in them, even for a moment, and they will be forced to yield them up.  Thus thou shalt continue to be king over them until the period for which I have ordained the world [to last] shall be ended.@

>And when the angels saw him they were all greatly disturbed together, and they said, AWoe! Woe be unto the sons of men who shall be born into the world!  For behold, even we who are incorporeal shall perish through terror.@  The Abbaton, the Angel of Death, cast himself down before My Father, saying, AMy Lord, behold Thou hast made me to be an object of terror unto all the angels.  Now, therefore, O my Lord, I entreat Thee, and I beseech Thy goodness to grant that when the sons of men who shall be born into the world shall hear that thou hast made me to be an object of terror and fear they shall become afraid, and shall give charity, and alms, and gifts, in my name, and that the day whereon Thou didst stablish me may be written down in the Book, and that they may appear on [the day of] my commemoration, and may seek after mercy and rest for their souls.  And now, O my Lord, let Thy Spirit stablish them.  And grant unto me power over them, so that I may take them to the place of rest, and to the dwelling-place of all those who rejoice, and let them celebrate a festival in my honor upon the earth even as they celebrate festivals in honor of all my fellow angels.  O my Lord, let Thy mercy help them!@

>And My Father spake, saying, AI tell thee, O Abbaton thou Angel [of death], whosever shall hold thee in terror and shall give alms and charities in thy name, or repent, write in the book [the day of] thy stablishing, that is to say, the thirteenth day of the month Hathor, the day whereon I established thee over Adam because of his disobedience, I will write their names in the Book of Life, and I will give them as a gift unto thee in My kingdom, and they shall never experience any kind of punishment (or, torture).  But thou shalt not go unto them in this terrible form of thine, but thou shalt go unto them and treat them with gentle tenderness, until thou are able to bring them (i.e. their souls) out of the body.  I will give thee power over them, and thou shalt take them to the place of rest, the dwelling-place of all those who rejoice, for I am God, the good and Compassionate towards My clay.@  Then Abbaton, the Angel [of Death ], cast himself down before My Father, and he spake unto Him, saying, AI will purify them, O Lord, my God and my King, in the place of all those whom Thou hast made.@

>And now, O my holy Apostles, I have made you to know what My Father did in respect of Abbaton, the awful and terrifying [angel], [and how He set him] over the creation which He had made, because of the transgression of Adam and Eve; preach ye it to all mankind.=

And John, answered and spake [unto him], saying, >My Lord and my God, Who hast sanctified me unto Thyself, Who hast made all my thoughts to cling unto Thee, when Thou shalt gather together all thy clay into the valley of Jehosaphat, in order that each one may receive according to what he hath done, whether it be good or whether it be evil, if Abbaton, the Angel of Death, shall come on that day, being in forms of his own person,--if this be so, I say my Lord, there is not one soul that shall be able to stand before Thy awful throne.  Behold, we shall perish through fright when we hear these things at Thy hand.

And the Saviour opened His mouth with a smile in the face of John, and he spake unto him, saying, >O John, My beloved, who didst cast thyself upon My breast because of the purity of thy heart, and the purity of thy body, dost thou not know that in the day of the Holy Resurrection that there shall be no death,  because old things shall have passed away?  And there shall remain only the second death for those who have to meet it.  On the day of the holy Resurrection I shall come upon the clouds of heaven, and every eye shall see Me, and all peoples and tongues shall lament.  And thousands of thousands, and tens of thousands of tens of thousands of angels shall be before Me.   And My Cross shall advance before me, like a symbol of sovereignty before a king, according to what I have said unto you, AThe son of Man shall come in his glory, and with that which is of his Father, and all his angels with Him@ I will command My chief Archangel, the holy Michael, and he shall blow a blast on his trumpet in the Valley of Jehosaphat, that those who are dead may arise incorruptible, and there shall not remain upon the earth one soul that shall not rise up, from Adam the first man even unto the last man that shall be borne into the world.  And they all shall rise up in the valley of Jehosaphat , so that each one may receive in his body according to what he hath done, whether it be good or whether it be evil.  And they shall stand [there] in fear and trembling awaiting the spirit of My Father.

>And as for thee, O My beloved John, thou shalt not die until the thrones have been prepared on the day of the Resurrection, because the thrones of glory shall come down from heaven, and ye shall sit upon them, and I will sit in your midst.  All the saints shall see the honor which I will pay unto thee, O My beloved John.  I will command Abbaton, the Angel of Death, to come unto thee on that day, and he shall not be in any form that will terrify thee, but he shall come unto thee in the form of a gentle man, with a face like unto that of Michael, and he shall take away thy soul and bring it unto Me.  Thy body shall not be in the tomb for ever, neither shall the earth rest upon it for ever.  All the saints shall marvel at thee because that shalt not be judged until thou judgest them.  Thou shalt be dead for three and a half hours (days), lying upon thy throne, and all creation shall see thee.  I will make thy soul to return to thy body, and thou shalt rise up and array thyself in apparel of glory, like unto that of one who hath stood up in the marriage chamber.  Ye shall judge the world, according to what I have ordained for you, and ye shall sit upon thrones and shall judge the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  And I said with [My] mouth unto Paul, AWe shall judge the angels before we come to the beings of the earth.@  For on that day [when] everything shall stand in fear and trembling I shall say, ALet them be separated from each other, even as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, the righteous on the right hand, and the sinners on the left,@ and not one shall make a sound (literally Agive his voice@) until he who is chief in his day shall command him.

>I shall look upon all My clay, and when I see that he is going to destruction I shall cry out to My Father, saying, AMy Father, what profit is there in My Blood if he goeth to destruction?@  And straightway the voice of My Father shall come unto Me from the seventh heaven, and none shall hear it except Myself, for I and My Father are one, saying APower belongeth unto Thee, O My Son, to do whatsoever Thou pleaseth with Thy clay.@  And in that day I shall say, AI rejoice because Thou didst cleave My covering, and didst gird me about with joy, and My right hand shall bless Thee because I am without sorrow.@  I shall say unto you in that day, AO My holy Apostles, and all My saints, whether ye be angels or archangels, or whether ye be prophets or righteous, and especially My Mother, and My chief Archangels Michael and Gabriel, I speak unto you, saying: No man who shall celebrate your commemoration upon earth, or shall give a loaf of bread in you name shall go to destruction.@  And straightway all the saints shall rush forwards towards them, and each one shall seize upon those that belong to him.  All those who have shewn love to you upon earth shall be brought back to the others who are on the right hand.  Then shall the others cry out with loud wailings, and tears, and with suffering and sorrow of the heart, saying, AO Lord the Merciful One, the son of the Merciful One, shew mercy upon us.@  Thereupon straightway shall the Son of God shed tears over them, and he shall say unto them, AMy word remaineth with My Father.@

>And straightway My Father shall shut the door of heaven, and go His way.  And I shall say them straightway, AMy Father doth not desire to shew mercy upon you.@  And they shall cry out the more, saying, AHave mercy upon us for the Devil would not permit us to repent.  If we had known that these things were to be we should have repented even unto the shedding of blood.@  And forthwith I shall utter curses upon Satan that day, and I will make them to seize him, and to fetter him in the bonds which cannot be broken, and I will curse that lying prophet who hath led astray all the nations, and Antichrist, the son of perdition, and they shall cast them into the Lake of Fire which burneth with fire and sulphur, together with all those who have been their followers in the world, and they shall never enjoy repose, day or night.  Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched.

>Now therefore, O My holy Apostles, behold I have shewn you everything which ye asked me to explain, and how Adam transgressed until death came into the world, and how Abbaton, the Angel [of Death], became king over all created things.  And now ye shall proclaim the day of his commemoration, so that the sons of men may be afraid and repent.  Speak ye unto all mankind, saying, AWhosoever doeth that which is good shall rise in the resurrection. . . . . .life.  Whosoever shall do that which is evil shall rise in the resurrection to judgement.@  Then the Apostles worshiped the Saviour, saying, AOur Lord and our God!  Thou hast filled us with blessings, and Thou hast never disappointed us in any way, in [answering] the questions which we have asked of Thee.@=   And the Saviour kissed them, and the angels bore Him up into heaven whilst they followed Him with their gaze.  And the Apostles worshiped him and each one of them departed to preach what the Lord had commanded them.