**The Book of the Living: What Jesus Revealed and Why It Matters**
In the Gospel of Truth, we are presented with a striking image of Jesus as a quiet and patient teacher, who came to reveal the hidden knowledge of the Father—a knowledge that had been reserved since before the foundation of the world. The text says:
> *“He became a guide, quiet and in leisure. In the middle of a school he came and spoke the Word, as a teacher. Those who were wise in their own estimation came to put him to the test. But he discredited them as empty-headed people. They hated him because they really were not wise men. After all these came also the little children, those who possess the knowledge of the Father. When they became strong they were taught the aspects of the Father's face. They came to know and they were known. They were glorified and they gave glory. In their heart, the living book of the Living was manifest, the book which was written in the thought and in the mind of the Father and, from before the foundation of the All, is in that incomprehensible part of him.”*
Jesus did not come as a political conqueror or violent revolutionary. He came as a **guide**, quietly teaching in the midst of those who considered themselves wise. As Paul says in **Romans 1:22**,
> *"Professing to be wise, they became fools."*
Similarly, in **1 Corinthians 1:20**, the apostle challenges the wisdom of the world:
> *“Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?”*
Those who were confident in their own understanding rejected Jesus, but the humble—the "little children"—were the ones who received the knowledge of the Father. This aligns with Jesus' own words:
> *“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.”* — *Matthew 11:25*
The Gospel of Truth continues:
> *“In their heart, the living book of the Living was manifest, the book which was written in the thought and in the mind of the Father and, from before the foundation of the All, is in that incomprehensible part of him.”*
This book—the “**living book of the Living**”—is not a scroll of ink and paper but something eternal, formed in the very mind of the Father before the universe existed. This book had been hidden, unavailable even to those who believed in salvation, until the coming of Jesus:
> *“This is the book which no one found possible to take, since it was reserved for him who will take it and be slain. No one was able to be manifest from those who believed in salvation as long as that book had not appeared. For this reason, the compassionate, faithful Jesus was patient in his sufferings until he took that book, since he knew that his death meant life for many.”*
Jesus' mission was not only to teach, but to suffer and to be slain—**not in vain**, but to open the hidden testament of God. The imagery is that of a will: a legal document of inheritance that cannot be accessed until the death of the testator.
This echoes what Paul writes in **Colossians 2:14**, concerning Jesus’ death:
> *“Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”*
This statement is given a unique parallel in the Gospel of Truth:
> *“Just as in the case of a will which has not yet been opened, for the fortune of the deceased master of the house is hidden, so also in the case of the All which had been hidden as long as the Father of the All was invisible and unique in himself, in whom every space has its source. For this reason Jesus appeared. He took that book as his own. He was nailed to a cross. He affixed the edict of the Father to the cross.”*
What had been hidden was now revealed through Jesus. In Him, the invisible Father is made known:
> *“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”* — *John 1:18*
The “book” Jesus took and made manifest is not only a record of divine wisdom, but also a register of life itself. This connects to the **Book of Life**, referenced multiple times throughout Scripture.
Paul writes of his fellow workers:
> *“And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel… and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.”* — *Philippians 4:3*
The Book of Life appears **seven times** in the book of Revelation:
* *Revelation 3:5* promises: *“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life…”*
* *Revelation 13:8* describes those who **do not** have their names written in the book.
* *Revelation 17:8* associates it with the foundation of the world.
* *Revelation 20:12* and *20:15* link it to final judgment.
* *Revelation 21:27* says only those written in the book may enter the new Jerusalem.
* *Revelation 22:19* warns against having one’s part removed from the book.
Just as the living book was revealed in the hearts of those who were taught by Jesus, the promise of Scripture is that the **law of God would be written on hearts**:
> *“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”* — *Jeremiah 31:33*
This is not merely about religious rule-keeping. It is about inner transformation—truth being made alive within, the heart becoming the place where the Book of the Living is read.
Through Jesus’ patient suffering and his death, the inheritance once hidden was opened. The edict was affixed to the cross, and the hidden knowledge of the Father was made known. It is written now, not just in ancient texts or heavenly records, but in the hearts of those who hear and receive the Word.
And in that book—manifest in the mind of the Father and now revealed in Christ—is the life of the world.
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