Neville Goddard introduces a biblical riddle drawn from Isaiah and Luke that challenges the listener to see how one can become their own grandson and vice versa. He unpacks key scriptural figures—Immanuel, the Everlasting Father, the shoot from Jesse, and the son of David—to illustrate the interplay between Divine and human imagination. God (as Divine Imagination) assumes the human role (David), gathers all experiences, and is reborn as Christ (Immanuel), who is both son and Everlasting Father. Humanity is personified as David, bridging the Eternal I AM (Jesse) and the divine grandson, making all generations one. Goddard asserts that this paradox reveals the unity of Divine and human consciousness and invites listeners to dwell on this truth. He promises that such understanding is not only mystical but practical, empowering individuals to manifest their desires. The lecture culminates in a call to meditate on these revealed truths rather than relying on logic, assuring that alignment with the 'I AM' principle yields fulfillment.
When the Rev. Dr. Trusler criticised Blake, saying he needed someone to elucidate his ideas, Blake replied: “You ought to know that what is grand is necessarily obscure to the weak. You also ought to know that what can be made explicit to the idiot is not worth my care. The wisest of the Ancients considered what is not too explicit as fittest for instruction because it rouses the faculties to act. I name Moses, Solomon, Aesop, Homer, Plato.” Then he asked this question: “Why is the Bible more entertaining and instructive than any book? Is it not because it is addressed to the imagination which is spiritual sensation and only but immediately to the understanding or reason?”
Tonight I will ask you a riddle based upon scripture and try to solve it for you. What is it that becomes its own grandson and vice versa? And how can the Divine Creator be my Father, yet my child? Now this riddle is not addressed to the reasonable and logical mind, but to the human imagination, as its answer must be revealed.
Let us turn to the Book of Isaiah. In the 7th chapter we are told: “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold a maiden will conceive and bring forth a son and call his name Immanuel, which means God is in us.” (This is confirmed in the New Testament as: “The Kingdom of God is within.”)
Now, in the 9th chapter of Isaiah, we read: “Unto us a child is born and his name shall be called the Everlasting Father.” So what we, individualised, will bring forth as a sign, is a child whose name is Everlasting Father; therefore are we not bringing forth that which created us? Here we see the Everlasting Father and the child are one, for that is the child’s name. He is the Everlasting Father, the self-existent, ever-created being who created and sustains the universe, and we are told that we will bring him forth as our child.
Now let us turn to the 11th chapter of Isaiah, where we read: “There shall come forth a shoot out of Jesse, a branch shall grow out of his roots and the branch will be the ruler of all.”
The riddle’s solution can be found in the names. “Jesse” means “I AM”, which is the eternal, everlasting name of God. The shoot which comes out of Jesse is his son, David, and out of David comes a branch who is one with his grandfather. In the 20th chapter of the Book of Luke, the 43rd and 44th verses, this same riddle is asked but not answered: “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David, when David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord?” Let me take these passages and put them together for you.
The son is Immanuel, meaning “God is in us.” His Father is David, the beloved, and his grandfather is Jesse, who is I AM, the Everlasting Father. Here we find three separate generations, as it were, yet the son is one with the grandfather.
Now let us unriddle the riddle. David is called the beloved. He is the personification of all the generations of humanity, and their experiences. It is out of David that God begets himself, for the dream is nothing more than the reproduction of the Divine Imagination in the human imagination. There is not a thing in the world but God, who is reproducing himself in humanity. God (Divine Imagination) is wearing the masks of humanity in order to experience its horrors, so in that sense humanity is his son. And when the journey is over for the individualised God, his experiences fuse into a single youth, whom he recognises as his son, David. Then out of David (humanity) comes which would be the grandson, who is one with the individual, now the grandfather. So the riddle is this: Who becomes his own grandson who becomes the grandfather? Divine imagination!
Speaking of David, God the Father said: I have found in David a man after my own heart who will do my will.” So God the Father, having begotten himself on humanity, causes humanity to do his will, for man is completely under the control of this supreme being. And while on Man, God begets his grandson, for Man his son and the child, Immanuel, his grandson. So you see: the grandson and the grandfather are one, and you are that one. You are what you begot, and you are its begetter, for you come out as God the Father. Looking down on humanity personified as David who calls you Father, you realise that David brought forth you, his begetter; therefore you are the grandfather and the grandson. You, humanity, are that upon which the child is begotten. And when humanity gathers itself together into a single youth and personifies itself as David, he calls you Father, making you the grandfather, and Christ the grandson, one.
I do not say that this is easy for you to grasp, but I am telling you it is true. A fantastic miracle takes place. It is truly the riddle of riddles. Now, the question is asked: “why do the wise men say that Christ is the son of David, when David in the Spirit called him Lord?” Christ is the child, the sign that God is in us, just as the Lord promised, saying: “This shall be a sign. A maiden will bring forth a son and she shall call his name Immanuel which means ‘God is in us.'” And when the Christ is born, he shall be known as the Everlasting Father. Therefore God, through humanity, begot his own grandchild. As human imagination, I am God’s son, but when he raises me to His level, I beget His grandchild. And when my son stands before me, I see David, the being out of which the Christ came. Therefore, who am I? I am the grandfather, the I AM who is one with the grandson (the human imagination).
I know this is difficult for you to grasp, but I feel we have reached the point in time for you to hear it. Out of Jesse (I AM) God the Father’s eternal name, will come a stem (David) humanity, and out of David will come a branch (Christ). Now, the question is: “What do you think of the Christ? How can the scribes say he is the son of David, when David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord?” I tell you: David is humanity – that upon which Imagination molds himself and brings himself out of, then raises the individual out of which he came, back to himself along with the knowledge that the grandfather and the grandson are one glorious imagination. Humanity however will remain, for that is what Imagination molds himself on, throughout eternity. And when Imagination, individualised, has had all of the experiences of man, they will be gathered together and fused into one single whole, and appear as the eternal youth, David. You must go through all of the experiences of humanity before God’s son David will come forth to reveal you as his Father. It is he to whom the sign was given, for the child comes out of David; therefore the child is the grandson of God the Father and one with his grandfather, whom David reveals you to be.
I tell you: you are God Himself. The eternal Divine Imagination is reproducing itself in human imagination so that your I AM is one with the universal I AM. There can’t be any other. All the horrors you have known or may still know will add up to the birth of that wonder child. “To us a child is born.” It is to us, the human personality, that the child is born whose name is Everlasting Father. Then we experience His glorious son, David who made it possible. So Divine Imagination became humanity (human imagination) in order to beget himself. It takes all of the horrors of human history to produce that son who is the grandson of and one with the Eternal Father. The son, however, remains humanity, who condenses itself into a single youth called David.
I hope you will dwell upon my words. There are many things to be said and time is short, so I feel it is time to tell it. This is the riddle. The Eternal Being (who is God the Father) entered into the eternal structure of the world (which is humanity). Man as you know him is part of the eternal structure of the world, and on it God the Father is reproducing himself. And when his work is finished, he brings out his likeness as his grandson. Then the grandson claims that David calls him Lord and the Lord is David’s father; therefore the grandson (the Christ) is the identical image of and one with his grandfather, the Eternal, Everlasting Father.
Dwell upon my message tonight. Sense it until its meaning is revealed to you by a wonderful mystical experience. Believe me, for you are the Eternal God the Father. The universal I AM and your I AM are one and the same I AM. God is forever bringing himself forth by molding himself upon that part of eternity called the human family. It’s a very painful process to reproduce the Divine Imagination in the human imagination, but there is no better way to do it than in this manner.
The three passages in the Book of Isaiah and the 20th chapter of the book of Luke propound the identical riddle which, put in our language, would be: How can that which begot you become your child, and in so doing, raise you to your begetter, who is God the Father? And how can you then look back on humanity and see all of its experiences fuse into a single being who stands before you and calls you Father?
Dwell upon my words, for you will find them most stimulating and, far from not being practical, they are the most practical words you have ever heard. The Bible is far more exciting than anything you heard or read today, for not a thing said by any person could compare to the words you have heard tonight. All of the plots and plan of men concerning bringing this world to an end are not part of the divine plan. Divine Imagination’s plan is to reproduce Himself in the human imagination, for God is only begetting Himself. Divine and human imagination are not two, but one imagination, which differs only in the degree of intensity. The purpose of it all is that you will be able to wish anything into realisation. I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly. No longer will you be a slave to the world or afraid of anything, for you will know that you are one with its creator. In that awareness, you will ask and receive instantaneous return. All this will be yours when the complete revelation of what I have told you this night is fulfilled.
When you read scripture you will not find this spelled out as I have told you, but having heard my story over and over again you can follow my argument. The riddle is: What is it that becomes his own grandson and vice versa; the grandson becomes his own grandfather? If this is so, then where does David the father of the grandson fit in? Ask yourself and it will be revealed to you, for you will bring forth the wonder child whose name is the Everlasting Father. You will awake a few months later to discover that, instead of being God’s son, you are David’s Father. So instead of coming out of humanity as humanity’s son (which you did), you come out as God, the Everlasting Father.
It takes humanity and all its horrors for God the Real Father to experience in order to produce his likeness which is Himself. Humanity remains, but this time not a multitude of faces, but only one face. All of the faces are put together and fused into in the one body of your son (who is God’s son) David, who calls you my Lord. How then can you be David’s son when David, in the Spirit calls you my Lord?
Do you follow me? I hope so. It is a profound truth and I think nothing deeper will come to you, for this is the story of scripture. Blake was perfectly right when he said: “Why is the Bible more entertaining and more instructive than any book? Is it not because it is addressed to the imagination which is spiritual sensation and only immediately to the understanding or reason? Therefore, what can be made explicit to the idiot is not worth my care. The wisest of the Ancients considered what was not too explicit to be fittest for instruction because it rouses the faculties to act.” Here we have a riddle and must respond to its challenge.
How can a grandson become his own grandfather? You say that the Christ is the son of David, but tell me: how then can David, in the Spirit, call him my Lord? If he is David’s son and David’s Father is my Lord, and David in the Spirit calls him Lord, is he not his own grandfather?
Dwell upon this and maybe, because it has been given to you this night, something may explode within you to lead you to its understanding. But the full understanding will come when scripture unfolds within you like a wonderful unfolding flower.
You will find these three generations constantly throughout scripture. The Book of Matthew begins the New Testament with the three generations: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.” Here is Abraham, the father of the multitudes. Then David, the beloved human being who brought forth the image of God called Christ the Lord. And God and his image are one, so we go back now to the grandfather being one with the grandson.
Tonight may seem to be profoundly spiritual, yet I must repeat what I have said time and time again. Whatever is most profoundly spiritual will prove, in time, to be the most directly practical. Instead of wrestling with your problems, dwell upon these revealed truths, for as you do, your problems will solve themselves. Rather than going to bed worrying about how you are going to meet a pressing commitment, go to bed dwelling upon what I have told you and the commitment will be met. Your Father knows what you have need of. Seek first the kingdom of heaven and all these things will be added unto you.
When you sit down to work out one problem, you simply involve yourself with another and still another. But if you will dwell upon revealed truth, all the things you need will be taken care of. As you dwell upon revealed truth, try to solve these wonderful riddles. You may not unravel them, but think about what I have told you, because I am telling you what I know from experience. I did not arrive at these conclusions by logic. I am not a philosopher. I am simply one in whom the Word unfolded. And when it unfolds in you, you too will tell it from experience.
You who heard me this night, dwell upon the thought that you are giving birth to Christ. That he will be your son because he comes out of you. And that this wonderful child is one with your Father who would have to be his grandfather. If he comes out of you and he is one with his grandfather (which is your Father) you will awaken to the realisation that you are the Everlasting Father. Then you will look down upon yourself, called Man, and see it personified as David, who calls you the Everlasting Father, my Lord.
You cannot awaken as the Everlasting Father, however, until you bring forth Immanuel (which is the wonderful child) as the child is the everlasting sign that you have brought forth God, born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God – for God is begetting himself. This is literally true. The child that comes forth from you is the Everlasting Father. The minute you bring forth Immanuel, God in you comes forth revealing you as the God who wrought it. Then humanity, out of which the sign came, stands before you as a single being whose name is David, and David calls you – not grandfather, but Father.
Think of humanity as the soul of man, the bride of the Lord whose maker is her husband. The Lord so fell in love with humanity (his bride) that he left all and has cleaved to his wife until they became one flesh. So humanity is Mary, destined to bring forth the Christ child. And the child and the Holy Spirit are one, and the child and his grandfather are one. When you bring forth the son, God has finished his work in you and his cleavage on you is complete. Then you aren’t two any more, but one. This is Divine Imagining reproducing itself upon humanity, which in the end comes out as God, the Everlasting Father.
Now let us go into the silence.
In this lecture, Neville Goddard frames the central teaching as a riddle based on passages from Isaiah and Luke. He asks 'What becomes its own grandson and vice versa?' and traces the scriptural lineage of Immanuel, David, and Jesse to illustrate the paradox. This rhetorical device engages the imagination rather than the rational mind, echoing Blake’s insight that the Bible addresses spiritual sensation before reason. By focusing on the terms Immanuel ('God is in us'), Everlasting Father, and the shoot out of Jesse, Goddard establishes a dynamic interplay among biblical characters to reveal deeper metaphysical truths.
Goddard’s interpretation hinges on the unity of Divine and human imagination. He proposes that the Eternal I AM (Jesse) incarnates as humanity (David) and experiences all horrors of human history. From this human experience emerges the Christ child (Immanuel), who is simultaneously the grandson and father of the Eternal I AM. This cyclical generation underscores that God is reproducing Himself within human consciousness, making each individual both begetter and begotten.
Methodologically, Goddard employs repetitive scriptural exegesis and direct audience imperatives to facilitate internalization of the teaching. He moves between quoting Isaiah and Luke and offering his own paraphrase, weaving a continuous thread that demands active engagement. His informal speaking style, frequent rhetorical questions, and explicit instructions to 'dwell upon my words' work together to shift listeners from intellectual analysis to imaginative realization.
Psychologically, this lecture aims to transform self-identity by revealing the individual as both creator and creation. By understanding the riddle, listeners are invited to experience themselves as the Everlasting Father—the universal I AM—thereby dissolving separation between human and divine. This realization, Goddard insists, is not merely theoretical but practical, unlocking the power to manifest desires and dispel fear.
Practically, Goddard concludes by encouraging meditation on the revealed truth rather than wrestling with daily problems. He promises that by 'dwelling upon revealed truth,' all personal commitments will be met and spiritual breakthroughs will occur. This aligns with his broader teaching that consciousness shapes reality and that alignment with the I AM principle yields instantaneous return.
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