The Teachings of God as Revealed in the Bible and Taught by The
Order
The Seven Laws of
Noah
The Seven Laws of Noah (Hebrew:
שבע מצוות בני נח
Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noah), also referred to as the Noahide Laws
or the Noachide Laws (from the English transliteration of the
Hebrew pronunciation of "Noah"), are a set of imperatives which were given by God as a binding set of laws
for the "children of Noah", that is, all of humanity. Accordingly, any non-Jew who
adheres to these laws because they were given by Moses is regarded
as a righteous gentile, and is assured of a place in the world to
come (Hebrew: עולם הבא
Olam Haba), the final reward of the righteous.
The seven Noahide laws as
traditionally enumerated are the following:
- Do not deny God.
- Do not blaspheme God.
- Do not murder.
- Do not engage in illicit
sexual relations.
- Do not steal.
- Do not eat from a live animal.
- Establish courts/legal system
to ensure obedience to said laws.
The 7 laws were given to the sons
of Noah, 6 of the 7 laws are exegetically derived from passages in Genesis, with
the seventh being the establishing of courts.
The Name of God
Is Christ
The name of God, as man incarnated is Jesus
The Meaning of
the Word Jehovah
Moses spent many years
between youth and old age, working as a shepherd. At the end of this
period, God asked him to go back to Egypt and set free the Hebrew
people enslaved there. Moses, who had been educated as an Egyptian
prince, didn’t know them. He said: “Who shall I say sent me?” God
answered: “I AM! Say that I AM sent you”. The Hebrew words for I AM,
is Jaweh, (Jehovah).
Joshua (Jesus in Hebrew) is the name of Christ incarnated
Jeshua (Jesus in Aramaic) is the name of Christ incarnated
Yeshua (ישוע, יֵשׁוּעַ in Hebrew) was a common alternative form of
the name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshua – Joshua) in later books of the
Hebrew Bible, and among Jews of the Second Temple period. The name
corresponds to the Greek spelling Iesous, from which, through the
Latin Iesus, comes the English spelling Jesus.
The Bible
The Bible is a
Collection of Records, of the various happenings that where recorded
for the Instruction of the People later.
For Much Might Be Given Respecting The Bible
This has passed through many hands.
Many that would turn that which was written into the meanings that
would suit their own purposes, as ye yourselves often do. But if ye
will get the spirit of that written there ye may find it will lead
thee to the gates of heaven. For, it tells of God, of your home, of
His dealings with His peoples in many environs, in many lands. Read
it to be wise. Study it to understand. Live it to know that the
Christ walks through same with thee. For, as He gave, in
righteousness may ye know those things that have been preserved from
the foundations of the worlds in thine own experience. For, these
are told there in the manners of those that recorded same in their
own environ. What wilt Thou write today that will be as the words of
life to thy brothers in the ages to come? For, He has given, ye
have been called, and ye have a work to do. This is Given then, to
the sons of the Light, the sons of the Way, this information is thus
given to the Nation of Israel, explaining the meaning of the
mysteries, which are veiled in the the texts of the Old Testament,
New Testament, and even in some others which have not been included
in same, but are indeed, from the source of Oneness, the true
source, which have here also been referred to, and included here the
explanation of same. Thus for same to be understood by the sons of
the Light, to know how best to make for its application in the
experience of each individual soul.
In the beginning was the Word
Know the truth of
those first expressions in a portion of His description: "In the
beginning was the Word." And as these develop, know that is the
beginning of the experiences of man in his relationships to the
personality in a material world.
The Tanakh
The Tanakh consists of
24 books. The Tanakh also called the Mikra (מקרא), meaning "that
which is read" or Hebrew Bible, is the canonical collection of
Jewish texts, which is also a textual source for the Old Testament
of Christians.
These texts are composed mainly in Biblical Hebrew, with some
passages in Biblical Aramaic (in the books of Daniel, Ezra and
others).
The books of the Tanakh were passed on by each generation and,
according to rabbinic tradition were accompanied by an oral
tradition, called the Oral Torah.
The traditional Hebrew text is known as the Masoretic Text.
Tanakh is an acronym of the first Hebrew letter of each of the
Masoretic Text's, 3 Traditional Subdivisions:
I.
Torah "Teaching", The Books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy,
all written by Joshua in Shiloh, the soul of Christ.
II.
Nevi'im "Prophets", The Books: Joshua, Judges, Samuel,
Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah,
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, a number of
these texts where written by
Joseph Prince in Egypt, and other texts where written by
Jeshua
of Jerusalem,
both where the soul of Christ.
III.
Ketuvim "Writings", The Books: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song
of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Esther,
Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles.
Understanding the Bible
The Bible is all one
book, and it bears witness to One God Christ.
It is one continuous story, the story of man and his relationship to
God through the soul.
It is a progressing, unfolding story of truth, and nothing in it is
told at once, or once and for all. The first 5 books of the Bible
together with the book of Joshua where written by Joshua in Shiloh the Soul of
Christ.
The first 5 books of the Bible are:
1. Genesis, deals with the beginnings of man and covers the creation
and fall of man.
In the records that constitute the Book of Genesis are several
events given: The Creation of the Earth, the time comprising the
Creation of Adam 10,500,000 years, before the 1,900 AD, the period
of the flood of Noah 28,000 Before Christ.
2. Exodus, tells of the liberation of Israel: The events of
Exodus took place in an era of 5,500 years Before Christ.
3. Leviticus, deals with the methods of worship.
4. Numbers, deals with the disciplines of the Mosaic Law.
5. Deuteronomy, a summary of the other four books.
The books of Joshua, Judges (this record of the Book of Judges was
written by many many), Ruth, Samuel I (the book of Samuel I was
written by several record keepers and some portions where from those
original records from the Book of Judges) and II, Kings I and II,
Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther are devoted primarily to the history of
Israel as a Nation.
This history portrays a form of dictatorship at first, followed by a
rule by judges and elders, as a “government by wise men,” down to a
royal line of kings.
About this time we come to a fine long list of the mistakes that
followed, which came about, perhaps, because too much trust had been
placed in the princes and kings.
The literature of Israel is summed up in the Books of Job, Psalms
(part of the material which served to form the Book of Psalms comes
from those Records of the time of the Book of Judges, these near
that time of those activities of Joshua),
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon and Lamentations.
Book of Job,
written by Melchizedek
The book of Job as an allegory or story of mankind in the aggregate,
is a written record older than the book of Genesis. The Book of Job
was written by Melchizedek which is the same Soul of Christ. It is
not the story of any particular man at any one time or place but
rather of collective man.
After the literature of Israel we come to the prophets and
exhorters.
These are the wonderful old characters such as Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
Their stories are found primarily in the books which bear their
honoured names. With Malachi we come to the end of the Old
Testament.
The Prophets of Israel not only warned the people of impending
calamity but reiterated promises of a Messiah.
The prophecies told what the Messiah would be like and asserted that
His own Would know Him not.
Seeming complications in the coming of the Messiah were hinted at.
The New Testament
The Words, Deeds &
Life of The Lord Have Been Preserved
5,824 Greek
Manuscripts
10,000 Latin Manuscripts
5,000 to 10,000 Other Languages Manuscripts
1 Million Quotations from the New Testament by Church Fathers
Essential Christian Beliefs are not affected by textual variants in
the Manuscript Tradition of the New Testament.
The New Testament
commences with the First Recorded 4 Gospels:
1. Mark - The First Record Gospel.
2. John - The Second Record Gospel.
3. Matthew - The Third Record Gospel.
4. Luke - The Fourth Record Gospel, (Lucius of Cyrene, assisted and helped in the writing of the Gospel of Luke).
The Gospels deal with the life of Jesus and bear out the old
prophets of Israel.
He was born of the house of David, of humble background, of a
virgin, and was rejected as foretold.
Jesus lacked all interest in a worldly career of pomp and ceremony.
Instead He brought a new pattern for existence, which has outlasted
all political systems of His day.
The book of the Acts, which follows the Gospels, is a record of the
disciples activities after the ascension, when Jesus had physically
left the scene.
As the apostles and their followers came together in the old meeting
places, new teachers rose up among them.
There was a veritable epidemic of healing miracles of all kinds with
remarkable events occurring in the lives of otherwise ordinary
persons.
The book of the Acts shows how the early Church was begun and how it
spread around the Mediterranean area.
Paul, the great teacher, kept in contact with the new congregations
through his Epistles, which we find indited to the Romans,
Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,
Thessalonians and others.
Some letters were written to helpers such as Timothy, Titus and
Philemon.
One letter was written to the Hebrews.
The book which follows is that of James (one of the brothers of
Jesus, head of the church while it had its headquarters in
Jerusalem before Rome became the place of the Holy See.
Next come the two letters of Peter and then first, second and third
John.
There follows the book of Jude (Jesus other brother).
The last book in the Christian Bible is the Revelation of St. John
the Divine.
This book was very nearly omitted from the Bible, this book is best
described as a manual of discipline for the use of the individual as
he seeks to understand something of the relationship to his Source
through the soul.
It is a roadmap, a book of instructions and a chart of the anatomy
of the soul in all its relationships.
Lucius of Cyrene
Lucius of Cyrene, was
the Bishop of the Church in Laodicea. Lucius was made, by Paul, and
Barnabas, head of the Church, the Mother Church; or the first
church in Antioch, and the first church in Jerusalem headed by the
brother of the Lord, James, and Peter and Andrew.
Mentioned in the
Bible
"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets
and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and
Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod
the tetrarch, and Saul." - Acts 13:1
"Now they which were
scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen
travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the
word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of
Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto
the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus." - Acts 11:19-20
He is also mentioned in Romans 16:21. Origen identifies the Lucius
in Romans with the evangelist Luke (Comm. Rom. 10.39)
The life of Lucius of Cyrene the First Bishop of the Mother
Church
Lucius of Cyrene was known in the early portion of the experience as
Lucius Ceptulus, of Grecian and Roman parentage, and of the city of
Cyrene.
As a developing youth and young man, Lucius was known rather as a
ne'er-do-well; or one that wandered from pillar to post; or became,
as would be termed in the present day parlance, a soldier of
fortune. When there were those activities in and about Jerusalem and
Galilee of the ministry of the man Jesus, Lucius came into those
environs.
Being impelled by the experiences with the followers, and the great
lessons as given by the Teacher, he became rather as one that was a
hanger-on, and of the very intent and purpose that this was to be
the time when there was to be a rebellion against the Roman legions,
the Romans in the authority.
And Lucius looked forward to same; acting rather in the
capacity of not an informant but rather as one attempting to keep in
touch with the edicts of the various natures between the political
forces in Rome and the political forces among the Jews.
The entity was disregarded and questioned by those who were of the
Jewish faith who were the close followers of the Master; yet it was
among those that were sent As those who
were to be as teachers, or among the 70. With the arousing, and the
demanding that there be more and more of the closer association with
the Teacher, Lucius being of the foreign group was rejected as one
of the Apostles; yet was questioned mostly by John, Peter, Andrew,
James and those of the closer following, as Matthew, Bartholomew;
and was the closer affiliated or associated with Thomas.
In those activities then that followed the Crucifixion, and the days
of the Pentecost, and the sermon or teachings, and when there was
beheld by Lucius the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when Peter spoke
in tongues, or as he spoke in his Own tongue, it, the message was
Heard by those of Every nation in their Own tongue, this so
impressed Lucius that there came a rededicating, and the
determination within self to become the closer associated, the
closer affiliated with the Disciples or Apostles.
But when the persecutions arose, and there was the choice of those
that were to act as those called the deacons, as Philip and Stephen
and the others, again he was rejected because of his close
associations with one later called Paul, or Saul; he being also of
Tarsus or of the country, and a Roman, and questioned as to his
Jewish ancestry, though claimed by Paul (or Saul) that he was a
Jew. His mother was indeed, and of the tribe of Benjamin, though his
father was not.
Hence we find the questions arose as to the advisability of putting
those in position, either as teachers, ministers or those in active
service, that were questioned as to their lineal descent. And again
the old question as to whether Any were to receive the word but
those of the household of faith, or of the Jews.
During the sojourn in Jerusalem, though, before the greater
persecutions, that is, before the beheading of James the brother of
John and the stoning of Stephen, here again we had a great question
arise. For Lucius, through the associations with the one who became
his companion or wife as ye would call, was entertained and kept by
Mary and Martha and Lazarus, thus we find these again made
questions.
And there is often the confusing of Lucius and Luke, for these were
kinsmen; and Lucius and Luke were drawn or thrown together, and with
the conversion of Saul (or Paul) (as he became) they followed closer
and closer with the activities of Paul.
With the acceptance of Lucius by Paul, and part of those in the
Caesarean church, Lucius determined, with his companion, to return
to the portion of his own land, owing to the persecutions, and to
there attempt to establish a church; to be the minister, to be the
active force in those portions of the land.
Thus we find in those latter portions of the experience he became
the bishop or the director or the president of the Presbytery; or
what ye would call the priest or the father or the high counsellor
as given to those in the early periods of the Church; that is, the
one to whom All Questions were taken respecting what ye would term
in the present as theology, or questions pertaining to the laws.
In such the entity as the bishop was the last word, other than that
there might be the appeal from such a verdict to the church in
Jerusalem, or the Apostles themselves.
Such disputes brought disturbances at times, when there were the
questionings especially as Paul brought into that region as to
whether it was well for those in such positions to be married or
not.
And the declarations as made through the Corinthian and the Ephesian
leaders indicate what disturbances there were; because differences
arose between Lucius and Paul as well as between Silas and Paul and
Barnabas and those that had become the leaders or the real ministers
or the missionaries for the Church.
Hence this brought into the experience of the entity Lucius
disturbance between himself and his companion, because, in the
first, the companion was younger in years than Lucius and to them
there had been no offspring, no child.
This confusion made for periods when there was the withdrawing of
the companion, and the closer association of the companion with the
teacher that had been the proclaimer and the director in the early
experience of the Master's life Himself, or with Judy; and with
Elizabeth and with Mary the Mother of the Lord.
With those experiences, and with Paul's being carried on in his
second and even his third missionary journey, and with Many of the
things propounded by him that Lucius had declared as things that
were unstable, there again, with the teachings to the companion by
Judy, by the Mother of the Lord and Elizabeth in their years of
maturity teaching this younger person, was brought to Lucius that
which later John proclaimed; that there IS in this church of
Laodicea no fault yet it is neither hot nor cold, and that for the
lack of its very stand it would find condemning.
Those became periods when Lucius then was thrown the closer, or
drawn the closer to the companion; and with the birth of the child
there were brought those periods of the greater contentment and
peace in the latter days of the entity called Lucius, and a seeing
of the development of those experiences.
In Lucius association with Andrew, there was still questioning, for
with Peter the speaker, Andrew the listener, there were disputes as
to the advisability of Lucius being put into power; though in the
latter portion of the experience, they were rather close associated,
and Andrew was a defender of Lucius, After there was the settling
between the companion and Lucius, after their separation and then
reuniting.
Who actually wrote the four
Gospels, in what order, and where were they written?
1. Mark was first dictated, greatly by Peter, and this in those
periods just before Peter was carried to Rome.
2. The next was Matthew, written by the one whose name it bears (as
for the Specific reasons), to those who were scattered into the
upper portions of Palestine and through Laodicea.
This was written 33 to 34 years later than Mark; and while he that
wrote same was in exile.
3. Luke was written by Lucius, rather than Luke; though a companion
with Luke during those activities of Paul; and written, of course,
unto those of the faith under the Roman Influence, not to the Roman
peoples but to the provinces ruled by the Romans, and it was from
those sources that the very changes were made, as to the differences
in that given by Mark and Matthew.
4. John was written by several; not by the John who was the beloved,
but the John who represented or who was the scribe for John the
beloved; and as much of same, was written much later. Portions of it
were written at different times and combined some 50 years after the
Crucifixion.
“Matthew also called Levi, apostle and
aforetimes publican, composed a Gospel of Christ at first published
in Judea in Hebrew for the sake of those who believed, but this was
afterwards translated into Greek. The Hebrew itself has been
preserved until the present day in the library at Caesarea which
Pamphilus so diligently gathered. I have also had the opportunity of
having the volume described to me by the Nazarenes of Beroea, a city
of Syria, who use it. In this it is to be noted that wherever the
Evangelist, whether on his own account or in the person of our Lord
the Saviour quotes the testimony of the Old Testament he does not
follow the authority of the translators of the Septuagint but the
Hebrew. Wherefore these two forms exist “Out of Egypt have I called
my son”, and “for he shall be called a Nazarene.” - Jerome in
“Lives of Illustrious Men”, 393 AD.
Constantine
When Constantine, ruled over that land, there were those changes
which made, and have brought about much change in the mental, and
religious, and spiritual relationships in the world. It was during
the periods of Constantine, when there was the turning from worldly
thought to the activities that made for rather the uniting of State
and Church; the activities that had to do with those when those in
authority made overtures to those in authority in relationships with
the congregational activities. It was during the periods of
Constantine, when there was the turning from worldly thought to the
activities that made for rather the uniting of State and Church; the
activities that had to do with those when those in authority made
overtures to those in authority in relationships with the
congregational activities. Irene the daughter of Constantine, made
for the correlation of the penal law, the moral law, the church law,
as one, during those stages of the purposes that were set by the
early fathers of the church, as called; during the Constantine
period, when the law and the order were rather for those in
authority and in position and in place to become affiliated and
active in both state and church. During the early days of the
church, when the activities of Constantine brought purposeful
desires on the part of individuals to supply, hunt out, find, those
records as made by the early disciples of the Master.
The
New Testament
Explained
The Books in the New
Testament
Matthew
“Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - Mathews 5:3
They that have not allowed and do not allow themselves to be
directed by other influences than that of Godly-Force itself. They
that are not acquainted with the familiar spirits but with the
Divine. They that are meek yet proud in their meekness and their
humbleness. These are they that are poor in spirit.
“Blessed are they that mourn: for
they shall be comforted.” - Matthew 5:4
Happy are they that have known sorrow, for their joy will be filled
if they trust in the Lord. For He Is the Force, the Power, the Might
that Comforts those that mourn for those things even as He wept over
Jerusalem and mourned
for the cities about same; yet might He not by His own power have
commanded that all who would seek not to know be blotted away?
Yet man's will, man's desire is that which makes him at a Oneness
with the knowledge of God. And to seek and to know and to be Filled
is that as comes from those who mourn over those things which they
may be able to help but are powerless through the very will of
others.
“And if any man will sue thee at
the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.”
Matthew 5:40
Go to the other extreme in being kind and gentle, or, Because ye
have little ye say, "I must save, that I be not in want", but
there are those who need what little thou hast! For it is indeed as
has been given here. If you say, "If I were so and so, if I had
this or that, O how much I would give to charity, to the needy" and
give not in your present estate, you would not give any at all if
you had all at your command! Then His command was as this: If what
you have is taken away, give the All, that you may be Filled! For
how has it been said? "That alone you give away, that do you
possess."
Matthew 6:9–13
After this manner therefore Pray Ye:
“Our Father Who Art In Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom Come.
Thy Will Be Done; As In Heaven, So In Earth.
Give Us For Tomorrow The Needs Of The Body.
Forget Those Trespasses As We Forgive Those,
That Have Trespassed And Do Trespass Against Us.
Be Thou The Guide In The Time Of Trouble, Turmoil, and Temptation.
Lead Us In Paths Of Righteousness for Thy Name's Sake". -
Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4
"Where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also."
- Matthew
6:21
This is emblematical; as indicated in
that whatever influence or force draws the material mind may also
draw the mental and the soul experience. What you desire and seek
after mentally and spiritually, and what you desire and seek for in
the material things are not Always from the same promptings; but
where the heart or the treasure is, there is the desire. Hence again
is the injunction given that you know in Whom you believe as well as
in What you believe; so that you know whether or not thy treasure is
laid in that where moth and rust doth not corrupt, and where thieves
do not break through nor steal, that is in the Spirit of Truth, in
the Christ, in Jesus.
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and
turn again and rend you." - Matthew 7:6
"Cast not pearls before dogs nor swine." For as the dog returns to
his vomit and the hog to his wallow, so will they that listen at
pearls of great price yet have no thought, no mind, no purpose for
same.
"Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my father
in heaven." - Matthew 16:17
All then who have taken, who do take that which had been given as
the example, as the pattern, as the manner of expression, as the
acknowledgement of the activities within self, are in that position,
that they have touched, do touch as it were the knowledge of God in
that His Ways, His Laws, His Love are not only a part of their
individual lives but are by them manifested in their daily life,
their daily conversation, as one to another. Yes, then, to the Peter
in every experience of the body, the mind, the soul.
"Upon this rock I will build my
church." - Matthew 16:18
What is the Holy Church? That which
makes for the awareness in the heart of the individual. It is as He
that was set as the head of the Church is the church. The Church is
never a body, never an assembly. An Individual soul becomes aware
that it has taken that Head, that Son, that Man even, to be the
intermediator. That is the Church; that is what is spoken of as the
Holy Church. What readest thou? "Upon this I will build my church."
What church? The Holy Church? Who is the head? That One upon whom
the conditions had been set by that question asked. For here ye may
find the answer again to many of those questions sought concerning
the Spirit, the Church, the Holy Force that manifests by the
attuning of the individual; though it may be for a moment. He asked:
"Whom say men that I am?" Then Peter answered, "Thou art the Christ,
the son of the living God!" Then: "Upon this I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." He said to
Peter: "Flesh and blood, Flesh and blood, hath not revealed this
unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Heaven? Where? Within
the hearts, the minds; the place where Truth is made manifest!
Wherever Truth is made manifest it gives place to that which is
heaven For Those That Seek and love truth! but a mighty hell for
those that seek gratification of their own selves! And these are
those things which become stumblingblocks to many an individual that
becomes more and more material-minded. For there must be seen; yet
they heed not what Has been seen and heard and given of old. Who
communicated, ye want to know, to Peter when he gave this
confession? Whom did He say is thy father, thy mother, thy sister,
thy brother? He that doeth the will of the Father in heaven, the
same is thy Earthly father, thy Earthly mother, thy earthly brother
and thy sister. They that love Truth rather than the satisfying, the
gratifying of Fleshly desires. This does not indicate that no
beauty, no joy, no happiness is to be in the experience of those who
claim to seek to be the channel of blessings, or the source of
inspiration to others! Who is the father of Joy? Who is the father
of Happiness? Who is the father of Peace? The same that thou would
serve in showing forth the Lord's death till He come again. For he
that is long-faced, he that is sorry for the world is sorry most for
himself; and of such has He said: "Though in my name ye cast out
demons, though ye heal the sick, I will say Depart from me, I never
knew you." Why? For ye have your own glory when such is done that it
may be seen and known and heard among men alone. But love thy
neighbour. Love thine enemy. Love those that despitefully use you.
For what profit hath thou if ye love only those that love you?
"And said, Verily I say unto you, Lest ye become as little children
ye will in no wise enter in the kingdom of heaven."
- Matthew 18:3
Unless you can be just as forgiving, unless you can find it just as
easy to forget slights and slurs and things that would make afraid
those who would judge others. For with what measure ye mete, it is
measured to thee again. Even as He, the Master gave, the faults ye
find in others are reflected in thine own mirror of life. And as He
gave: "Cast the beam out of thine eye that ye may see to take the
mote from thy brother's eye." Keep in that faith as of the first
lesson, become as a little child, if ye will be able to be of
greater service to others. And unless we All become as little
children, lest we all come with the desire, even though there be
scorn upon the face, the actions, of many; yet that desire, that
love, for those conditions that bring the full concept of the
Fatherhood of God is that redeeming force as is manifest in the
world. "The children lead where the old dare not follow", for unto
him there has been given that message that will reach to those that,
to the world, to the theologian as of the present day, will mean the
new lesson, the new light, to the young in many places, for that
innate desire of the love of the Father is in all.
Mark
"Ye as standing
here shall see glory; and after six days he taketh with him Peter,
James and John and goeth apart into the mountain and there was
transfigured before them" - Mark 9-1:2
What meaneth the interpreters of the experiences in that: "Ye as
standing here shall see glory; and after six days he taketh with him
Peter, James and John and goeth apart into the mountain and there
was transfigured before them" What saw they? A glorified body? The
glory of the body brought what? Communion of saints? For who
appeared With Him? Moses; that to those present meant a definite
undertaking which set them apart from other peoples, which has made
for the first association or communication direct with a creative
force or God through the activative forces in their experience. And
Elijah; representing that they, too, would become as messengers to a
waiting world, ready, ripe unto the harvest as he had told them.
Then this Indeed was the communion of saints. It is the natural
state that the intent and purpose of activity in whatever environ or
sphere ye may find self, is attuned with that sought by the soul.
When may such a communication be given? Seek and ye shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you, that attunement to which thou
hast brought thine self! Hence more and more is the admonition given
that if ye would know God ye must be godlike to some poor soul. If
ye would have friends, be a friend to a friendless one. If ye would
know peace and harmony, Bring peace and harmony to the experience of
another soul. Yes, be even as He; who showed His glory to His
disciples in the mount; facing death, facing even the denial by one
to whom He was showing Himself that He had any part in that which He
would give to others. Let it be so in thine ministry, in thine
activity; in the preparations of thy body, thy mind, thy knowledge
concerning that which may bring to thine self those awarenesses of
the Spirit of Truth, those things that make for the experiences of
each and every soul. Seek not the experience until, and unless, ye
know from whence and how and to whom it is given!
"Verily I say unto you,
Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he
shall not enter therein." - Mark 10:15
And unless we All become as little
children, lest we all come with the desire, even though there be
scorn upon the face, the actions, of many; yet that desire, that
love, for those conditions that bring the full concept of the
Fatherhood of God is that redeeming force as is manifest in the
world. "The children lead where the old dare not follow", for unto
him there has been given that message that will reach to those that,
to the world, to the theologian as of the present day, will mean the
new lesson, the new light, to the young in many places, for that
innate desire of the love of the Father is in all.
"Think not that I
am come to send peace on earth: "I come not to bring peace alone but
a sword, to those who have forsaken the way of life; I came to give
peace, not as the world counts peace, but as that which makes for
those experiences wherein the soul, the individual, is to fulfil
those purposes, those activities, for which it's soul came into
being.” - Mark 10:34
“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation;
and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” -
Matthew 12:25
First, find self. Know thy ideal, spiritual, mental, material. Just
as thy body, mind and soul are one, so should thy purposes be, thy
hopes, thy desires. For, as has been said, a house divided against
itself will not stand. So, as the entity analyses self, study to
show thyself approved unto God, a workman not ashamed, rightly
dividing the words of truth, keeping self unspotted from
condemnation of others. But hold fast to that which is the Law of
One, that ye may know in truth, as has been given, that house, that
temple, that soul that finds itself divided against itself becomes
one of turmoil. And what gaineth a man though he gain the whole
world in fame or fortune and hath lost his own rest, his own peace,
his own soul? Learn well that lesson, that, "In union there is
strength," and that "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Because a house divided against itself, either mentally, physically,
spiritually or any other, must be disrupted. A doubleminded
individual fails to impress anyone or to make for peace or harmony
within self's expression. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Ye are
either for or Against me, saith the Lord, for "This day, as of old,
there is set before thee good and evil. Choose Thou whom ye will
serve".
Luke
"Where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also." Luke 12:34
This is emblematical; as indicated in
that whatever influence or force draws the material mind may also
draw the mental and the soul experience. What you desire and seek
after mentally and spiritually, and what you desire and seek for in
the material things are not Always from the same promptings; but
where the heart or the treasure is, there is the desire. Hence again
is the injunction given that you know in Whom you believe as well as
in What you believe; so that you know whether or not thy treasure is
laid in that where moth and rust doth not corrupt, and where thieves
do not break through nor steal, that is in the Spirit of Truth, in
the Christ, in Jesus.
John
“Touch me not; for I am not yet
ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I
ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your
God.” - John 20:17
For the vibrations to which the
glorified body was raised would have been the same as a physical
body touching a high power current. Why do you say not touch the
wire? If ye are in accord, or not in touch with the earth, it
doesn't harm; otherwise, it's too bad!
Acts
Romans
"My spirit beareth witness with thy
spirit as to whether ye be the child of God or not”, saith the
Jehovah, the God, the First Cause, the Creative Energy, the I Am” -
Romans 8:16
Whose spirit? There is only One Spirit of Truth. There may be
divisions, as there may be many drops of water in the ocean yet they
are all of the ocean. Separated, they are named for those activities
in various spheres of experiences that are sought to be expressed.
The communion of the spirit of the divine within self may be with
the source of divinity. This is what is meant by the communion of
saints, of those that are of one thought, for all thought for
activity emanates from the same source, and there is the natural
communion of those who are in that thought. This may be expressed by
that indicated oft, that unless a helpful experience may be
presented in an individual's activity as a parallel, as a
complement, as a positive and negative force that may be united in
one effort, it does not run true. For Opposites create disturbance,
dissensions, disruptions, devilment. A union of force makes for
strength and power. Thus, the communion of saints means that all who
have one purpose, whose thoughts and motivative forces are one, may
communicate; whether those in the material plane, in the borderland,
or those that may be upon the shores of the other side of life.
"And not only they but ourselves
also which have the just fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption; to wit, the
redemption of our body." - Romans 8:23
As to the manner in which the glorified body, though still of
clay, was shown before those witnesses that were to bear the
evidences within themselves and their activities.
1 Corinthians
"Behold, I show you a mystery. We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." - I Cor. 15:51
Refering to the body; though the individual here speaking, Paul
Looked for this to happen in his own day. For what is the
stumblingblock to us today? If we do a good deed we want God to
repay us tomorrow! So did Paul! Did he not groan continually that
the mark, that scar in him, was not removed? Did he not bring those
things as said by Peter concerning same? That: "He speaketh many
things hard to be understood, that many wrest with to their own
destruction." To what did he refer? That their idea, of many who
spoke, of time and space was limited; for they had even less
conception of same than the weakest among you!
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
"Be angry but sin not." - Ephesians 4:26
One that may control self in anger is beginning the first lessons or
laws of experience. One that may control self in anger, that must
come as resentment in the speech of individuals, may make for that
which disregards the words said; disliking that which would produce
such a feeling within self, yet able to love the soul of one that
causes or produces such a state of feeling. This is patience, and
love, and hope, and meekness, and pureness of heart. The meek shall
inherit the earth, said He, the pure in heart shall see God. They
are promises! Believest thou Him? Then be angry and sin not is to
know that these are thine Own promises, to thee, to thee!
You may be angry and laugh and have your own way at the same time.
These indicate the abilities to use, then, those influences that may
be impelling others. Be sure you use these correctly. For it depends
upon the spirit, the purpose, the hope, the desire with which you
use the powers that be. Remember, God hath delivered to thee, as to
every other soul, that as pertaineth to heaven, to earth and to
hell. What do we do with it? It depends upon the spirit ye
entertain, for ye become co-creators with the Father, in bringing
what? in the earth.
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
What time is referred to in "Be ye
patient; stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh" - James 5:8
As given, this is the time, today, when the time draweth nigh for
each soul to become more aware of the necessity of magnifying His
presence through the patience borne one to, one with, one of
another, that He may be glorified in us, through the promise of the
Father that such will be to those that love His coming. Let each
live, then, as though they Expected their concept of the Master
Christ to Dine with them today. What Would ye have to offer as the
fruits of thine own life, thine thoughts, thine acts, thine deeds?
For, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my little
ones ye have done it unto me."
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
What is the best counsel for
spiritual development?
That which may be found in St. John.
2 John
3 John
The Gospel of
Thomas
These are the secret
sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas
wrote down.
1) And he said:
"Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not
experience death."
2) Jesus said: "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds.
When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he
will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."
3) Jesus said: "If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom
is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they
say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you.
Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When
you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you
will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father.
But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is
you who are that poverty."
4) Jesus said: "The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a small
child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For
many who are first will become last, and they will become one and
the same."
5) Jesus said: "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is
hidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing
hidden which will not become manifest."
6) His disciples questioned him and said to him: "Do you want us to
fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet shall we
observe?" Jesus said: "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you
hate, for all things are plain in the sight of heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."
7) Jesus said: "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed
by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion
becomes man."
8) And he said: "The man is like a wise fisherman who cast his net
into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among
them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the
small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without
difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
(9) Jesus said: "Now the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds),
and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came and
gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take root in the
soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns; they
choked the seed(s) and worms ate them. And others fell on the good
soil and it produced good fruit: it bore 60 per measure and 120 per
measure."
10) Jesus said: "I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am
guarding it until it blazes."
11) Jesus said: "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it
will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die.
In the days when you consumed what is dead, you made it what is
alive. When you come to dwell in the light, what will you do? On the
day when you were one you became two. But when you become two, what
will you do?"
12) The disciples said to Jesus: "We know that you will depart from
us. Who is to be our leader?" Jesus said to them: "Wherever you are,
you are to go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and
earth came into being."
13) Jesus said to his disciples: "Compare me to someone and tell me
whom I am like." Simon Peter said to him: "You are like a righteous
angel." Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher."
Thomas said to him: "Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying
whom you are like." Jesus said: "I am not your master. Because you
have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring
which I have measured out." And he took him and withdrew and told
him three things. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked
him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell
you one of the things which he told me, you will pick up stones and
throw them at me; a fire will come out of the stones and burn you
up."
14) Jesus said to them: "If you fast, you will give rise to sin for
yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give
alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into any land
and walk about in the districts, if they receive you, eat what they
will set before you, and heal the sick among them. For what goes
into your mouth will not defile you, but that which issues from your
mouth, it is that which will defile you."
15) Jesus said: "When you see one who was not born of woman,
prostrate yourselves on your faces and worship him. That one is your
father."
16) Jesus said: "Men think, perhaps, that it is peace which I have
come to cast upon the world. They do not know that it is dissension
which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire, sword, and war. For
there will be five in a house: three will be against two, and two
against three, the father against the son, and the son against the
father. And they will stand solitary."
17) Jesus said: "I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no
ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never
occurred to the human mind."
18) The disciples said to Jesus: "Tell us how our end will be."
Jesus said: "Have you discovered, then, the beginning, that you look
for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the end be.
Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning; he will know
the end and will not experience death."
19) Jesus said: "Blessed is he who came into being before he came
into being. If you become my disciples and listen to my words, these
stones will minister to you. For there are five trees for you in
Paradise which remain undisturbed summer and winter and whose leaves
do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted with them will not
experience death."
20) The disciples said to Jesus: "Tell us what the kingdom of heaven
is like." He said to them: "It is like a mustard seed. It is the
smallest of all seeds. But when it falls on tilled soil, it produces
a great plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky."
21) Mary said to Jesus: "Whom are your disciples like?" He said:
"They are like children who have settled in a field which is not
theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Let us
have back our field.' They (will) undress in their presence in order
to let them have back their field and to give it back to them.
Therefore I say, if the owner of a house knows that the thief is
coming, he will begin his vigil before he comes and will not let him
dig through into his house of his domain to carry away his goods.
You, then, be on your guard against the world. Arm yourselves with
great strength lest the robbers find a way to come to you, for the
difficulty which you expect will (surely) materialize. Let there be
among you a man of understanding. When the grain ripened, he came
quickly with his sickle in his hand and reaped it. Whoever has ears
to hear, let him hear."
22) Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to his disciples:
"These infants being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom."
They said to him: "Shall we then, as children, enter the kingdom?"
Jesus said to them: "When you make the two one, and when you make
the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the
above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one
and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female;
and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in
place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in
place of a likeness; then will you enter the kingdom."
23) Jesus said: "I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two
out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one."
24) His disciples said to him: "Show us the place where you are,
since it is necessary for us to seek it." He said to them: "Whoever
has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he
lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness."
25) Jesus said: "Love your brother like your soul, guard him like
the pupil of your eye."
26) Jesus said: "You see the mote in your brother's eye, but you do
not see the beam in your own eye. When you cast the beam out of your
own eye, then you will see clearly to cast the mote from your
brother's eye."
27) Jesus said: "If you do not fast as regards the world, you will
not find the kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as a
Sabbath, you will not see the father."
28) Jesus said: "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I
appeared to them in flesh. I found all of them intoxicated; I found
none of them thirsty. And my soul became afflicted for the sons of
men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight;
for empty they came into the world, and empty too they seek to leave
the world. But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shake
off their wine, then they will repent."
29) Jesus said: "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it
is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it
is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth
has made its home in this poverty."
30) Jesus said: "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where
there are two or one, I am with him."
31) Jesus said: "No prophet is accepted in his own village; no
physician heals those who know him."
32) Jesus said: "A city being built on a high mountain and fortified
cannot fall, nor can it be hidden."
33) Jesus said: "Preach from your housetops that which you will hear
in your ear. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel,
nor does he put it in a hidden place, but rather he sets it on a
lampstand so that everyone who enters and leaves will see its
light."
34) Jesus said: "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both
fall into a pit."
35) Jesus said: "It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of
a strong man and take it by force unless he binds his hands; then he
will (be able to) ransack his house."
36) Jesus said: "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and
from evening until morning about what you will wear."
37) His disciples said, "When will you become revealed to us and
when shall we see you?" Jesus said: "When you disrobe without being
ashamed and take up your garments and place them under your feet
like little children and tread on them, then will you see the son of
the living one, and you will not be afraid"
38) Jesus said: "Many times have you desired to hear these words
which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them
from. There will be days when you will look for me and will not find
me."
39) Jesus said: "The pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys
of knowledge and hidden them. They themselves have not entered, nor
have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You, however, be as
wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."
40) Jesus said: "A grapevine has been planted outside of the father,
but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and destroyed."
41) Jesus said: "Whoever has something in his hand will receive
more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little he
has."
42) Jesus said: "Become passers-by."
43) His disciples said to him: "Who are you, that you should say
these things to us?" Jesus said to them: "You do not realize who I
am from what I say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for
they (either) love the tree and hate its fruit (or) love the fruit
and hate the tree."
44) Jesus said: "Whoever blasphemes against the father will be
forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the son will be forgiven,
but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will not be forgiven
either on earth or in heaven."
45) Jesus said: "Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs
gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good man
brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil
things from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and says
evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth
evil things."
46) Jesus said: "Among those born of women, from Adam until John the
Baptist, there is no one so superior to John the Baptist that his
eyes should not be lowered (before him). Yet I have said, whichever
one of you comes to be a child will be acquainted with the kingdom
and will become superior to John."
47) Jesus said: "It is impossible for a man to mount two horses or
to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to serve two
masters; otherwise, he will honour the one and treat the other
contemptuously. No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to
drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old wineskins, lest
they burst; nor is old wine put into a new wineskin, lest it spoil
it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear
would result."
48) Jesus said: "If two make peace with each other in this one
house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move Away,' and it will move
away."
49) Jesus said: "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will
find the kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will return."
50) Jesus said: "If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say
to them: 'We came from the light, the place where the light came
into being on its own accord and established itself and became
manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?',
say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the living father.'
If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to
them, 'It is movement and repose.'"
51) His disciples said to him: "When will the repose of the dead
come about, and when will the new world come?" He said to them:
"What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize
it."
52) His disciples said to him: "Twenty-four prophets spoke in
Israel, and all of them spoke in you." He said to them: "You have
omitted the one living in your presence and have spoken (only) of
the dead."
53) His disciples said to him: "Is circumcision beneficial or not?"
He said to them: "If it were beneficial, their father would beget
them already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true
circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable."
54) Jesus said: "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of
heaven."
55) Jesus said: "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother
cannot become a disciple to me. And whoever does not hate his
brothers and sisters and take up his cross in my way will not be
worthy of me."
56) Jesus said: "Whoever has come to understand the world has found
(only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the
world."
57) Jesus said: "The kingdom of the father is like a man who had
good seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the good
seed. The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds; he said to
them, 'I am afraid that you will go intending to pull up the weeds
and pull up the wheat along with them.' For on the day of the
harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will be pulled
up and burned."
58) Jesus said: "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found
life."
59) Jesus said: "Take heed of the living one while you are alive,
lest you die and seek to see him and be unable to do so."
60) They saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea. He
said to his disciples: "That man is round about the lamb." They said
to him: "So that he may kill it and eat it." He said to them: "While
it is alive, he will not eat it, but only when he has killed it and
it has become a corpse." They said to him: "He cannot do so
otherwise." He said to them, "You too, look for a place for yourself
within repose, lest you become a corpse and be eaten."
61) Jesus said: "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and the
other will live." Salome said: "Who are you, man, that you ... have
come up on my couch and eaten from my table?"
Jesus said to her: "I am he who exists from the undivided. I was
given some of the things of my father." "I am your disciple."
"Therefore I say, if he is destroyed, he will be filled with light,
but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness."
62) Jesus said: "It is to those who are worthy of my mysteries that
I tell my mysteries. Do not let your left (hand) know what your
right (hand) is doing."
63) Jesus said: "There was a rich man who had much money. He said,
'I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap, plant, and
fill my storehouse with produce, with the result that I shall lack
nothing.' Such were his intentions, but that same night he died. Let
him who has ears hear."
64) Jesus said: "A man had received visitors. And when he had
prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite the guests. He
went to the first one and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He
said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me
this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused
from the dinner.' He went to another and said to him, 'My master has
invited you.' He said to him: 'I have just bought a house and am
required for the day. I shall not have any spare time.' He went to
another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him,
'My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet.
I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused from the dinner.'
He went to another and said to him: 'My master invites you.' He said
to him, 'I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect
the rent. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused.' The
servant returned and said to his master: 'Those whom you invited to
the dinner have asked to be excused.' The master said to his
servant: 'Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you
happen to meet, so that they may dine.' Businessmen and merchants
will not enter the places of my father."
65) He said: "There was a good man who owned a vineyard. He leased
it to tenant farmers so that they might work it and he might collect
the produce from them. He sent his servant so that the tenants might
give him the produce of the vineyard. They seized his servant and
beat him, all but killing him. The servant went back and told his
master. The master said: 'Perhaps he did not recognize them.' He
sent another servant. The tenants beat this one as well. Then the
owner sent his son and said, 'Perhaps they will show respect to my
son.' Because the tenants knew that it was he who was the heir to
the vineyard, they seized him and killed him. Let him who has ears
hear."
66) Jesus said: "Show me the stone which the builders have rejected.
That one is the cornerstone."
67) Jesus said: "If one who knows the all still feels a personal
deficiency, he is completely deficient."
68) Jesus said: "Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted.
Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no place."
69) Jesus said: "Blessed are they who have been persecuted within
themselves. It is they who have truly come to know the father.
Blessed are the hungry, for the belly of him who desires will be
filled."
70) Jesus said: "That which you have will save you if you bring it
forth from yourselves. That which you do not have within you will
kill you if you do not have it within you."
71) Jesus said: "I shall destroy this house, and no one will be able
to build it [...]."
72) A man said to him: "Tell my brothers to divide my father's
possessions with me." He said to him, "O man, who has made me a
divider?" He turned to his disciples and said to them, "I am not a
divider, am I?"
73) Jesus said: "The harvest is great but the laborers are few.
Beseech the Lord, therefore, to send out laborers to the harvest."
74) He said: "O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but
there is nothing in the cistern."
75) Jesus said: "Many are standing at the door, but it is the
solitary who will enter the bridal chamber."
76) Jesus said: "The kingdom of the father is like a merchant who
had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl. That
merchant was shrewd. He sold the merchandise and bought the pearl
alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing and enduring treasure
where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys."
77) Jesus said: "It is I who am the light which is above them all.
It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me
did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up
the stone, and you will find me there."
78) Jesus said: "Why have you come out into the desert? To see a
reed shaken by the wind? And to see a man clothed in fine garments
like your kings and your great men? Upon them are the fine garments,
and they are unable to discern the truth."
79) A woman from the crowd said to him: "Blessed are the womb which
bore you and the breasts which nourished you." He said to her:
"Blessed are those who have heard the word of the father and have
truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say, 'Blessed
are the womb which has not conceived and the breasts which have not
given milk.'"
80) Jesus said: "He who has recognized the world has found the body,
but he who has found the body is superior to the world."
81) Jesus said: "Let him who has grown rich be king, and let him who
possesses power renounce it."
82) Jesus said: "He who is near me is near the fire, and he who is
far from me is far from the kingdom."
83) Jesus said: "The images are manifest to man, but the light in
them remains concealed in the image of the light of the father. He
will become manifest, but his image will remain concealed by his
light."
84) Jesus said: "When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But when
you see your images which came into being before you, and which
neither die not become manifest, how much you will have to bear!"
85) Jesus said: "Adam came into being from a great power and a great
wealth, but he did not become worthy of you. For had he been worthy,
he would not have experienced death."
86) Jesus said: "The foxes have their holes and the birds have their
nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head and rest."
87) Jesus said: "Wretched is the body that is dependant upon a body,
and wretched is the soul that is dependent on these two."
88) Jesus said: "The angels and the prophets will come to you and
give to you those things you (already) have. And you too, give them
those things which you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they
come and take what is theirs?'"
89) Jesus said: "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not
realize that he who made the inside is the same one who made the
outside?"
90) Jesus said: "Come unto me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship
is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves."
91) They said to him: "Tell us who you are so that we may believe in
you." He said to them: "You read the face of the sky and of the
earth, but you have not recognized the one who is before you, and
you do not know how to read this moment."
92) Jesus said: "Seek and you will find. Yet, what you asked me
about in former times and which I did not tell you then, now I do
desire to tell, but you do not inquire after it."
93) Jesus said: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they throw
them on the dung-heap. Do not throw the pearls to swine, lest they
[...] it [...]."
94) Jesus said: "He who seeks will find, and he who knocks will be
let in."
95) Jesus said: "If you have money, do not lend it at interest, but
give it to one from whom you will not get it back."
96) Jesus said: "The kingdom of the father is like a certain woman.
She took a little leaven, concealed it in some dough, and made it
into large loaves. Let him who has ears hear."
97) Jesus said: "The kingdom of the father is like a certain woman
who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking on the
road, still some distance from home, the handle of the jar broke and
the meal emptied out behind her on the road. She did not realize it;
she had noticed no accident. When she reached her house, she set the
jar down and found it empty."
98) Jesus said: "The kingdom of the father is like a certain man who
wanted to kill a powerful man. In his own house he drew his sword
and stuck it into the wall in order to find out whether his hand
could carry through. Then he slew the powerful man."
99) The disciples said to him: "Your brothers and your mother are
standing outside." He said to them: "Those here who do the will of
my father are my brothers and my mother. It is they who will enter
the kingdom of my father."
100) They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him: "Caesar's men
demand taxes from us. Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God
what belongs to God, and give me what is mine."
101) Jesus said: "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother as
I do cannot become a disciple to me. And whoever does not love his
father and his mother as I do cannot become a disciple to me. For my
mother [...], but my true mother gave me life."
102) Jesus said: "Woe to the pharisees, for they are like a dog
sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does he
let the oxen eat."
103) Jesus said: "Fortunate is the man who knows where the brigands
will enter, so that he may get up, muster his domain, and arm
himself before they invade."
104) They said to Jesus: "Come, let us pray today and let us fast."
Jesus said: "What is the sin that I have committed, or wherein have
I been defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber,
then let them fast and pray."
105) Jesus said: "He who knows the father and the mother will be
called the son of a harlot."
106) Jesus said: "When you make the two one, you will become the
sons of man, and when you say, 'Mountain, move away,' it will move
away."
107) Jesus said: "The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a 100
sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the 99 sheep
and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such
trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the 99.'"
108) Jesus said: "He who will drink from my mouth will become like
me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden will be
revealed to him."
109) Jesus said: "The kingdom is like a man who had a hidden
treasure in his field without knowing it. And after he died, he left
it to his son. The son did not know (about the treasure). He
inherited the field and sold it. And the one who bought it went
plowing and found the treasure. He began to lend money at interest
to whomever he wished."
110) Jesus said: "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let him
renounce the world."
111) Jesus said: "The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in
your presence. And the one who lives from the living one will not
see death." Does not Jesus say: "Whoever finds himself is superior
to the world?"
112) Jesus said: "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to
the soul that depends on the flesh."
113) His disciples said to him: "When will the kingdom come?" Jesus
said: "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter
of saying 'here it is' or 'there it is.' Rather, the kingdom of the
father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."
- "The Gospel of Thomas", The Nag Hammadi Library.
Jude
Revelation
In the beginning again we would give
this, that it may be clarified in the minds of those who seek to
have the interpretation of The Revelation in their own experience:
Know first that the knowledge of God is a growing thing, for ye grow
in grace, in knowledge, in understanding As ye apply that ye Know.
But remember, as has been given by Him, to know to do good and do it
not is sin. In the interpretation then of the Revelation as given by
John in Patmos: This was John's revelation of His experience, and
interpreted in the individual by the application of the body of self
as a pattern with the attributes physically, mentally, spiritually,
in their respective spheres for thine Own revelation. For this to be
practical, to be applicable in the experience of each soul, it must
be an individual experience; and the varied experiences or
activities of an entity in its relationship to the study of self are
planned, builded, workable in the pattern as John has given in the
Revelation. Each attribute of the body, whether organ or functioning
or the expression of same, becomes then in the experience of each
soul as a seeker first. Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall
be opened unto you!
In the text written in the Revelation,
as recorded in the King James version of same. In making this worth
while in the experience of individuals who are seeking for the
light, for the revelation that may be theirs as promised in the
promises of same, it would be well that there be considered first
the conditions which surrounded the writer, the apostle, the
beloved, the last of those chosen; writing to a persecuted people,
many despairing, many fallen away, yet, many seeking to hold to that
which had been delivered to them through the efforts and activities
of those upon whom the spirit had fallen by the very indwelling and
the manifestations that had become the common knowledge of all.
Remember, then, that Peter, chosen as the rock, chosen to open the
doors of that known today as the church, had said to this companion:
"I will endeavour to keep thee in remembrance; even after my demise
I will return to you." - II Peter 1:15
The beloved, then, was banished to the
isle, and was in meditation, in prayer, in communion with those
saints who were in that position to see, to comprehend the greater
needs of those that would carry on. And, as given in the beginning:
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and beheld, and heard, and
saw, and was told to Write." Why, then, ye ask now, was this written
(this vision) in such a manner that is hard to be interpreted, save
in the experience of every soul who seeks to know, to walk in, a
closer communion with Him? For the visions, the experiences, the
names, the churches, the places, the dragons, the cities, all are
but emblems of those forces that may war within the individual in
its journey through the material, or from the entering into the
material manifestation to the entering into the glory, or the
awakening in the spirit, in the inter-between, in the borderland, in
the shadow. Hence we find, as the churches are named, they are as
the forces that are known as the senses, that must be spiritualized
by the will of the individual made one in the very activities in a
material world. And the elders and the Lamb are the emblems, are the
shadows of those acceptances or rejections that are made in the
experiences of the individual. As we find, in the various manners
and forms that are presented as the vision or visions proceed, every
force that is manifest is of one source; but the soul, the will of
the individual, either makes such into a coordinating or cooperating
influence in bringing about more and more manifestations in the
material world of those experiences that are seen from the spiritual
conditions, or the opposite. Why, then, is it presented, ye ask, in
the form of symbols? Why is there used those varied activities?
These are for those that were, or will be, or may become, through
the seeking, those initiated into an understanding of the glories
that may be theirs if they will but put into work, into activity,
that they know in the present.
In seeking, then, do individuals find from the beginning that there
is presented, in every line, in every form, that good and bad (as
termed) that arises from their activity, in what they do about that
knowledge they have respecting law, the love, the mercy, the
understanding of the wherefore of the Lamb's advent into the world
that they, through His ensample set, may present themselves before
that throne even as He, becoming, as given, heirs, joint heirs with
Him, as the sons of God, to that Everlasting glory that may be had
in Him. Then, seek to know what self is lacking, even as given in
the first four chapters (as divided in the present). What is lacking
in self? Are ye cold? Are ye hot? Have ye been negligent of the
knowledge that is thine? Are ye stiff-necked? Are ye adulterous in
thought, in act, in the very glories that are thine? Then, again,
may ye not have had through the varied experiences those
presentations before the throne, even as the elders twenty and four
that are represented by the figures within thine own head, that
which is shown in the physical forces of self? Has it not been given
to thee, or has not the message come as the rider of the pale, the
black, the white, or the red horses that are the figures of the
messages that have come to thee in thine varied experiences? Or, art
thou among the figures represented in the Babylon, or in the rivers
of blood, or in the trees of life? These we see, then, represent
Self; self's body-physical, self's body-mental, self's
body-spiritual; with the attributes of the body-physical, attributes
of the body-mental, attributes of the body-spiritual, and they are
One in thee, even as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is one
in Him. Then, dost thou seek to enter into the glories of the
Father? Whosoever will may come, may take of the water of life
freely, even as flows from the throne of the Lamb. For, the very
leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations, and, if ye
will accept, the blood cleanses from all unrighteousness. How? From
what? Saves self from what? To what are ye called? To know that only
from the falling away of self may ye be saved. Unto the glorifying
of self in Him may ye be saved. Then, whosoever will, come!
“And the four beasts had each of
them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and
they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God
Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” - Revelation 4:8
The four destructive influences that make the greater desire for the
carnal forces, that rise as the beasts within self to destroy. Even
as man, in his desire to make for companionship, brought those
elements within self's own experience. These must be met. Even as
the dragon represents the one that separated self so far as to fight
with, to destroy with, those that would make of themselves a kingdom
of their own.
“These are they which came out of
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb.” - Revelation 7:14
The great tribulation and periods of tribulation, as given, are the
experiences of every soul, every entity. They arise from influences
created by man through activity in the sphere of any sojourn. Man
may become, with the people of the universe, ruler of any of the
various spheres through which the soul passes in its experiences.
Hence, as the cycles pass, as the cycles are passing, when there Is
come a time, a period of readjusting in the spheres, (as well as in
the little earth, the little soul), seek, then, as known, to present
self spotless before that throne; even as All are commanded to be
circumspect, in thought, in act, to that which is held by self as
that necessary for the closer walk with Him. In that manner only may
each atom (as man is an atom, or corpuscle, in the body of the
Father) become a helpmeet with Him in bringing that to pass that all
may be one with Him.
Revelation 8:3-5
The Meaning of the symbol of the angel with the golden censer and
the incense described in Revelation 8:3-5
As the influence is visualized in the experience of each soul by the
name as implied in "angel", or the good that goes out from the
individual soul in its relationships to the influences or forces
about same, so is it called or given as the angel with the censer of
the activities that emanate from each individual. And as has been
given in other illustrations, that ye Are, that of good, rises
ever as an incense, sweet before the throne of mercy. Or to take the
back track, as it were, and take the angel with the censer, with the
incense that is before the image of a soul seeking to become one
with the Creative Forces or God, that which has been kind, gentle,
patient, merciful, longsuffering in self's experience during a day,
rises before the throne of the mercy seat within self to that of an
incense of satisfaction. Why? Hate, unkindness, harshness, all such
become as base in thine own experience, and as usual one condemns
self by saying, "Why can't I do this or that?" And, "What is the
use?" Well, and the censer is broken!
Revelation 8-9
The 7 angels described in Rev. 8-9 represent spiritual forces
governing the various dimensional planes through which souls pass
between incarnations on the earth.
While this explanation becomes a portion of another group's study
and activity in the lesson just being approached on Happiness, it
may be best explained in this; as to how this must indeed be
interpreted in the experience of each soul, whether considered in a
material plane in which there is found the real essence of happiness
or that in the interim when ye are looked over, or when the promises
become more and more as has been interpreted from that given by
others, to be absent from the body-physical is to be present in the
grace and glory and presence of divinity; or to be those influences
that make for an activity in an influence without self. Now ye are
studying yourself! Do not confuse the interpretation with that
outside of thyself, but Happiness is love of something outside of
self! It may never be obtained, may never be known by loving only
things within self or self's own domain! Then the expression that
has been given by an entity in a sojourn in the earth becomes as a
portion of that activity as has been given, "He hath given His
angels charge concerning thee, lest at any time ye dash thy foot
against a stone."
Hence we find that in the expression then of those interims where
there are the guiding influences of that we have loved, we have love, for this becomes then very definite. If ye have loved self-glory,
if ye have loved the honour of the people more than those thoughts
of the mental and spiritual and moral welfare, what manner of angels
will direct thee between thy interims? Think on the study then of
Self, in thy body, but let it all become as has been So Oft given:
Study to show thyself approved unto God, the God in self, the God in
thine own consciousness, that Is creative in its essence; rightly
divining and dividing the words of truth and light; keeping self
unspotted from the world. And ye become lights to those that sit in
darkness, to those that wander.
Though ye may be reviled, revile not again. Though ye may be spoken
of harshly, smile, Smile! For it is upon the river of Life that
smiles are made. Not grins! No Cheshire cat activities bring other
than those that are of the earth, of such natures that create in the
minds and the experiences those things that become repulsive. But
the smile of understanding cheers on the hearts of those who are
discouraged, who are disheartened. It costs so little! It does thee
so much good, and lifts the burdens of so many!
The symbols of Revelation, and the 12 major divisions of the body
Those that are of the general construction and those that are of the
keeping alive physical, and those that are in keeping with the
influences to the mental, to the material, to the spiritual; and the
illustrations are shown in the bodily forces that are opened for
those activities in a material plane.
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up
out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns
ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast
which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet
of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave
him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of
his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was
healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they
worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they
worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is
able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth
speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him
to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in
blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle,
and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war
with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over
all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the
earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of
life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man
have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go
into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with
the sword.” - Revelation 13:1-10
In what form does the anti-Christ come, spoken of in Revelation? In
the spirit of that opposed to the spirit of truth. The fruits of the
spirit of the Christ are love, joy, obedience, long-suffering,
brotherly love, kindness. Against such there is no law. The spirit
of hate, the anti-Christ, is contention, strife, fault-finding,
lovers of self, lovers of praise. Those are the anti-Christ, and
take possession of groups, masses, and show themselves even in the
lives of men.
Revelation 13:8
Will the body, for its own mental
development, make a very close study of that book known as
Revelation, in the Holy Book, and apply each indicated force In same
to the Physical Body, and Understanding will come within self that
will make for the directing of the mental abilities that will be
most profitable, most beneficial to self And to others. As an
illustration, where there is spoken of, as the book becoming bitter
within the stomach when eaten, this referring to the application of
that as is digested mentally Within an individual. As again when
referring to those of the elders, they refer to those elements
within the system, the Body, the Physical body, of the Glands of the
body, for, as has been given, the Kingdom is within You! This,
then; that the Spirit, the soul, the Elements of the Active forces,
use those portions Of the physical body as their Temple During an
earth's experience.
"The Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world." - Revelation 13:8
If this is taken in conjunction with many another expression of the
Master, it may be the more easily comprehended in the intellectual
activities of those who would seek to experience same. As the Master
gave: "Before Abraham was I Am before the worlds were I Am." Hence,
when there came the necessity in the realm of the spiritual home for
the coming of the Lamb into the earth for its redemption, the Truth,
the light, the offering was made. Hence the expression as given.
For, as has been given, the thought, the mind, is the builder. Then,
as each soul builds for that it as a soul is to act, whether in
spirit, in mind or in body, the Soul-mind is already in the throes
of the influences necessary. Then, when we comprehend we realize
there is no time, no space, and that the divinity of the man Jesus
was perfect in his Own activity in the earth. For, it was offered
even from the first.
So, as ye gathered here; ye each have your duties, your obligations,
in materiality. Ye each have your promises in your material things,
if ye will but follow in the way that has been opened, that has
been shown thee, that each in your own experience may be the
channel for the greater blessing to thy fellow man. And, as has been
given you, ye have been chosen; each one that Chooses to Do His
biddings.
Then, pray ye the Father that through His Son, the Christ, ye may be
shown more of the light, that ye may in This day, in This
opportunity He has given thee in thy experience in the material
world Now, fulfill that whereunto ye have been called. For, as the
Master gave: "Think ye not that ye have a promise through Abraham?
or that ye are children of promise through him?, for I say He may
raise unto Himself of these stones children unto Abraham."
Ye are children of the promise, in Christ. Ye have, of all people,
the greater right for glorying in that promise; but if ye allow
selfishness, unkindness, evil thoughts, evil communications, or
little worries of the day to separate you, then ye have rejected
being His children, and must one day, one time, suffer that of
being offered on the altar. Then, make much of this opportunity.
This, as He gave: "Love ye one another, prefer one another instead
of self." Know the Truth, for only truth is of God.
"And I heard a voice from
heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great
thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps".
- Revelation 14:2
Do the harpers as mentioned
symbolize the souls or spiritual beings that took part in the early
attempts to stop the fall of man, but who have not entered the earth
plane?
These have entered the earth plane, but were those that in the
beginning were as the sons of God In the earth plane; and hence are
referred to as the First of those redeemed.
"And they sung as it were a
new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the
elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty
and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."
- Revelation 14:3
What is the meaning of the new song
of the harpers?
The new experience that comes to each soul. Let's keep it
individual. The new experience that comes to each soul, as to the
assurance of that help when necessary of the saints of the Father.
"And I heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from
their labours; and their works do follow them." - Revelation 14:13
As referred to or given, the changes
that have come and the assurance that has come to each individual,
who has recognized that the Lamb, or the activities of Jesus
becoming the Christ are the assurance of the activity of the Christ
in the passage from the material plane to the celestial. For as He
preached to those bound even in the shadows of death, loosened that
which made it possible for them to become again conscious of the
opportunities for reconstructing of themselves in the experiences
through which error had come, so blessed then are they who die in
the Lord, for the body alone is bound.
"And I looked, and behold a white
cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having
on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And
another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the
time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and
the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which
is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came
out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud
cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp
sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her
grapes are fully ripe." - Revelation 14:14-18
The symbols of the angels; what is
meant by the symbols of the sickles and reaping?
That those individuals who have and are a part of the active force
in a material world are to work, to give forth, to give out of their
strength, their selves in active service and not as those that would
rest; but as the reapers, as the harvesters, which to the individual
mind means labours for a definite purpose and service.
“And I saw another sign in heaven,
great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues;
for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” - Revelation 15:1
These are the activities that come to those who have begun and have
found and have known the experiences of the activities and
influences as indicated, and even have put on and become a part of,
or are still in the active forces in the materiality, these see the
pouring out of that which is the meeting of self in individuals yet
in the earth, that is, the angels are the figures of that influence
as of the wrath; that is, then the law, and this becomes necessary
for the fulfilling of that: "He hath not willed that any soul shall
perish but hath with every ill provided a means, a way." Hence the
pouring out, the meeting and the great work or service that those
may render who have named the Name, those who have known the song,
those that are one with Him.
“And after that I looked, and,
behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was
opened.” - Revelation 15:5
That as you may term the Akashic Record, or the Book of Life, or the
Book of Revelation; that is, of the individual.
“And the temple was filled with
smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able
to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels
were fulfilled.” - Revelation 15:8
These are the final steps in the abilities of the individuals for
their effective service, or filled with the smoke as the glory of
the Father. This is the temple of the body, and, as such, where the
Lord hath promised to meet those that are faithful and true.
“And I heard a great voice out of
the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out
the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” - Revelation 16:1
This again is that fulfilling of the law. This is as the carrying
forth in the earth of those influences that bring the wrath in the
active forces, in the experience of the individuals.
“And I saw a woman sit upon a
scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven
heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet
colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having
a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her
fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery,
Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The
Earth.” - Revelation 17: 3-5
It represents that which made for the projecting of man into matter
through the associations that brought carnal relationships in those
very activities. Not as a spiritual but as a material giving or
bringing spiritual activity in the desire of the individual or soul.
Babylon symbolizes self.
What is the symbol of the 1st vial and the pouring of it?
These all are as the same, though are represented as the effective
activity upon the various conditions that have become a part of the
errors in those that have the mark of the beast.
The fall of Babylon as referred to
in the 14, 17, and 18th chapters of Revelation
Babylon represented the individual; those periods through which
every soul passes in its delving into the varied mysteries that are
the experiences of the carnal-mental, the spiritual-mental forces of
the body; and, as viewed from that presented, may come to the
knowledge only through the Cleansing that is shown must come to
those that would be saved from the destructions that are given
there.
"And the angel said unto me,
Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the
woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven
heads and ten horns." - Revelation 17:7
That which is understood by those that follow in the way of the
Lamb, that come to know how man separates himself through the
desires to become as the procreator in the beasts; which made the
necessity of the shedding of blood for redemption, for it brought
sin In the shedding, and only through same may there be the
fulfilling; and as given, the heavens and the earth may pass, but
His law, His love, His mercy, His grace, endureth for those who Will
seek to know His will.
“And here is the mind which hath
wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman
sitteth.” - Revelation 17:9
These have reference to the spiritual centres, of the body; and
indicate and show in the latter portion of same as to how these have
become purified in the redeeming forces of the Lamb.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and
give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should
be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he
saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” - Revelation
19:7-9
As there has been given through the whole portion of Revelation;
first how the symbols of the activity of the body mentally,
spiritually, physically, are affected by influences in the earth,
and as to how now the body has been raised to the realizations of
the associations with spirit and matter through mind, the builder,
and comes now to that as represented by the Lamb, or the mind,
spiritual, that has now so raised the body as to become as a new
being; or as was given by Him, the body is the church, the
Christ-Consciousness is that activity which motivates same within
the individual.
“I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat
upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his
head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew,
but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:
and his name is called: The Word of God.” - Revelation 19:11-13
This is the Christ in that it, as the horse, in the experiences of
the awakening is the symbol of the messenger; and this Is Christ,
Jesus, The Messenger.
“I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on
the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and
bound him a thousand years, 3 and cast him into the bottomless pit,
and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the
nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and
after that he must be loosed a little season.” - Revelation 20:1-3
What is the meaning of one thousand years that Satan is bound?
Is banished. That, as there are the activities of the forty and four
thousand, in the same manner that the prayer of ten just should save
a city, the deeds, the prayers of the faithful will allow that
period when the incarnation of those only that are in the Lord shall
rule the earth, and the period is as a thousand years. Thus is Satan
bound, thus is Satan banished from the earth. The desire to do evil
is only of him. And when there are, as the symbols, those only whose
desire and purpose of their heart is to glorify the Father, these
will be those periods when this shall come to pass. Be Ye All
Determined within thy minds, thy hearts, thy purposes, to be of that
number!
“And the devil that deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and
the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever
and ever.” - Revelation 20:10
That as builded by self; as those emblematical influences are shown
through the experiences of the beloved in that builded, that
created. For, each soul is a portion of creation, and builds that in
a portion of its experience that it, through its physical-mental or
spiritual-mental, has builded for itself. And each entity's heaven
or hell must, through Some experience, be that which it has builded
for itself. Is thy hell one that is filled with fire or brimstone?
But know, each and every soul is tried so as by fire; purified,
purged; for He, though He were the Son, learned obedience through
the things which He suffered. Ye also are known even as ye do, and
have done.
Revelation 20:4-6
Revelation 20:12-13
What is meant by the first and second resurrections?
The first is of those who have not tasted death in the sense of the
dread of same. The second is of those who have Gained the
understanding that in Him there Is no death.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new
earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;
and there was no more sea.” - Revelation 21:1
Former things have passed away, when there is beheld within self
that the whole will of the Creator, the Father, the place of abode,
the forces within and without, make for the New heaven, the New
earth.
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there
was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of
the water of life freely.”
- Revelation 21:1-6
When the foundations of the earth are
broken up by those very disturbances. Can the mind of man comprehend
no desire to sin, no purpose but that the glory of the Son may be
manifested in his life? Is this not a new heaven, a new earth? For
the former things would have passed away. For as the desires, the
purposes, the aims are to bring about the whole change physically,
so does it create in the experience of each soul a new vision, a new
comprehension. For as has been given, it hath not entered the heart
of man to know the glories that have been prepared, that are a part
of the experiences of those that love Only the Lord and His ways.
Those then that are come into the new life, the new understanding,
the new regeneration, there Is then the new Jerusalem. For as has
been given, the place is not as a place alone but as a condition, as
an experience of the soul. Jerusalem has figuratively, symbolically,
meant the holy place, the holy city, for there the ark of the
covenant, the ark of the covenant in the minds, the hearts, the
understandings, the comprehensions of those who have put away
earthly desires and become as the New purposes in their experience,
become the new Jerusalem, the new undertakings, the new desires.
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death." - Revelation 21:8
Those that have passed into the
understanding and then fall away, become minded of the earthly
desires for self-exaltation, know the second death.
“And he carried me away in the
spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city,
the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the
glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious,
even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and
high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and
names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of
the children of Israel: on the east three gates; on the north three
gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And
the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” - Revelation 21:10-14
That purpose, that estate to which there is the attaining of those
who through the purifying, now come to the holy purpose, as the Holy
Jerusalem; the Holy of Holies becomes the dwelling as it were of
those.
What is meant by the 12 gates?
The twelve manners, the twelve ways, the twelve openings, the twelve
experiences of the physical to all, and those that have all been
purified in purpose for the activities with same.
What is the significance of the 12 angels?
The twelve purposes as represented by the activities of the openings
to the bodily forces for their activities in the experiences of
expression in the phases of the activities of the individual.
The 12 names which represent the 12 tribes of the children of
Israel.
The same as the twelve gates, the twelve angels, the twelve ways,
the twelve understandings; or the approach to Israel the seeker, all
seeking not then as the expression of self but as One in the Holy
One!
“And he that talked with me had a
golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall
thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large
as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve
thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it
are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty
and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the
angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the
city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of
the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious
stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the
third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx;
the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the
ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth;
the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls:
every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was
pure gold, as it were transparent glass.” - Revelation 21:15-21
What is the golden reed to measure the city, and what is the
significance of the stones of the new Jerusalem and their colours?
The new understanding, the reed to measure the city, the abilities
of each. Not unto all is it given to be ministers, not unto all to
be interpreters, not unto all to be this or that; but measured
according to that whereunto they have purposed in their hearts.
Though all are as one, remember it has been given that the purpose
of the heart is to know Yourself to Be yourself and yet one with God
even as Jesus, even as is represented in God the Father, Christ the
Son, and the Holy Spirit; each knowing themselves to be themselves
yet One! So the measurements for those that make the vibrations
within themselves that become attuned to the new purpose, the new
desire, the new hopes, the New Revelation, the new understandings to
do the will of the Father with the will of that made perfect in the
Christ.
“And he shewed me a pure river of
water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb.” - Revelation 22:1
As the river, the water, the life represents the active flow of the
purpose of the souls of men made pure in same. Then they flow with
that purpose from the throne of God Itself, made pure in the blood
of the Lamb, which is in Jesus, the Christ, to those who seek to
know His ways.
“In the midst of the street of it,
and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which
bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and
the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” -
Revelation 22:2
What is meant by the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit
that yielded her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree for
the healing of the nations?
That as the tree planted by the water of life; that is, as the
sturdiness of the purpose of the individual in its sureness in the
Christ; and the leaves represent the activities that are as for the
healing of all that the individual activities may contact, even in
material life. And that it is Continuous, as by the month, as for
purpose, as for the activities.
“Seal not the sayings of the
prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust,
let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy
still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he
that is holy, let him be holy still.” - Revelation 22:10-11
As that period approaches when there shall be those influences of
the power of those incarnated in the activities of the earth, then
the purposes become set as in that indicated by the activities of
each being in that to which they have then given themselves.
Old Testament Explained
The Books in the Old
Testament
Genesis
"And He breathed into him the
breath of life, and he became a living soul" - Genesis 2:7
Where does the soul come from, and how does it enter the physical
body?
"And He breathed into him the breath of life, and he became a living
soul", as the breath, the ether from the forces as come into the
body of the human when born breathes the breath of life, as it
becomes a living soul, provided it has reached that developing in
the creation where the soul may enter and find the lodging place.
All souls were created in the beginning, and are finding their way
back to whence they came.
Where does the soul go when fully developed?
To its Maker.
Know that the message is One; for the Lord thy God is one, and that
Jesus Is the one who was promised from that day: "And her seed
shall bruise his head." - Genesis 3:15
Exodus
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my
voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar
treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye
shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are
the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” -
Exodus 19:5-6
And who will be a peculiar people? They who keep the law of the
Lord. What is the law? Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all
thine heart, thy mind and thy body, and thy neighbour as thyself.
This is not talking merely to Jews or Hebrews or Israelites, that is
to thee, as it is to each soul who seeks to become one with the
Father. Apply these to self.
"For in six days the
Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day" - Exodus 20:11
That each may interpret this to his
own comprehension is rather that each becomes aware of the power of
the Father in His manifestations in the earth. When it is considered
(as was later given, or Written even before this was written) that
"a thousand years is as but a day and a day as but a thousand years
in the sight of the Lord," then it may be comprehended that this was
coloured by the writer in his desire to express to the people the
power of the living God; rather than a statement of six days as man
comprehends days in the present. Not that it was an impossibility;
but rather that men under the environ should be impressed by the
omnipotence of that they were called on to worship as God.
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
"Others may do as they may, but as for me and my house, we will
serve the living God." - Joshua 24:15
Do not interpret this to mean those who may be in thine own physical
household. Thy house is indeed thy body, That is the temple of the
living God. That is the whole house made to conform to the will, the
way. "He that loves me keeps my commandments," in body, in mind, in
soul.
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
"In all thy getting, my son, get
understanding." - Proverbs 4:7
That of Self. When one understands self, and self's relation to its
Maker, the duty to its neighbour, its own duty to self, it cannot,
it will not be false to man, or to its Maker. Give then more
thought, For Thoughts Are Deeds, and are children of the relation
reached between the mental and the soul, and has its relation to
spirit and soul's plane of existence, as they do in the physical or
earth plane. What one thinks continually, they become; what one
cherishes in their heart and mind they make a part of the pulsation
of their heart, through their own blood cells, and build in their
own physical, that which its spirit and soul must feed upon, and
that with which it will be possessed, when it passes into the realm
for which the other experiences of what it has gained here in the
physical plane, must be used.
The attributes of the soul and spirit are as many, and as many more,
as the attributes of the physical or mental mind. Each, in the
beginning, endowed with that same condition, position. Each, in
itself, building to itself, through its development known through
the ages, as called from the earth plane, that which is manifest
upon the earth. With each development, that force, known upon the
plane as Will, is given to man over and above all creation; That
force that may separate itself from its Maker, for with the Will man
may either adhere or contradict the Divine law, those immutable
laws, as are set between the Creator and the created.
The study of these, through their phases and forms, and especially
through any of those phases, wherein the carnal or material or
normal forces are laid aside, and the ever present elements of
spirit and soul commune with those of the forces as found in each
entity. Study those and Know Thyself.
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
“And I will shake all nations, and
the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house
with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." - Haggai 2:7
In the interpretation of that spoken by Haggai or any of the
prophets, take into consideration first to whom the message was
being given. Yet know that any message that bespeaks of God's
dwelling in the heart or in the temple of man is to the individual a
lesson now, today. Here we find, however, from the literal
interpretation, that a wayward people had forsaken their temple
worship, where they had been appointed to meet with the living God.
For there alone they had heard the words, and there alone they had
received the instruction as of old. And the interpretation was that
these should be turned again, as they were only a few years later,
in how that even those that were called the heathen were shaken to
the core and Granted the peoples again to establish the desire of
their heart in rebuilding the temple. As ye have received from Him:
"The day cometh when neither in Jerusalem nor in this mountain shall
ye seek or desire to know the Lord, for ye will find Him in thine
own heart, in thine own conscience." - John 4:21 And if the desire
of thy heart will be that the temple of thy soul (the image of thy
Maker, the soul, not the body, the image of thy Maker) shall be
renewed in Him, thou shalt be able in self to know that, and the Way
that thou shouldst go.
Zechariah
Malachi
The 14 Books Referred to in the Old
Testament:
Book of the Wars of the Lord; (Num. 21:14)
[Copy in the Archives of the Order of the Good News]
Book of Jasher; (Josh. 10:13) [Copy in the Archives of the Order of
the Good News]
Annals of Jehu; (2 Chr. 20:34)
Treatise of the Book of the Kings; (2 Chr. 24:27)
Chronicles of Kings; (Esther 2:23; 6:1)
Acts of Solomon; (1 King. 11:41)
Sayings of the Seers; (2 Chr. 33:19)
Chronicles of King David; (1 Chr. 27:24)
Book of Gad the Seer; (1 Chr. 29:29) [Copy in the Archives of the
Order of the Good News]
Book of the Prophet Iddo; (2 Chr. 13:22)
Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite; (2 Chr. 9:29)
Shemaiah the Prophet; (2 Chr. 12:15)
Book of Nathan the Prophet; (1 Chr. 29:29)
Book of Samuel the Seer; (1 Chr. 29:29)
The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus
the Christ
The Philosophic and Practical Basis of the
Religion of the Aquarian Age of the World and of the Church
Universal
Explained
“And
Jesus said to them, This is the day to consecrate yourselves unto
the work of God; so let us pray. Turn from the outer to the inner
self; close all the doors of carnal self and wait. The Holy Breath
will fill this place, and you will be baptised in Holy Breath. And
then they prayed; alight more brilliant than the noonday sun filled
all the room, and tongues of flame from every head rose high in air.
The atmosphere of Galilee was set astir; a sound like distant
thunder rolled above Capernaum, and men heard songs, as though ten
thousand angels joined in full accord. And then the twelve disciples
heard a voice, a still, small voice, and just one word was said, a
word they dared not speak; it was the Sacred name of God. And Jesus
said to them, By this omnific Word you may control the elements, and
all the powers of air. And when within your souls you speak this
Word, you have the keys of life and death; of things that are; of
things that were; of things that are to be. Behold you are the
twelve great branches of the Christine vine; the twelve foundation
stones; the twelve apostles of the Christ. As lambs I sent you forth
among wild beasts; but the omnific Word will be your buckler and
your shield. And then again the air was filled with song, and every
living creature seemed to say, Praise God! Amen!” - The Aquarian
Gospel of Jesus the Christ, 89:2-22
The
Sacred Omnific Word of Power, or Logos, and the Omnipotence,
Omniscience and Omnipresence?
This ability, to speak, to
apply, to be present in Omnipresence, is attained by having fully,
completely met all that has been error in the experience of the
body, mind and soul in the earth experience. Not that this is not
attainable, but one grows to that consciousness in the application
of the faith in and the consciousness of being at-one with the
divine that is within.
“As I am
pattern unto you, so you are patterns for the human race. We show by
non-resistance that we give our lives in willing sacrifice for man.
But my example will not end with death. My body will be laid within
a tomb in which no flesh has lain, symbolic of the purity of life in
death. And in the tomb I will remain three days in sweet communion
with the Christ, and with my Father-God and Mother-God. And then,
symbolic of the ascent of the soul to higher life, my flesh within
the tomb will disappear; Will be transmuted into higher form, and,
in the presence of you all, I will ascend to God.” - The Aquarian
Gospel of Jesus the Christ, 127:26-30
Is
the transmutation of human flesh to flesh divine the real mystery of
the Crucifixion and Resurrection?
There is no mystery to the transmutation of the body of the
Christ. For having attained in the physical consciousness the at-onement
with the Father-Mother-God, the completeness was such that with the
disintegration of the body, as indicated in the manner in which the
shroud, the robe, the napkin lay, there was then the taking of the
body-physical form. This was the manner. It was not a transmutation,
as of changing from one to another. Just as indicated in the manner
in which the body-physical entered the Upper Room with the doors
closed, not by being a part of the wood through which the body
passed but by forming from the ether waves that were within the
room, because of a meeting prepared by faith. For as had been given:
"Tarry ye in Jerusalem, in the upper chamber, until Ye be endued
with power from on high." - Luke 24:49
As
indicated in the spoken word to Mary in the garden: "Touch me not,
for I have not yet ascended to my Father." - John 20:17
The body
(flesh) that formed that seen by the normal or carnal eye of Mary,
was such, that it could not be handled until there had been the
conscious union with the sources of all power, of all force. But
afterward, when there had been the first, second, third, fourth, and
even the sixth meeting, He Then said: "Put forth thy hand and touch
the nail prints in my hands, in my feet. Thrust thy hand into my
side and Believe." - John 20:25
This
indicated the transformation. For as indicated when the soul departs
from a body (this is not being spoken of the Christ, you see), it
has all of the form of the body from which it has passed, yet it is
not visible to the carnal mind unless that mind has been, and is,
attuned to the infinite. Then it appears, in the infinite, as that
which may be handled, with all the attributes of the physical being;
with the appetites, until these have been accorded to a unit of
activity with universal consciousness. Just as it was with the
Christ-body: "Children, have ye anything here to eat?" - John 21:5
This
indicated to the disciples, and the Apostles present that this was
not transmutation but a regeneration, recreation of the atoms and
cells of body that might, through desire, masticate material things,
fish and honey (in the honeycomb) were given. As also indicated
later, when He stood by the sea and the disciples, and Apostles who
saw Him from the distance could not, in the early morning light,
discern, but when He spoke, the voice made the impression upon the
mind of the beloved disciple such that he spoke: "It is the Lord!" -
John 21:7
The body
had prepared fire upon the earth, fire, water, the elements that
make for creation. For as the spirit is the beginning, water
combined of elements is the mother of creation. Not transmutation of
flesh, but creation, in the pattern indicated. Just as when there
are those various realms about the solar system, in which each
entity may find itself when absent from the body, it takes on in
those other realms not an earthly form but a pattern, conforming to
the same dimensional elements of that individual planet or space.
“Behold,
we may make free this man that he may better serve the race and pay
his debts. Then Jesus called the man and said, Would you be free?
would you receive your sight? The man replied, All that I have would
I most freely give if I could see. And Jesus took saliva and a bit
of clay and make a salve, and put it on the blind man's eyes. He
spoke the Word and then he said, Go to Siloam and wash, and as you
wash say, Jahhevahe. This do for seven times and you shall see. The
man was led unto Siloam; he washed his eyes and spoke the word, and
instantly his eyes were opened and he saw.” - The Aquarian Gospel of
Jesus the Christ, 138:17-22
The
meaning and pronunciation of the word: JAHHEVAHE?
Java; meaning the ability within itself to know itself, to be
itself, and yet one with, or one apart from, the infinite. To be a
part of that realm of helpers; to know self as a part of and in that
realm where the angels are, or in that realm of the individuals who
have been, who are, with the Announcer, the Lord of the Way, and who
have attained the consciousness of the Christ-within.
“And
Jesus opened up to [the disciples] the meaning of the hidden way,
and the Holy Breath, and of the light that cannot fail. He told them
all about the Book of Life, the Rolls of Graphael, the Book of God’s
Remembrance, where all thoughts and words of men are written down.”
- The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, 158:3–4
What
is meant by the Hidden Way?
The Hidden Way is the finding of the consciousness of self
within, as related to, as being at-one with, or; as a part of, or
separated from, the whole. For as was given so oft, this is found
within. For thy body is indeed the pattern of the heavenly body, yet
it only grows to same, as it grows away from same; though it may be
within the three-dimensional realm. This is the Hidden Way. For as
the entity uses, never abuses but uses self in service, it finds the
Way. For who is the greater among you? "He that is the servant of
all." Who would know the Hidden Way? They who seek to do His
biddings alone.
What
is the Holy Breath?
This is the same, only in activity; that is, one may be aware of
the at-onement but to see, to feel. There are not words to express,
for we are expressing same in material terms or expressions of
awarenesses in a consciousness made known as it plays upon the
attributes of a physical being. As we say, the All-Seeing Eye of
God, the All-Seeing Eye of self can only be attained when in attune
to God. And when attuned, He hath breathed the Holy Breath on the
activity of the entity.
What
is the light that cannot fail?
This is the Christ. For it has succeeded, in that it has in
physical consciousness passed through and attained. And when that
light enters, by the individual entity opening the consciousness of
self to that abiding presence, the light has entered.
What
is light?
That from which, through which, in which may be found all
things, out of which all things come. Thus the first of everything
that may be visible, in earth, in heaven, in space, is of that
light: Is that light!
What
is the Book of Life?
The record that the individual entity itself writes upon the
skein of time and space, through patience, and is opened when self
has attuned to the infinite, and may be read by those attuning to
that consciousness.
What
is the Book of God's Remembrances?
This is the Book of Life.
What
are the Akashic Records?
Those made by the individual, as just indicated.
What
are the Rolls of Graphael?
The records of an individual, as an archangel. The records of
those activities with the Announcer, the Way, in association with
the Christ-Consciousness.
“The
harvest feast drew near; the twelve went to Jerusalem, but Jesus did
not go with them; he tarried in Capernaum. Among the multitudes that
followed him were many who went not up to the feast; they were not
Jews. And Jesus called three-score-and-ten of these disciples unto
him and said: The kingdom of the Christ is not for Jews alone; it is
for every man. Lo, I have chosen twelve to preach the gospel, first
unto the Jews; and they are Jews. Twelve is the number of the Jew
and seven the number of the all, including every man. God is the
ten, the holy Jod. When God and man are multiplied we have
three-score-and-ten, the number of the brotherhood of man. And now I
send you forth by twos and twos; not to the Jews alone, but unto
every nation under heaven; to Greek and to Assyrian; to the
Samaritan; to those beyond the seas; to every man.” - The Aquarian
Gospel of Jesus the Christ, 133:1-8
God
is the ten the Holy Jod?
This is an expression, not a fact, but that which leads to, directs
towards activity in the associations with others.
Reincarnation Cases Given in Scriptures
Christ in the body of Jesus, advised his apostles that John the
Baptist, was the return of the prophet Elias:
“And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to
turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient
to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the
Lord.” - Luke 1:17
“But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him
not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall
also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood
that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” - Matthew 17:12-13
Which other parts of the New
Testament Teach Reincarnation?
The Gospel of John: Chapter 3 to 5, and 6 to 8. Then the rest of
the Gospel of John as a whole.
Testament of Job
The blameless, the sacrifice, the
conqueror in many contests.
Book of Job, called Jobab, his life
and the transcript of his Testament.
Chapter 1
1 On the day he
became sick and (he) knew that he would have to leave his bodily
abode, he called his seven sons and his three daughters together and
spake to them as follows: 2 "Form a circle around me, children, and
hear, and I shall relate to you what the Lord did for me and all
that happened to me. 3 For I am Job your father. 4 Know ye then my
children, that you are the generation of a chosen one and take heed
of your noble birth. 5 For I am of the sons of Esau. My brother is
Nahor, and your mother is Dinah. By her have I become your father. 6
For my first wife died with my other ten children in bitter death. 7
Hear now, children, and I will reveal unto you what happened to me.
8 I was a very rich man living in the East in the land Ausitis, (Utz)
and before the Lord had named me Job, I was called Jobab. 9 The
beginning of my trial was thus. 10. Near my house there was the idol
of one worshipped by the people; and I saw constantly
burnt-offerings brought to him as a god. 10 Then I pondered and said
to myself: "Is this he who made heaven and earth, the sea and us all
How will I know the truth" 11 And in that night as I lay asleep, a
voice came and called: "Jobab! Jobab! rise up, and I will tell thee
who is the one whom thou wishest to know. 12 This, however, to whom
the people bring burnt-offerings and libations, is not God, but this
is the power and work of the Seducer (Satan) by which he beguiles
the people". 13 And when I heard this, I fell upon the earth and I
prostrated myself saying: 14 "O my Lord who speakest for the
salvation of my soul. I pray thee, if this is the idol of Satan, I
pray thee, let me go hence and destroy it and purify this spot. 15
For there is none that can forbid me doing this, as I am the king of
this land, so that those that live in it will no longer be led
astray’’. 16 And the voice that spoke out of the flame answered to
me: "Thou canst purify this spot. 17. But behold I announce to thee
what the Lord ordered me to tell thee, For I am the archangel of the
God". 18 .And I said : "Whatever shall be told to his servant. I
shall hear". 19. And the archangel, said to me : "Thus speaketh the
Lord: If thou undertakest to destroy and takest away the image of
Satan, he will set himself with wrath to wage war against thee, and
he will display against thee all his malice. 21 He will bring upon
thee many severe plagues, and take from thee all that thou hast. 21
He will take away thine children, and will inflict many evils upon
thee. 22 Then thou must wrestle like an athlete and resist pain,
sure of thy reward, overcome trials and afflictions. 23 But when
thou endurest, I shall make thy name renowned throughout all
generations of the earth until to the end of the world. 24 And I
shall restore thee to all that thou hadst had, and the double part
of what thou shalt lose will be given to thee in order that thou
mayest know that God does not consider the person but giveth to each
who deserveth the good. 25 And also to thee shall it be given, and
thou shalt put on a crown of amarant. 26 And at the resurrection
thou shalt awaken for eternal life. Then shalt thou know that he
Lord is just, and true and mighty". 27 Whereupon, my children, I
replied: "I shall from love of God endure until death all that will
come upon me, and I shall not shrink back". 28 Then the angel put
his seal upon me and left me.
Chapter 2
1 After this I rose
up in the night and took fifty slaves and went to the temple of the
idol and destroyed it to the ground. 2. And so I went back to my
house and gave orders that the door should he firmly locked; saying
to my doorkeepers : 3 "If somebody shall ask for me, bring no report
to me, but tell him : He investigates urgent affairs. He is inside".
4 Then Satan disguised himself as a beggar and knocked heavily at
the door, saying to the door-keeper: 5 "Report to Job and say that I
desire to meet him’’, 6 And the door-keeper came in and told me
that, but heard from me that I was studying. 7 The Evil One, having
failed in this, went away and took upon his shoulder an old, torn
basket and went in and spoke to the doorkeeper saying: "Tell Job :
Give me bread from thine hands that I may eat". 8 And when I heard
this, I gave her burnt bread to give it to him, and I made known to
him : "Expect not to eat of my bread, for it is forbidden to thee".
9 But the door-keeper, being ashamed to hand him the burnt and ashy
bread, as she did not know that it was Satan, took of her own fine
bread and gave it to him. 10 But he took it and, knowing what
occured, said to the maiden : "Go hence, bad servant, and bring me
the bread that was given thee to hand to me". 11 And the servant
cried and spoke in grief: "Thou speakest the truth, saying that I am
a bad servant. because I have not done as I was instructed by my
master". 12 And he turned back and brought him the burnt bread and
said to him : "Thus says my lord : Thou shalt not eat of my bread
anymore, for it is forbidden to thee. 13 And this he gave me
[saying: This I give] in order that the charge may not be brought
against me that I did not give to the enemy who asked".) 14 And when
Satan heard this, he sent back the servant to me, saying: "As thou
seest this bread all burnt, so shall I soon burn thy body to make it
like this". 15 And I replied: "Do what thou desirest to do and
accomplish whatever thou plottest. For I am ready to endure whatever
thou bringest upon me". 16 And when the devil heard this, he left
me, and walking up to under the [highest] heaven, he took from the
Lord the oath that he might have power, over all my possessions. 17
And after having taken the power he went and instantly took away all
my wealth.
Chapter 3
1 For I had one
hundred and thirty thousand sheep, and of these I separated seven
thousand for the clothing of orphans and widows and of needy and
sick ones. 2 I had a herd of eight hundred dogs who watched my sheep
and besides these two hundred to watch my house. 3 And I had nine
mills working for the whole city and ships to carry goods, and I
seat them into every city and into the villages to the feeble and
sick and to those that were unfortunate. 4 And I had three hundred
and forty thousand nomadic asses, and of these I set aside five
hundred, and the offspring of these I order to he sold and the
proceeds to be given to the poor and the needy. 5 For from all the
lands the poor came to meet me. 6 For the four doors of my house
were opened, each, being in charge of a watchman who had to see
whether there were any people coming asking alms, and whether they
would see me sitting at one of the door’s so that they could leave
through the other and take whatever they needed. 7 I also had thirty
immovable tables set at all hours for the strangers alone, and I
also had twelve tables spread for the widows. 8 And if any one came
asking for alms, he found food on my table to take all he needed,
and I turned nobody away to leave my door with an empty stomach. 9 I
also had three thousand five hundred yokes of oxen, and I selected
of these five hundred and had them tend to the plowing. 10 And with
these I had done all the work in each field by those who would, take
it in charge and the income of their crops I laid aside for the poor
on their table. 11 I also had fifty bakeries from which I sent [the
bread] to the table for the poor. 12 And I had slaves selected for
their service. 13 There were also some strangers who saw my good
will; they wished to serve as waiters themselves. 14 Others, being
in distress and unable to obtain a living, came with the request
saying: 15 "We pray thee, since we also can fill this office of
waiters (deacons) and have no possession, have pity upon us and
advance money to us in order that we may go into the great cities
and sell merchandise. 16 And the surplus of our profit we may give
as help to the poor, and then shaII we return to thee thine own
(money). 17 And when I heard this, I was glad that they should take
this altogether from me for the husbandry of charity for the poor.
18 And with a willing heart I gave them what they wanted, and I
accepted their written bond, but would not take any other security
from them except the written document. 19 And they went abroad and
gave to time poor as far as they were successful. 20 Frequently,
however, some of their goods were lost on the road or on the sea, or
they would he robbed of them. 21 Then they would come and say: "We
pray thee, act generously towards us in order that we may see how we
can restore to you thine own". 22 And when I heard this, I had
sympathy with them, and handed to them their bond, and often having
read it before them tore it up and released them of their debt.
saying to them: 23 "What I have consecrated for the benefit of the
poor, I shall not take from you’’. 24 And so I accepted nothing from
my debtor. 25 And when a man with cheerful heart came to me saying:
I am not in need to be compelled to he a paid worker for the poor.
26 But I wish to serve the needy at thy table", and he consented to
work, and he ate his share. 27 So I gave him his wages nevertheless,
and I went home rejoicing. 28 And when he did not wish to take it, I
forced him to do so, saying: "I know that thou art a laboring man
who looks for and waits for his wages, and thou must take it." 29
Never did I defer paying the wages of the hireling or any other, nor
keep back in my house for a single evening his hire that was due to
him. 30 Those that milked the cows and the ewes signaled to the
passersby that they should take their share. 31 For the milk flowed
in such plenty that it curdled into butter on the hills and by the
road side; and by the rocks and the hills the cattle lay which had
given birth to their offspring. 32 For my servants grew weary
keeping the meat of the widows and the poor and dividing it into
small pieces. 33 For they would curse and say: "Oh that we had of
his flesh that we could be satisfied’’, although I was very kind to
them, 34 I also had six harps [and six slaves to play the harps] and
also a cithara, a decachord, and I struck it during the day. 35 And
I took the cithara, and the widows responded after their meals. 36
And with the musical instrument I reminded them of God that
they should give praise to the Lord. 37 And when my female slaves
would murmur, then I took the musical instruments and played as much
as they would have done for their wages, and gave them respite from
their labor and sighs.
Chapter 4
1 And my children,
after having taken charge of the service, took their meals each day
along with their three sisters beginning with the older brother, and
made a feast. 2 And I rose in the morning and offered as
sin-offering for them fifty rams and nineteen sheep, and what
remained as a residue was consecrated to the poor. 3 And I said to
them: "Take these as residue and pray for my children. 4 Perchance
my sons have sinned before the Lord, speaking in haughtiness of
spirit: We are children of this rich man. Ours are all these goods;
why should we be servants of the poor’ 5 And speaking thus in a
haughty spirit they may have provoked the anger of God, for
overbearing pride is an abomination before the Lord." 6 So I brought
oxen as offerings to the priest at the altar saying: "May my
children never think evil towards God in their hearts.’’ 7 While I
lived in this manner, the Seducer could not bear to see the good [I
did], and he demanded the warfare of God against me. 8 And he came
upon me cruelly. 9 First he burnt up the large number of sheep, then
the camels, then he burnt up the cattle and all my herds; or they
were captured not only by enemies but also by such as had received
benefits from me. 10 And the shepherds came and announced that to
me. 11 But when I heard it, I gave praise to God and did not
blaspheme. 12 And when the Seducer learned of my fortitude, he
plotted new thing’s against me. 13 He disguised himself as King of
Persia and besieged my city, and after he had led off all that were
therein, he spoke to them in malice, saying in boastful language: 14
"This man Job who has obtained all the goods of the earth and left
nothing for others, he has destroyed and torn down the temple of
god. 15 Therefore shall I repay to him what he has done to the house
of the great god. 16 Now come with me and we shall pillage all that
is left in his house." 17 And they answered and said to him: "He has
seven sons and three daughters. 18 Take heed lest they flee into
other lands and they may become our tyrants and then come over us
with force and kill us.’’ 19 And he said: Be not at all afraid. His
flocks and his wealth have I destroyed by fire, and the rest have I
captured, and behold, his children shall I kill." 20 And having
spoken thus, he went and threw the house upon my children and killed
them. 21 And my fellow-citizens, seeing that what was said by him
had become true, came and pursued me, and robbed me of all that was
in my house. 22 And I saw with mine own eyes the pillage of my
house, and men without culture and without honor sat at my table and
on my couches, and I could not remonstrate against them. 23 For I
was exhausted like a woman with her loins let loose from multitude
of pains, remembering chiefly that this warfare had been predicted
to me by the Lord through His angel. 24 And I became like one who,
when seeing the rough sea and the adverse winds, while the lading of
the vessel in mid-ocean is too heavy, casts the burden into the sea,
saying: 25 "I wish to destroy all this only in order to come safely
into the city so that I may take as profit the rescued ship and the
best of my things." 26 Thus did I manage my own affairs. 27 But
there came another messenger and announced to me the ruin of my own
children, and I was shaken with terror. 28 And I tore my clothes and
said: The Lord hath given, the Lord hath taken. As it hath deemed
best to the Lord, thus it hath come to be. May the name of the Lord
be blessed."
Chapter 5
1 And when Satan
saw that he could riot put me to despair, he went and asked my body
of the Lord in order to inflict plague on me, for the Evil one could
not bear my patience. 2 Then the Lord delivered me into his hands to
use my body as he wanted, but he gave him no power over my soul. 3.
And he came to me as I was sitting on my throne still mourning over
my children. 4 And he resembled a great hurricane and turned over my
throne and threw me upon the ground. 5 And I continued lying on the
floor for three hours. and he smote me with a hard plague from the
top of my head to the toes of my feet. 6 And I left the city in
great terror and woe and sat down upon a dunghill my body being
worm-eaten. 7 And I wet the earth with the moistness of my sore
body, for matter flowed off my body, and many worms covered it. 8
And when a single worm crept off my body, I put it back saying:
"Remain on the spot where thou hast been placed until He who hath
sent thee will order thee elsewhere." 9 Thus I endured for sever
years, sitting on a dung-hill outside of the city while being
plague-stricken. 10 And I saw with mine own eyes my longed-for
children [carried by angels to heaven] 11 And my humbled wife who
had been brought to her bridal chamber in such great luxuriousness
and with spearmen as body-guards. I saw her do a water-carrier's
work like a slave in the house of a common man in order to win some
bread and bring it to me. 12 And in my sore affliction I said: "Oh
that these braggart city rulers whom I soul not have thought to be
equal with my shepherd dogs should now employ my wife as servant!"
13 And after this I took courage again. 14 Yet afterwards they
withheld even the bread that it should only have her own
nourishment. 15 But she took it and divided it between herself and
me, saying woefully: "Woe to me! Forthwith he may no longer feed on
bread, and he cannot go to the market to ask bread of the
bread-sellers in order to bring it to me that he may eat" 16 And
when Satan learned this, he took the guise of a bread-seller, and
it was as if by chance that my wife met him and asked him for bread
thinking that it was that sort of man. 17 But Satan said to her :
"Give me the value, and then take what thou wishest." 18 Whereupon
she answered saying: Where shall I get money Dost thou not know what
misfortune happened to me. If thou hast pity, show it to me; if not,
thou shalt see." 19 And he replied saying: "If you did not deserve
this misfortune, you would not have suffered all this. 20 Now, if
there is no silver piece in thine hand, give me the hair of thine
head and take three loaves of bread for it, so that ye may live on
there for three days. 21 Then she said to herself: "What is the hair
of my head in comparison with my starving husband" 22 And so after
having pondered over the matter, she said to him: "Rise and cut off
my hair". 3 Then he took a pair of scissors and took off the hair of
her head in the presence of all, and gave her three loaves of bread.
24 Then she took them and brought them to me. And Satan went behind
her on the road, hiding himself as he walked and troubling her heart
greatly.
Chapter 6
1 And immediately
my wife came near me and crying aloud and weeping she said: "Job!
Job! How long wilt thou sit upon the dung-hill outside of the city,
pondering yet for a while and expecting to obtain your hoped-for
salvation!" 2 And I have been wandering from place to place, roaming
about as a hired servant, behold they memory has already died away
from earth. 3 And my sons and the daughters that I carried on my
bosom and the labors and pains that I sustained have been for
nothing 4 And thou sittest in the malodorous state of soreness and
worms, passing the nights in the cold air. 5 And I have undergone
all trials and troubles and pains, day and night until I succeeded
in bringing bread to thee. 6 For your surplus of bread is no longer
allowed to me; and as I can scarcely take my own food and divide it
between us, I pondered in my heart that it was not right that thou
shouldst be in pain and hunger for bread. 7 And so I ventured to go
to the market without bashfulness. and when the bread-seller told
me: "Give me money. and thou shalt have bread’’. I disclosed to him
our state of distress. 8 Then I heard him say : "If thou hast no
money, hand me the hair of thy head, and take three loaves of bread
in order that ye may live on these for three days’’. 9 And I yielded
to the wrong and said to him "Rise and cut off my hair !‘‘ and he
rose and in disgrace cut off with the scissors the hair of my head
on the market place while the crowd stood by and wondered. 10 Who
would then not be astonished saying: "Is this Sitis, the wife of
Job, who had fourteen curtains to cover her inner sitting room, and
doors within doors so that he was greatly honored who would be
brought near her, and now behold, she barters off her hair for
bread! 11 Who had camels laden with goods. and they were brought
into remote lands to the poor, and now she sells her hair for bread!
12 Behold her who had seven tables immovably set in her house at
which each poor man and each stranger ate, and now she sells her
hair for bread! 13 Behold her who had the basin wherewith to wash
her feet made of gold and silver, and now she walks upon the ground
and [sells her hair for bread !] 14 Behold her who had her garments
made of byssus interwoven with gold, and now she exchanges her hair
for bread! 15 Behold her who had couches of gold and of silver, and
now she sells her hair for bread!" 16 In short then, Job, after the
many things that have been said to me, I now say in one word to thee
: 17 "Since the feebleness of my heart has crushed my bones, rise
then and take these loaves of bread and enjoy them, and then speak
some word against the Lord and die! 18 For I too, would exchange the
torpor of death for the sustenance of my body". 19 But I replied to
her "Behold I have been for these seven years plague-stricken, and I
have stood the worms of my body, and I was not weighed down in my
soul by all these pains. 20 And as to the word which thou sayest:
‘Speak some word against God and die!‘, together with thee I will
sustain the evil which thou seest. and let us endure the ruin of all
that we have. 21 Yet thou desirest that we should say some word
against God and that He should be exchanged for the great Pluto [the
god of the nether world.] 22 Why dost thou not remember those great
goods which we possessed If these goods come from the lands of the
Lord, should not we also endure evils and be high-minded in
everything until the Lord will have mercy again and show pity to us
23 Dost thou not see the Seducer stand behind thee and confound thy
thoughts in order that thou shouldst beguile me 24 And he turned to
Satan and said : "Why dost thou not come openly to me Stop hiding
thyself thou wretched one, 25 Does the lion show his strength in the
weasel cage Or does the bird fly in the basket I now tell thee: Go
away and wage thy war against me". 26 Then he went of from behind my
wife and placed himself before me crying and he said : Behold, Job,
I yield and give way to thee who art but flesh while I am a spirit.
27 Thou art plague-stricken, but I am in great trouble. 28 For I am
like a wrestler contesting with a wrestler who has, in a
single-handed combat, torn down his antagonist and covered him with
dust and broken every limb of his, whereas the other one who lies
beneath, having displayed his bravery, gives forth sounds of triumph
testifying to his own superior excellence. 29 Thus thou, O Job, art
beneath and stricken with plague and pain, and yet thou hast carried
the victory in the wrestling-match with me, and behold, I yield to
thee". 30. Then he left me abashed. 31 Now my children, do you also
show a firm heart in all the evil that happens to you, for greater
than all things is firmness of heart.
Chapter 7
1 At this time the
kings heard what had happened to me and they rose and came to me.
each from his land to visit me and to comfort me. 2. And when they
came near me, they cried with a loud voice and each tore his
clothes. 3 And after they had prostrated themselves, touching the
earth with their heads, they sat down next to me for seven days and
seven nights, and none spoke a word. 4 They were four in numbers:
Eliplaz, the king of Teman, and Balad, and Sophar, and Elilhu. 5 And
when they had taken their seat, they conversed about what had
happened to me. 6 Now when for time first time they had come to me
and I had shown them my precious stones, they were astonished and
said : 7 "If of us three kings all our possessions would be brought
together into one, it would not come up to the precious stones of .Jobab’s
kingdom (crown). For thou art of greater nobility than all the
people of the East. 8 And when, therefore, they now came to the land
of Ausitis "Uz" to visit me, they asked in the city : "Where is
Jobab, the ruler of this whole land" 9 And they told them concerning
me: "He sitteth upon the dung-hill outside of the city for he has
not entered the city’ for seven years". 10 And then again they-
inquired concerning my possessions, and there was revealed to them
all that happened to me. 11 And when they had learned this, they
went out of the city with the inhabitants, and my fellow-citizens
pointed me out to them. 12 But these remonstrated and said: "Surely,
this is not Jobab’’. 13 And while they hesitated, there said Eliphaz.
the King of Teman: "Come let us step near and see." 14 And when they
came near I remembered them, and I wept very much when I learned the
purpose of their journey. 15 And I threw earth upon my head, and
while shaking my head I revealed unto them that I was [Job]. 16 And
when they saw me shake my head they threw themselves down upon the
ground, all overcome with emotion 17 And while their hosts were
standing around, I saw the three kings lie upon the ground for three
hours like dead. 18 Then they rose and said to each other: We cannot
believe that this is Jobab". 19 And finally, after they had for
seven day’s inquired after everything concerning me and searched for
my flocks and other possessions, they said: 20 "Do we not know how
many goods were sent by him to the cities and the villages round
about to be given to the poor, aside from all that was given away by
him within his own house How then could he have fallen into such a
state of perdition and misery !" 21 And after the seven days Elihu
said to the kings : "Come let us step near and examine him
accurately, whether he truly is Jobab or not" 22 And they, being not
half a mile (stadium) distant from his malodorous body, they rose
and stepped near, carrying perfume in their hands, while their
soldiers went with them and threw fragrant incense round about them
so that they could come near me. 23 And after they had thus passed
three hours, covering the way with aroma, they drew nigh. 24 And
Eliphaz began and said : "Art thou, indeed, Job, our fellow-king Art
thou the one who owned the great glory 25 Art thou he who once shone
like the sun of day upon the whole earth Art thou he who once
resembled the moon and the stars effulgent throughout the night" 26
And I answered him and said: "I am", and thereupon all wept and
lamented, and they sang a royal song of lamentation, their whole
army joining them in a chorus. 27 And again Eliphaz said to me :
"Art thou he who had ordered seven thousand sheep to be given for
the clothing of the poor Whither, then hath gone the glory of thy
throne 28 Art thou he who had ordered three thousand cattle to do
the plowing of the field for the poor Wither, then hath thy glory
gone! 29 Art thou he who had golden couches, and now thou sittest
upon a dung hill [" Whither then hath thy glory gone !"] 30 Art thou
he who had sixty tables set for the poor Art thou he who had
censer’s for the fine perfume made of precious stones, and now thou
art in a malodorous state Whither then hath thy glory gone! 31 Art
thou he who had golden candelabras set upon silver stands; and now
must thou long for the natural gleam of the moon ["Whither then hath
thy glory gone !"] 32 Art thou the one who had ointment made of the
spices of frankincense, and now thou art in a state of
repulsiveness! [Whither then hath thy glory gone !"] 33 Art thou he
who laughed the wrong doers and sinners to scorn and now thou hast
become a laughingstock to all !" [Whither then hath thine glory
gone] 34 And when Eliphaz had for a long time cried and lamented,
while all the others joined him, so that the commotion was very
great, I said to them : 35 Be silent and I will show you my throne,
and the glory of its splendor: My glory will be everlasting. 36 The
whole world shall perish, and its glory shall vanish, and all those
who hold fast to it, will remain beneath, but my throne is in the
upper world and its glory and splendor will be to the right of the
Savior in the heavens. 37 My throne exists in the life of the "holy
ones" and its glory in the imperishable world. 38 For rivers will he
dried up and their arrogance shall go down to the depth of the
abyss, but the streams of my land in which my throne is erected,
shall not dry up, but shall remain unbroken in strength. 39 The
kings perish and the rulers vanish, and their glory and pride is as
the shadow in a looking glass, but my Kingdom lasts forever and
ever, and its glory and beauty is in the chariot of my Father).
Chapter 8
1 When I spoke thus
to them, Ehiphaz. became angry and said to the other friends "For
what purpose is it that we have come here with our hosts to comfort
him 9 Behold, he upbraids us. Therefore let us return to our
countries. 2 This man sits here in misery worm-eaten amidst an
unbearable state of putrefaction, and yet he challenges its saving :
‘Kingdoms shall perish and their rulers, but my Kingdom, says he,
shall last forever’". 3 Eliphaz, then, rose in great commotion, and,
turning away from them in great fury, said’: "I go hence. We have
indeed come to comfort him, but he declares war to us in view of our
armies". 4 But then Baldad seized him by the hand and said :" Not
thus ought one to speak to an afflicted man, and especially to one
stricken down with so many plagues. 5 Behold, we, being in good
health, dared not approach him on account of the offensive odor,
except with the help of plenty of fragrant aroma. But thou, Eliphaz.
art forgetful of all this. 6 Let me speak plainly. Let us be
magnanimous and learn what is the cause Must he in remembering his
former days of happiness not become mad in his mind 7 Who should not
be altogether perplexed seeing himself thus lapse into misfortune
and plagues But let me step near him that I may find by what cause
is he thus" 9 And Baldad rose and approached me saying: "Art thou
Job" and he said: "Is thy heart still in good keeping 9 And I said:
"I did not hold fast to the earthly things, since the earth with all
that inhabit it is unstable. But my heart holds fast to the heaven,
because there is no trouble in heaven". 10 Then Baldad rejoined and
said: "We know that the earth is unstable, for it changes according
to season. At times it is in a state of peace, and at times it is in
a state of war. But of the heaven we hear that it is perfectly
steady. 11 But art thou truly in a state of calmness Therefore let
me ask and speak, and when thou answerest me to my first word, I
shall have a second question to ask, and if again thou answerest in
well-set words, it will be manifest that thy heart has not been
unbalanced". 12 And I said: "Upon what dost thou set thy hope" And I
said: "Upon the living God". 13. And he said to me: "Who deprived
thee of all thou didst possess And who inflicted thee with these
plagues 9" And I said: "God". 14 And he said: "If thou still placest
thy hope upon God, how can He do wrong in judgment, having brought
upon thee these plagues and misfortunes, and having taken from thee
all thy possessions 15 And since He has taken these, it is clear
that He has given thee nothing. No king will disgrace his soldier
who has served him well as body-guard" 16 [And I answered saying] :
"Who understands the depths of the Lord and of His wisdom to be able
to accuse God of injustice" 17 [And Baldad said] : "Answer me, o
Job, to this. Again I say to thee: ‘If thou art in a state of calm
reason, teach me if thou hast wisdom: 18 Why do we see the sun rise
in the East and set in the West And again when rising in the morning
we find him rise in the East Tell me thy- thought about this’’ 19
Then said I: "Why shall I betray (babble forth) the mighty mysteries
of God And should my mouth stumble in revealing things belonging to
the Master Never! 20 Who are we that we should pry into matters
concerning the upper world while we are only of flesh, nay, earth
and ashes! 21 In order that you know that my heart is sound, hear
what I ask you: 22 Through the stomach cometh food, and water you
drink through the mouth, and then it flows through the same throat,
and when the two go down to become excrement, they again part; who
effects this separation". 23 And Baldad said: "I do not know". And I
rejoined and said to him : "If thou dost not understand even the
exits of the body, how canst thou understand the celestial circuits"
24 Then Sophar rejoined and said: "We do not inquire after our own
affairs, but we desire to know whether thou art in a sound state,
and behold, we see that thy reason has not been shaken. 25. What now
dost thou wish that we should do for thee Behold, we have come here
and brought the physicians of three kings, and if thou wishest, thou
mayest he cured by them". 26 But I answered and said: "My cure and
my restoration cometh from God, the Maker of physicians".
Chapter 9
1 And when I spoke
thus to them, behold, there my wife Sitis came running, dressed in
rags. from the service of the master by whom she was employed as
slave though she had been forbidden to leave, lest the kings, on
seeing her, might take her as captive. 2 And when she came, she
threw herself prostrate to their feet, crying and saying:
‘‘Remember’. Eliphaz and ye other friends, what I was once with you,
and how I have changed, how I am now dressed to meet you’’ 3 Then
the kings broke forth in great weeping and, being in double
perplexity, they kept silent. But Eliphaz took his purple mantle and
cast it about her to wrap herself up with it. 4 But she asked him
saying: "I ask as favor of you, my Lords, that you order your
soldiers that they should dig among the ruins of our house which
fell upon my children, so that their bones could be brought in a
perfect state to the tombs. 5 Fir as we have, owing to our
misfortune, no power at all, and so we may at least see their bones.
6 For have I like a brute the motherly feeling of wild beasts that
my ten children should have perished on one day and not to one of
them could I give a decent burial’’ 7 And the kings gave order that
the ruins of my house should be dug up. But I prohibited it, saving
8 ‘‘Do not go to the trouble in vain; for my children will not he
found, for they are in the keeping of their Maker and Ruler’’. 9 And
the kings answered and said: "Who will gainsay that he is out of his
mind and raves 10 For while we desire to bring the bones of his
children back, he forbids us to do so saying: ‘They have been taken
and placed the keeping of their Maker’. Therefore prove unto us the
truth". 11 But I said to them: "Raise me that I may stand up, and
they lifted me, holding up my arms from both sides. 12 And I stood
upright, and pronounced first the praise of God and after the prayer
I said to them : ‘‘Look with your eyes to the East’’. 13 And they
looked and saw my children with crowns near the glory of the King,
the Ruler of heaven. 14 And when my wife Sitis saw this, she fell to
the ground and prostrated [herself] before God, saying: ‘‘Now I know
that my memory remains with the Lord". 15 And after she had spoken
this, and the evening came, she went to the city, back to the master
whom she served as slave, and lay herself down at the manger of the
cattle and died there from exhaustion. 16 And when her despotic
master searched for her and did not find her, he came to the fold of
his herds, and there he saw her stretched out upon the manger dead,
while all the animals around were crying about her. 17 And all who
saw her wept and lamented, and the cry extended throughout the whole
city. 18 And the people brought her down and wrapt her up and buried
her by the house which had fallen upon her children. 19 And the poor
of the city made a great mourning for her and said: "Behold this
Sitis whose like in nobility and in glory is not found in any woman.
Alas ! she was not found worthy of a proper tomb!‘‘ 20 The dirge for
her you will find in the record.
Chapter 10
1 But Eliphaz and
those that were with him were astonished at these things, and they
sat down with me and replying to me, spoke in boastful words
concerning me for twenty seven days. 2 They repeated it again and
again that I suffered deservedly thus for having committed many
sins, and that there was no hope left for me, but I retorted to
these men in zest of contention myself. 3 And they rose in anger,
ready to part in wrathful spirit. But Elihu conjured them to stay
yet a little while until he would have shown them what it was. 4
"For", said he, "so many days did you pass, allowing Job to boast
that he is just. But I shall no longer suffer it. 5 For from the
beginning did I continue crying over him, remembering his former
happiness. But now he speaks boastfully and in overbearing pride he
says that he has his throne in the heavens. 6 Therefore, hear me,
and I will tell you what is the cause of his destiny. 7 Then, imbued
with the spirit of Satan. Elihu spoke hard words which are written
down in the records left of Elihu. 8 And after he had ended, God
appeared to me in a storm and in clouds, and spoke. blaming Elihu
and showing me that he who had spoken was not a man, but a wild
beast. 9 And when God had finished speaking to me, the Lord spoke to
Eliphaz: "Thou and thy friends have sinned in that ye have not
spoken the truth concerning my servant Job. 10 Therefore rise up and
make him bring a sin-offering for you in order that your sins may be
forgiven; for were it not for him, I would have destroyed you’’. 11
And so they brought to me all that belonged to a sacrifice, and I
took it and brought for them a sin-offering, and the Lord received
it favorably and forgave them their wrong. 12 Then when Eliphaz,
Baldad and Sophar saw that God had graciously pardoned their sin
through His servant Job, but that He did not deign to pardon Elihu,
then did Eliphaz begin to sing a hymn, while the others responded,
their soldiers also joining while standing by the altar. 13 And
Eliphaz spoke thus "Taken off is the sin and our injustice gone; 14
But Elihu, the evil one, shall have no remembrance among the living;
his luminary is extinguished and has lost its light. 15 The glory of
his lamp will announce itself for him, for he is the son of
darkness. and not of light. 16 The doorkeepers of the place of
darkness shall give him their glory and beauty as share; His Kingdom
hath vanished, his throne hath moldered, and the honor of his
stature is in (Sheol) Hades. 17 For he has loved the beauty of the
serpent and the scales (skins) of’ the dracon his gall and his venom
belongs to the Northern One (Zphuni = Adder). 18 For he did not own
himself unto the Lord nor did he fear him, but he hated those whom
He hath chosen (known). 19 Thus God forgot him, and "the holy ones"
forsook him, his wrath and anger shall be unto him desolation and he
will have no mercy in his heart nor peace, because he, had the venom
of an adder on his tongue. 20 Righteous is the Lord, and His
judgments are true, With him there is no preference of person, for
He judgeth all alike. 21 Behold, the Lord cometh! Behold, the "holy
ones" have been prepared: The crowns and the prizes of the victors
precede them! 22 Let the saints rejoice, and let their hearts exult
in gladness; for they shall receive the glory which is in store for
them.
Chorus
23 Our sins are
forgiven, our injustice has been cleansed, but Elihu hath no
remembrance among the living". 24 After Eliphaz had finished the
hymn, we rose and went back to the city, each to the house where
they lived. 25 And the people made a feast for me in gratitude and
delight of God, and all my friends came back to me. 26 And all those
who had seen me in my former state of happiness, asked me saying:
"What are those three things here amongst us"
Chapter 11
1 But I being
desirous to take up again my work of benevolence for the poor, asked
them saying: 2 "Give me each a lamb for the clothing of the poor in
their state of nakedness, and four drachmas (coins) of silver or
gold" 3 Then the Lord blessed all that was left to me, and after a
few days I became rich again in merchandise, in flocks and all
things which I had lost, and I received all in double number again.
4 Then I also took as wife your mother and became the father of you
ten in place of the ten children that had died. 5 And now, my
children, let me admonish you: "Behold I die. You will take my
place. 6 Only do not forsake the Lord. Be charitable towards the
poor; Do not disregard the feeble. Take not unto yourselves wives
from strangers. 7 Behold, my children, I shall divide among you what
I possess, so that each may have control over his own and have full
power to do good with his share". 8 And after he had spoken thus, he
brought all his goods and divided them among his seven sons, but he
gave nothing of his goods to his daughters. 9 Then they said to
their father: "Our lord and father! Are we not also thy children
Why, then, dost thou not also give us a share of thy possessions" 10
Then said Job to his daughters : "Do not become angry my daughters.
I have not forgotten you. Behold, I have preserved for you a
possession better than that which your brothers have taken". 11 And
he called his daughter whose name was Day (Yemima) and said to her:
"Take this double ring used as a key and go to the treasure-house
and bring me the golden casket, that I may give you your
possession’’. 12 And she went and brought it to him, and he opened
it and took out three-stringed girdles about the appearance of which
no man can speak. 13 For they were not earthly work, but celestial
sparks of light flashed through them like the rays of the sun. 14
And he gave one string to each of His daughters and said: "Put these
as girdles around you in order that all the days of your life they
may encircle you and endow you with every thing good". 15 And the
other daughter whose name was Kassiah said: "Is this the possession
of which thou sayest it is better than that of our brothers What now
Can we live on this" 16 And their father said to them: "Not only
have you here sufficient to live on, but these bring you into a
better world to live in, in the heavens. 17 Or do you not know my
children, the value of these things here Hear then! When the Lord
had deemed me worthy to have compassion on me and to take off my
body the plagues and the worms, He called me and handed to me these
three strings. 15 And He said to me: ‘Rise and gird up thy loins
like a man I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me'. 19 And I
took them and girt them around my loins, and immediately did the
worms leave my body, and likewise did the plagues, and my whole body
took new strength through the Lord, and thus I passed on, as though
I had never suffered. 20 But also in my heart I forgot the pains.
Then spoke the Lord unto me in His great power and showed to me all
that was and will be. 21 Now then, my children, in keeping these,
you will not have the enemy plotting against you nor [evil]
intentions in your mind because this is a charm (Phylacterion) from
the Lord. 22 Rise then and gird these around you before I die in
order that you may see the angels come at my parting so that you may
behold with wonder the powers of God". 23 Then rose the one whose
name was Day (Yemima) and girt herself; and immediately she departed
her body, as her father had said, and she put on another heart, as
if she never cared for earthly things. 24 And she sang angelic hymns
in the voice of angels, and she chanted forth the angelic praise of
God while dancing. 25 Then the other daughter, Kassia by name, put
on the girdle, and her heart was transformed, so that she no longer
wished for worldly things. 26 And her mouth assumed the dialect of
the heavenly rulers (Archonts) and she sang the donology of the work
of the High Place and if any one wishes to know the work of the
heavens he may take an insight into the hymns of Kassia. 27 Then did
the other daughter by the name of Amalthea’s Horn (Keren Happukh)
gird herself and her mouth spoke in the language of those on high;
for her heart was transformed, being lifted above the worldly
things. 28 She spoke in the dialect of the Cherubim, singing the
praise of the Ruler of the cosmic powers (virtues) and extolling
their (His) glory. 29 And he who desires to follow the vestiges of
the "Glory of the Father" will find them written down in the Prayers
of Amalthea’s Horn.
Chapter 12
1 After these three
had finished singing hymns. did I Nahor (Neros) brother of Job sit
down next to him, as he lay down. 2 And I heard the marvelous
(great) things of the three daughters of my brother, one always
succeeding the other amidst awful silence. 3 And I wrote down this
book containing the hymns except the hymns and signs of the [holy]
Word, for these were the great things of God. 4 And Job lay down
from sickness on his couch, yet without pain and suffering, because
his pain did not take strong hold of him on account of, the charm of
the girdle which he had wound around himself. 5 But after three days
Job saw the holy angels come for his soul, and instantly he rose and
took the cithara and gave it to his daughter Day (Yemima). 6 And to
Kassia he gave a censer (with perfume = Kassia, and to Amalthea’s
horn (= music) he gave a timbrel in order that they might bless the
holy angels who came for his soul. 7 And they took these, and sang,
and played on the psaltery and praised and glorified God in the holy
dialect. 8 And after this he came He who sitteth upon the great
chariot and kissed Job, while his three daughters looked on, but the
others saw it not. 9 And He took the soul of Job and He soared
upward, taking her (the soul) by the arm and carrying her upon the
chariot, and He went towards the East. 10 His body, however, was
brought to the grave while the three daughters marched ahead, having
put on their girdles and singing hymns in praise of God. 11 Then
held Nahor (Nereos) his brother and his seven sons, with the rest of
the people and the poor, the orphans and the feeble ones, a great
mourning over him, saying: 12 "Woe unto us, for today has been taken
from us the strength of the feeble, the light of the blind, the
father of the orphans; 13 The receiver of strangers has been taken
off the leader of the erring, the cover of the naked. the shield of
the widows. Who would not mourn for the man of God! 14 And as they
were mourning in this and in that form, they would not suffer him to
be put into the grave. 15 After three days, however, he was finally
put into the grave, like one in sweet slumber, and he received the
name of the good (beautiful) who will remain renowned throughout all
generations of the world. 16 He left seven sons and three daughters,
and there were no daughters found on earth as fair as the daughters
of Job. 17 The name of Job was formerly Jobab, and he was called Job
by the Lord. 18 He had lived before his plague eighty five years,
and after the plague he took the double share of all; hence also his
year’s he doubled, which is 170 years. Thus he lived altogether 255
years. 19 And, he saw sons of his sons unto the fourth generation.
It is written that he will rise up with those whom the Lord will
reawaken. To our Lord by glory. Amen." - Translated by M.
R. James in "Apocrypha anecdota 2. Texts and Studies 5/1. Cambridge:
University Press, 1897". (Scanned and edited by Diane Morgan for the Wesley Center for Applied
Technology at Northwest Nazarene University, Copyright 2000 by the
Wesley Center for Applied Theology).
The Gospel of Peter
Introduction
"The early
testimonies about this book have been set forth already. The present
fragment was discovered in 1884 in a tomb at Akhmimin Egypt. The
manuscript in which it is a little book containing a portion of the
Book of Enoch in Greek, this fragment on the Passion and another, a
description of Heaven and Hell, which is either (as I now think) a
second fragment of the Gospel, We have seen that the Gospel of Peter
is quoted by writers of the latter end of the second century. It has
been contended that Justin Martyr also used it soon after the middle
of that century, but the evidence is not demonstrative. I believe it
is not safe to date the book much earlier than A.D. 150. It uses all
four canonical Gospels, and is the earliest uncanonical account of
the Passion that exists. It is not wholly orthodox: for it throws
doubt on the reality of the Lord's sufferings, and by consequence
upon the reality of his human body. In other words it is, as
Serapion of Antioch indicated, of a Docetic character. Another
characteristic of it is its extremely anti-Jewish attitude. Blame is
thrown on the Jews wherever possible, and Pilate is white-washed. In
this case I give, in Roman and Arabic figures respectively, a double
division into sections and verses. The first is that of Armitage
Robinson, the second that of Harnack."
FRAGMENT I
"I. 1 But of the
Jews no man washed his hands, neither did Herod nor any one of his
judges: and whereas they would not 2 wash, Pilate rose up. And then
Herod the king commanded that the Lord should be taken into their
hands, saying unto them: All that I commanded you to do unto him, do
ye
II. 3 Now there
stood there Joseph the friend of Pilate and of the Lord, and he,
knowing that they were about to crucify him, came unto Pilate and
begged the body of Jesus for burial. And Pilate sending unto Herod,
begged his body. 5 And Herod said: Brother Pilate, even if none had
begged for him, we should have buried him, since also the Sabbath
dawneth; for it is written in the law that the sun should not set
upon one that hath been slain (murdered).
III. 6 And he
delivered him unto the people before the first day of (or on the day
before the) unleavened bread, even their feast. And they having
taken the Lord pushed him as they ran, and said: Let us hale the Son
of God, now that 7 we have gotten authority over him. And they put
on him a purple robe, and made him sit upon the seat of judgement, 8
saying: Give righteous judgement, thou King of Israel. And one of
them brought a crown of thorns and set it upon the 9 Lord's head;
and others stood and did spit in his eyes, and others buffeted his
cheeks; and others did prick him with a reed, and some of them
scourged him, saying With this honour let us honour (or at this
price let us value) the son of God.
IV. 10 And they
brought two malefactors, and crucified the 11 Lord between them. But
he kept silence, as one feeling no pain. And when they set the cross
upright, they wrote 12 thereon: This is the King of Israel. And they
laid his garments before him, and divided them among themselves and
13 cast the lot upon them. But one of those malefactors reproached
them, saying: We have thus suffered for the evils which we have
done; but this man which hath become the 14 saviour of men, wherein
hath he injured you? And they were wroth with him, and commanded
that his legs should not be broken, that so he might die in torment.
V. 15 Now it was
noonday, and darkness prevailed over all Judaea: and they were
troubled and in an agony lest the sun should have set, for that he
yet lived: for it is written for them that the sun should not set
upon him that hath been 16 slain (murdered). And one of them said:
Give ye him to drink gall with vinegar: and they mingled it and gave
him 17 to drink: and they fulfilled all things and accomplished 18
their sins upon their own heads. And many went about with 19 lamps,
supposing that it was night: and some fell. And the Lord cried out
aloud saying: My power, my power, thou hast forsaken me. And when he
had so said, he was taken up.
20 And in the same hour was the
veil of the temple of Jerusalem rent in two.
VI. 21 And then they plucked the
nails from the hands of the Lord and laid him upon the earth: and
the whole earth was shaken, and there came a great fear on all.
22 Then the sun
shone forth, and it was found to be the ninth 23 hour. And the Jews
rejoiced, and gave his body unto Joseph to bury it, because he had
beheld all the good things which 24 he did. And he took the Lord and
washed him and wrapped him in linen and brought him unto his own
sepulchre, which is called the Garden of Joseph.
VII. 25 Then the
Jews and the elders and the priests, when they perceived how great
evil they had done themselves, began to lament and to say: Woe unto
our sins: the judgement and the end of Jerusalem is drawn nigh.
26 But I with my
fellows was in grief, and we were wounded in our minds and would
have hid ourselves; for we were sought after by them as malefactors,
and as thinking to set 27 the temple on fire. And beside all these
things we were fasting, and we sat mourning and weeping night and
day until the Sabbath.
VIII. 28 But the
scribes and Pharisees and elders gathered one with another, for they
had heard that all the people were murmuring and beating their
breasts, saying: If these very great signs have come to pass at his
death, behold how 29 righteous he was. And the elders were afraid
and came unto 30 Pilate, entreating him and saying: Give us soldiers
that we (or they) may watch his sepulchre for three days, lest his
disciples come and steal him away and the people suppose 31 that he
is risen from the dead, and do us hurt. And Pilate gave them
Petronius the centurion with soldiers to watch the sepulchre; and
the elders and scribes came with them unto 32 the tomb, and when
they had rolled a great stone to keep out (al. together with) the
centurion and the soldiers, then all 33 that were there together set
it upon the door of the tomb; and plastered thereon seven seals; and
they pitched a tent there and kept watch.
IX. 34 And early in
the morning as the Sabbath dawned, there came a multitude from
Jerusalem and the region roundabout to see the sepulchre that had
been sealed.
35 Now in the night
whereon the Lord's day dawned, as the soldiers were keeping guard
two by two in every watch, 36 there came a great sound in the
heaven, and they saw the heavens opened and two men descend thence,
shining with (lit. having) a great light, and drawing near unto the
sepulchre. 37 And that stone which had been set on the door rolled
away of itself and went back to the side, and the sepulchre was
X. 38 opened and
both of the young men entered in. When therefore those soldiers saw
that, they waked up the centurion and the elders (for they also were
there keeping 39 watch); and while they were yet telling them the
things which they had seen, they saw again three men come out of the
sepulchre, and two of them sustaining the other (lit. the 40 one),
and a cross following, after them. And of the two they saw that
their heads reached unto heaven, but of him that 41 was led by them
that it overpassed the heavens. And they 42 heard a voice out of the
heavens saying: Hast thou (or Thou hast) preached unto them that
sleep? And an answer was heard from the cross, saying: Yea.
XI. 43 Those men
therefore took counsel one with another to go and report these
things unto Pilate. And while they yet thought thereabout, again the
heavens were opened and a 45 man descended and entered into the
tomb. And they that were with the centurion (or the centurion and
they that were with him) when they saw that, hasted to go by night
unto Pilate and left the sepulchre whereon they were keeping watch,
and told all that they had seen, and were in great agony, saying: Of
a truth he was the son of God.
46 Pilate answered
and said: I am clear from the blood of 47 the son of God, but thus
it seemed good unto you. Then all they came and besought him and
exhorted him to charge the centurion and the soldiers to tell
nothing of that they had 48 seen: For, said they, it is expedient
for us to incur the greatest sin before God, rather than to (and not
to) fall into 49 the hands of the people of the Jews and to be
stoned. Pilate therefore charged the centurion and the soldiers that
they should say nothing.
XII. 50 Now early
on the Lord's day Mary Magdalene, a disciple (fem.) of the
Lord-which, being afraid because of the Jews, for they were inflamed
with anger, had not performed at the sepulchre of the Lord those
things which women are accustomed to do unto them that die and are
51 beloved of them-took with her the women her friends and 52 came
unto the tomb where he was laid. And they feared lest the Jews
should see them, and said: Even if we were not able to weep and
lament him on that day whereon he was 53 crucified, yet let us now
do so at his tomb. But who will roll away for us the stone also that
is set upon the door of the tomb, that we may enter in and sit
beside him and perform 54 that which is due? for the stone was
great, and we fear lest any man see us. And if we cannot do so, yet
let us cast down at the door these things which we bring for a
memorial of him, and we will weep and lament until we come unto our
house.
XIII. 55 And they
went and found the sepulchre open : and they drew near and looked in
there, and saw there a young man sitting in the midst of the
sepulchre, of a fair countenance and clad in very bright raiment,
which said unto them: 56 Wherefore are ye come? whom seek ye? not
him that was crucified? He is risen and is departed; but if ye
believe it not, look in and see the place where he lay, that he is
not here: for he is risen and is departed thither whence he was
sent. 57 Then the women were affrighted and fled.
XV. 58 Now it was
the last day of unleavened bread, and many were coming forth of the
city and returning unto their 59 own homes because the feast was at
an end. But we, the twelve disciples of the Lord, were weeping and
were in sorrow, and each one being grieved for that which had
befallen 60 departed unto his own house. But I, Simon Peter, and
Andrew my brother, took our nets and went unto the sea: and there
was with us Levi the son of Alphaeus, whom the Lord (For Fragment II
see Apocalypse of Peter.)" - in "The Apocryphal New Testament" M. R.
James, Translation and Notes, 1924. (Scanned and Edited by Joshua
Williams Northwest Nazarene College 1995).
The Teachings of Christ in
Persia and India
There will come into the world a
master, a fully illuminated Buddha, complete in wisdom and action,
illuminated and blessed as myself.
He will instruct in the Dharma and institute the holy life in
completeness and in simplicity.
“This prince will come to the
fulfilment of perfect enlightenment. The religious life will be
fully expounded.” - Sutta Nipata 693
“When a Bodhisattva descends from
heaven, there appears in this world an immeasurable, splendid light
surpassing the glory of the most powerful glow.
And whatever dark spaces lie beyond the world’s end will be
illuminated by this light.” - Digha Nikaya 14.1.17
"And
in that time of the people with an 80,000 year lifespan, there will
arise in the world a Blessed Lord, an Arahant fully enlightened
Buddha named Metteyya, endowed with wisdom and conduct, a
Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable Trainer of men to be
tamed, Teacher of gods and humans, enlightened and blessed, just as
I am now. He will thoroughly know by his own super-knowledge, and
proclaim, this universe with its devas and maras and Brahmas, its
ascetics and Brahmins, and this generation with its princes and
people, just as I do now. He will teach the Dhamma, lovely in
its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in its ending, in the
spirit and in the letter, and proclaim, just as I do now, the holy
life in its fullness and purity. He will be attended by a company of
thousands of monks, just as I am attended by a company of hundreds.”
- Digha Nikaya, Patika-vagga, Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutta 26:25
For Christ who Is God, incarnated has
Jesus, went to the East in the fulfilment of prophecy. Know that
even after He has risen, in His transmuted body did so appeared, and
spoke to those in the Americas. In like manner that He appeared, and
so spoke to those in the biblical lands. The periods of study in
Palestine were only at the time of His sojourn in the temple, or in
Jerusalem during those periods when He was quoted by Luke as being
among the rabbi or teachers. His studies in Persia, India and Egypt
covered much greater periods. He was always registered under the
name Jeshua.
Chapter I
1 The earth has
trembled and the heavens have wept, because of the great crime just
committed in the land of Israel.
2 For they have put to torture and executed the great just Issa
(Jesus), in whom dwelt the spirit of the world.
3 Which was incarnated in a simple mortal, that men might be
benefited and evil thoughts exterminated thereby.
4 And in order to bring back to a life of peace, love, and
happiness, man degraded by sin, and recall to him the One and
indivisible Creator whose mercy is boundless and infinite.
5 This is what is related to us by the merchants who have come from
Israel.
Chapter II
1 The people of
Israel, who dwelt on a fertile soil giving forth two crops a year
and who possessed large flocks, excited by their sins the wrath of
God.
2 And he inflicted upon them a terrible punishment by taking away
their land, their flocks, and all they possessed; and Israel was
reduced to slavery by the rich and powerful Pharaohs who then
reigned in Egypt.
3 The latter treated the Israelites more cruelly than animals,
loading them with chains and putting them to the roughest labour;
they covered their bodies with bruises and wounds, and denied them
food and shelter,
4 That they might be kept in a state of continual terror and robbed
of all semblance of humanity;
5 And in their great calamity, the people of Israel remembered their
heavenly Protector and, addressing themselves to Him, implored His
grace and mercy.
6 An illustrious pharaoh then reigned in Egypt who had rendered
himself famous by his numerous victories, the riches he had heaped
up, and the vast palaces which his slaves had erected for him with
their own hands.
7 This Pharaoh had two sons, the younger of whom was called Mossa
(Moses); and the learned Israelites taught him diverse sciences.
8 And Mossa was beloved throughout the land of Egypt for his
goodness and the compassion he displayed for them that suffered.
9 Seeing that the Israelites would not, in spite of the intolerable
sufferings they were enduring, abandon their God to worship those
made by the hand of man, which were gods of the Egyptian nation.
10 Mossa believed in their invisible God, who did not let their
failing strength give way.
11 And the Israelite preceptors encouraged Mossa's ardour and had
recourse to him, begging him to intercede with Pharaoh, his father,
in favour of his co-religionists.
12 Wherefore the Prince Mossa went to his father, begging him to
ameliorate the fate of these unfortunates. But the pharaoh became
angered against him and only augmented the torments endured by his
slaves.
13 It came to pass, not long after, that a great calamity fell upon
Egypt; the plague decimated the young and the old, the strong and
the sick; and the Pharaoh believed he had incurred the wrath of his
own gods against him;
14 But the prince Mossa declared to his father, that it was the God
of his slaves who was interfering in favour of his unhappy people
and punishing the Egyptians;
15 Pharaoh commanded Mossa, his son, to gather all the slaves of
Jewish race, to lead them away to a great distance from the capital
and found another city, where he should remain with them.
16 Mossa announced to the Hebrew slaves that he had delivered them
in the name of their God, the God of Israel; and he went with them
out of the city and of the land of Egypt.
17 He led them into the land they had lost through their many sins;
he gave them laws and enjoined them to always pray to the invisible
Creator whose goodness is infinite.
18 At the death of the prince Mossa, the Israelites rigorously
observed his laws, and God recompensed them for the wrongs they had
suffered in Egypt.
19 Their kingdom became the most powerful in all the world, their
kings gained renown for their treasures, and a long period of peace
prevailed among the children of Israel.
Chapter III
1 The fame of the
riches of Israel spread over all the world, and the neighbouring
nations envied them.
2 For the Most High himself led the victorious arms of the Hebrews,
and the pagans dared not attack them.
3 Unhappily, as man is not always true to himself, the fidelity of
the Israelites to their God did not last long.
4 They began by forgetting all the favours which He had heaped upon
them, invoked but seldom his name, and sought the protection of
magicians and sorcerers.
5 The kings and rulers substituted their own laws for those that
Mossa had prepared; the temple of God and the practice of worship
were abandoned, the nation gave itself up to pleasures and lost its
original purity.
6 Several centuries had elapsed since their departure from Egypt
when God determined to exercise once more his chastisements upon
them.
7 Strangers began to invade the land of Israel, devastating the
fields, destroying the villages, and taking the inhabitants into
captivity.
8 A throng of pagans came from over the sea, from the country of
Romeles; they subjected the Hebrews, and the commanders of the army
governed them by authority of Caesar.
9 They destroyed the temples, they forced the inhabitants to cease
worshipping the invisible God, and compelled them to sacrifice
victims to the pagan deities.
10 They made warriors of those who had been nobles, the women were
torn away from their husbands, and the lower classes, reduced to
slavery, were sent by thousands beyond the seas.
11 As to the children, they were put to the sword. Soon in all the
land of Israel naught was heard but groans and lamentations.
12 In this dire distress the people remembered their powerful God;
they implored His mercy and besought him to forgive them; our
Father, in His inexhaustible goodness, heeded their prayers.
Chapter IV
1 And now the time
had come, which the Supreme Judge, in his boundless clemency, had
chosen to incarnate himself in a human being.
2 And the Eternal Spirit, dwelling in a state of complete inaction
and of supreme beatitude, awoke and detached itself for an
indefinite period from the Eternal Being.
3 In order to indicate, in assuming the human form, the means of
identifying ourselves with the Divinity and of attaining eternal
felicity.
4 And to teach us, by his example, how we may reach a state of moral
purity and separate the soul from its gross envelope, that it may
attain the perfection necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven which
is immutable and where eternal happiness reigns.
5 Soon after, a marvellous Child was born in the land of Israel, God
Himself speaking by the mouth of this Infant of the frailty of the
body and the grandeur of the soul.
6 The parents of this newborn child were poor, belonging by birth to
a family of exalted piety, which disregarded its former worldly
greatness to magnify the name of the Creator and thanked Him for the
ills with which he saw fit to prove them.
7 To reward them for their perseverance in the path of truth, God
blessed the first-born of this family; he chose him as his elect,
and sent him forth to raise those that had fallen into evil, and to
heal them that suffered.
8 The divine child, to whom was given the name of Issa, began even
in his most tender years to speak of the One and indivisible God,
exhorting the people that had strayed from the path of righteousness
to repent and purify themselves of the sins they had committed.
9 People came from all parts to hear him, and they marvelled at the
discourses proceeding from his Childish mouth. All the Israelites
were of one accord in saying that the Eternal Spirit dwelt in this
Child.
10 When Issa had attained the age of thirteen years, the epoch when
an Israelite should take a wife.
11 The house in which his parents dwelt and earned their livelihood
in modest labour, became a meeting place for the rich and noble, who
desired to gain for a son-in-law the young Issa, already celebrated
for his edifying discourses in the name of the Almighty.
12 Then it was that Issa left the parental house in secret, departed
from Jerusalem, and with the merchants set out towards Sindh.
13 With the object of perfecting himself in the Divine Word and of
studying the laws of the great Buddhas.
Chapter V
1 In the course of
his fourteenth year, young Issa, blessed by God, journeyed beyond
Sindh and established himself among the Aryas in the beloved country
of God.
2 The fame and reputation of his name spread along of Northern Sindh,
and when he crossed the country of the five rivers and the Rajputana,
the devotees of Jain Dharma begged him to remain in their midst.
3 But he left the misguided admirers of Jain Dharma and visited
Juggernaut, in the province of Orissa, where the remains of Vyasa-Krishna
rest, and where he received a joyous welcome from the white priests
of Brahma.
4 They taught him to read and understand the Vedas, to heal by
prayer, to teach and explain the Holy Scripture, to cast out evil
spirits from the bodies of men, restoring unto them their sanity.
5 He spent six years in Juggernaut, Rajegriha, Benares, and the
other holy cities; everyone loved him, for Issa lived in peace
with the Vaisyas and the Sudras, to whom he taught the Holy
Scripture.
6 But the Brahmans and the Kshatriyas declared that the Great
Para-Brahma forbade them to approach those whom he had created from
his entrails and from his feet.
7 That the Vaisyas were authorized to listen only to the reading of
the Vedas, and this on festival days only.
8 That the Soudras were not only forbidden to attend the reading of
the Vedas, but also from contemplating them; for their condition was
to perpetually serve and act as slaves to the Brahmans, the
Kshatriyas, and even to the Vaisyas.
9 “Death alone can free them from servitude”, said Para-Brahma.
“Leave them, therefore, and worship with us the gods who will show
their anger against you if you disobey them.”
10 But Issa listened not to their discourses and betook him to the
Sudras, preaching against the Brahmans and the Kshatriyas.
11 He inveighed against the act of a man arrogating to himself the
power to deprive his fellow beings of their rights of humanity;
“for”, said He: “God the Father makes no difference between His
children; all to Him are equally dear.”
12 Issa denied the divine origin of the Vedas and the Puranas.
“For”, taught He to his followers: “a law has already been given to
man to guide him in his actions;
13 Fear thy God, bend the knee before him only, and bring to him
alone the offerings which proceed from thy gains.”
14 Issa denied the Trimourti and the incarnation of Para-Brahma in
Vishnu, Siva, and other gods, for said He:
15 “The Judge Eternal, the
Eternal Spirit, comprehends the One and indivisible Soul of the
universe, which alone creates, contains, and vivifies all.
16 He alone has willed and created, He alone has existed since all
eternity, and His existence will have no end. He has no equal either
in the heavens or on earth.
17 The Great Creator has not shared His power with any living being,
still less with inanimate objects, as they have taught to you; for
He alone possesses omnipotence.
18 He willed it and the world appeared. In a divine thought, he
gathered together the waters, separating from them the dry portion
of the globe. He is the principle of the mysterious existence of
man, in whom He has breathed a part of His Being.
19 And he has subordinated to man the earth, the waters, the beasts,
and all that He has created and that he himself preserves in
immutable order, fixing for each thing the length of its duration.
20 The wrath of God will soon be let loose against man; for he has
forgotten his Creator, he has filled his temples with abominations,
and he worships a crowd of creatures which God has made subordinate
to him.
21 For to do honour to stones and metals, he sacrifices human
beings, in whom dwells a part of the spirit of the Most High.
22 For he humiliates those who work by the sweat of their brow to
acquire the favour of an idler seated at his sumptuous spread table.
23 They that deprive their brothers of divine happiness shall
themselves be deprived of it, and the Brahmans and the Kshatriyas
shall become the Sudras of he Sudras with whom the Eternal shall
dwell eternally.
24 Because in the day of the last judgment the Sudras and the
Vaisyas will be forgiven much because of their ignorance, while God,
on the contrary, will punish with his wrath those who have arrogated
to themselves his rights.”
25 The Vaisyas and the
Sudras were filled with great admiration and asked Issa how they
should pray to secure their happiness.
26 “Worship not the idols,
for they hear you not. Listen not to the Vedas, for their truth is
perverted; do not believe yourself first in all things. Never put
yourself in the first place and never humiliate your neighbour.
27 Help the poor, support the weak, do ill to no one, and covet not
that which thou hast not and which thou seest belongeth to another.”
Chapter VI
1 The white priests
and the warriors becoming cognizant of the discourse addressed by
Issa to the Sudras, resolved upon his death and sent their servants
for this purpose in search of the young prophet.
2 But Issa, warned of his danger by the Sudras, left the
neighbourhood of Juggernaut by night, reached the mountain, and
established himself in the country of Gautamides, the birthplace of
the great Buddha Sakyamuni, in the midst of a people worshipping the
one and sublime Brahma.
3 After having perfected
himself in the Pali language, the just Issa applied himself to the
study of the sacred writings of the Sutras.
4 Six years after, Issa, whom the Buddha had elected to spread his
holy word, could perfectly explain the sacred rolls.
5 Then He left Nepal and the Himalayan mountains, descended into the
valley of Rajputana, and went towards the west, preaching to diverse
peoples the supreme perfection of man.
6 Which is to do good to one's neighbour, being the sure means of
merging oneself rapidly in the Eternal Spirit: “He who shall have
regained his original purity will die having obtained remission for
his sins, and he will have the right to contemplate the majesty of
God.”- said Issa
7 In crossing pagan territories, the divine Issa taught that the
worship of visible gods was contrary to the law of nature.
8 “For man, has not been favoured with the sight of the image of God
nor the ability to construct a host of divinities resembling the
Eternal.
9 Moreover, it is incompatible with the human conscience to make
less matter of the grandeur of divine purity than of animals and
objects executed by the hand of man in stone or metal.
10 The Eternal Lawgiver Is One; there is no other God but He. He has
not shared the world with anyone, neither has he confided his
intentions to anyone.
11 Even as a father would act towards his children, so will God
judge men after their deaths according to the laws of his mercy.
Never would He so humiliate his child as to transmigrate his soul,
as in a purgatory, into the body of an animal.
12 The heavenly law, is opposed to the immolation of human
sacrifices to a statue or to an animal; for I have consecrated to
man all the animals and all that the earth contains.
13 All things have been sacrificed to man, who is directly and
intimately associated with Me his Father; therefore he who shall
have stolen from Me of my child will be severely judged and
chastised by the divine law.
14 Man is naught before the Eternal Judge, as the animal is naught
before man.
15 Therefore I say unto you, leave your idols and perform not rites
which separate you from your Father, and bind you to priests from
whom the face of heaven is turned away.
16 For it is they who have led you from the true God and whose
superstitions and cruelties are leading you to perversion of the
intellect and the loss of all moral sense.” - said Issa
Chapter VII
1 The words of Issa
spread among the pagans in the midst of the countries he traversed,
and the inhabitants forsook their idols.
2 Seeing which the priests exacted of him who glorified the name of
the true God, reason in the presence of the people for the
reproaches he made against them and a demonstration of the
nothingness of their idols.
3 And Issa made answer to them: “If your idols and your animals are
mighty and really possessed of supernatural strength, then let them
strike me to the earth.”
4 “Perform a miracle”, replied the priests, “and let thy God
confound our own, if they are loathsome to him.”
5 But Issa then said: “The miracles of our God began when the
universe was created; they occur each day, each instant; whosoever
does not see them is deprived of one of the most beautiful gifts of
life.
6 And it is not against pieces of inanimate stone, metal, or wood,
that the wrath of God will have full course; but it will fall on
men, who, if they desire their salvation, must destroy all the idols
they have made.
7 Even as a stone and a grain of sand, naught as they are in the
sight of man, wait patiently the moment when he shall take and make
use of them.
8 So man must await the great favour that God shall accord him in
his final judgment.
9 But woe unto you, ye enemies of men, if it be not a favour that
you await but rather the wrath of the Divinity - woe unto you if ye
expect miracles to bear witness to his power.
10 For it is not the idols that will be annihilated in His wrath,
but those who shall have erected them; their hearts shall be the
prey of everlasting fire, and their lacerated bodies shall serve as
food for wild beasts.
11 God will drive the impure from among his flocks, but He will take
back to Himself those who shall have gone astray through not having
recognized the portion of spirituality within them.
12 Seeing the powerlessness of their priests, the pagans had still
greater faith in the sayings of Issa and, fearing the wrath of the
Divinity, broke their idols to pieces. they tried to escape the
vengeance of the populace.
13 And Issa also taught the pagans not to strive to see the Eternal
Spirit with their own eyes, but to endeavour to feel it in their
hearts, and, by purity of soul, to make themselves worthy of its
favours.
14 “Not only must you desist from offering human sacrifices”, said
he unto them: “but you must immolate no animal to which life has
been given, for all things have been created for the benefit of man.
15 Do not steal the goods of your neighbour, for that would be to
deprive him of what he has acquired by the sweat of his brow.
16 Deceive no one, that you may not yourself be deceived; strive to
justify yourself before the last judgment, for it will then be too
late.
17 Do not give yourselves up to debauchery, for that would be to
violate the laws of God.
18 You shall attain supreme beatitude, not only by purifying
yourself, but also by leading others into the path that shall permit
them to regain original perfection."
Chapter VIII
1 The fame of
Issa's sermons spread to the neighbouring countries, and, when He
reached Persia, the priests became alarmed and forbade the
inhabitants to listen to him.
2 But when they saw that all the villages welcomed him with joy, and
eagerly listened to his preaching, they caused his arrest and
brought him before the high-priest, where he was submitted to the
following interrogatory:
3 “Of what new God dost thou speak? Art thou not aware, unhappy man,
that Zoroaster is the only just one admitted to the privilege of
communion with the Supreme Being.
4 Who has commanded the angels to draw up in writing the word of
God, laws that were given to Zoroaster in paradise.”
5 Who then art thou that darest to blaspheme our God and sow doubt
in the hearts of believers?"
6 And Issa said unto them: “It is not of a new god that I speak, but
of our heavenly Father, who has existed since all time and who will
still be after the end of all things.
7 It is of Him that I have discoursed to the people, who, like unto
innocent children, are not yet capable of comprehending God by the
simple strength of their intelligence or of penetrating into His
divine and spiritual sublimity.
8 But even as a babe discovers in the darkness its mother's breast,
so even your people, who have been led into error by your erroneous
doctrine and your religious ceremonies, have recognized by instinct
their Father in the Father of whom I am the prophet.
9 The Eternal Being has said to your people through the medium of my
mouth: “You shall not worship the sun, for it is but a part of the
world which I have created for man.
10 The sun rises in order to warm you during your work; it sets to
allow you the repose which I myself have appointed.
11 It is to me, and to me alone, that you owe all that you possess,
all that is to be found about you, above you, and below you.”
12 “But”, said the priests, “how could a people live according to
the laws of justice, if it possessed no preceptors?"
13 Then Issa replied: “So long as the people had no priests, they
were governed by the law of nature and retained their candour of
soul.
14 Their souls were with God, and to commune with the Father they
had recourse to the medium of no idol or animal, nor to the fire, as
is practised here.
15 You contend that one must worship the sun, the spirit of good and
of evil. Well, I say unto you, your doctrine is a false one, the sun
acting not spontaneously but according to the will of the invisible
Creator who gave it birth.
16 And who has willed it to be the star that should light the day,
to warm the labour and the crops of man.
17 The Eternal Spirit is the soul of all that is animate. You commit
a great sin in dividing it into a spirit of evil and a spirit of
good, for there is no God outside the good.
18 Who, like unto the father of a family, does but good to his
children, forgiving all their faults if they repent of them.
19 The spirit of evil dwells on the earth in the hearts of those men
who turn aside the children of God from the strait path.
20 Therefore I say unto you, Beware of the day of judgment, for God
will inflict a terrible chastisement upon all those who have led his
children astray from the right path and have filled them with
superstitions and prejudices.
21 Those who have blinded the seeing, conveyed contagion to the
healthy, and taught the worship of the things that God has
subordinated to man for his good and to aid him in his work.
22 Your doctrine is therefore the fruit of your errors; for desiring
to bring near to you the God of truth, you have created for
yourselves false gods.”
23 After listening to him, the wise men resolved to do him no harm.
In the night, while the city was wrapped in slumber, they conducted
him outside the walls and left him on the highway, hoping that he
might soon become the prey of wild beasts.
24 But, protected by the Lord our God, Issa continued his way
unmolested.
Chapter IX
1 Issa, whom the
Creator had elected to remind a depraved humanity of the true God,
had reached his twenty-ninth year when he returned to the land of
Israel.
2 Since his departure the pagans had inflicted still more atrocious
sufferings on the Israelites, who were a prey to the deepest
despondency.
3 Many among them had already begun to abandon the laws of their God
and those of Mossa in the hope of appeasing their harsh conquerors.
4 In the face of this evil, Issa exhorted his compatriots not to
despair because the day of the redemption of sins was at hand, and
he confirmed them in the belief which they had in the God of their
fathers.
5 “Children, do not give yourselves up to despair”, said the
Heavenly Father by the mouth of Issa: “for I have heard your voice,
and your cries have ascended to me.
6 Weep not, O my beloved ones! For your grief has touched the heart
of your Father, and he has forgiven you, even as he forgave your
forefathers.
7 Do not abandon your families to plunge yourselves into debauchery,
do not lose the nobility of your sentiments, and do not worship
idols who will remain deaf to your voices.
8 Fill my temple with your hope and with your patience and abjure
not the religion of your fathers; for I alone have guided them and
have heaped blessings upon them.
9 You shall lift up those who have fallen, you shall give food to
the hungry, and you shall come to the aid of the sick, so as to be
all pure and just at the day of the last judgment which I prepare
for you.”
10 The Israelites came in crowds at the word of Issa, asking him
where they should praise the Heavenly Father, seeing that the enemy
had razed their temples to the ground and laid low their sacred
vessels.
11 And Issa made answer to them; that God had not in view temples
erected by the hands of men, but he meant thereby that the human
heart was the true temple of God.
12 “Enter into your temple, into your heart. Illumine it with good
thoughts and the patience and immovable confidence which you should
have in your Father.
13 And your sacred vessels, they are your hands and your eyes. See
and do that which is agreeable to God, for, in doing good to your
neighbour, you perform a rite which embellishes the temple wherein
dwells He who has given you life.
14 For God has created you in his own image; innocent, pure of soul,
with a heart filled with kindness, and destined, not to the
conception of evil schemes, but made to be sanctuaries of love and
justice.
15 Therefore I say unto you, sully not your hearts, for the Supreme
Being dwells therein eternally.
16 If you wish to accomplish works marked with love and piety, do
them with an open heart, and let not your actions be governed by the
hope of gain or by thought of profit.
17 For such actions would not help to your salvation, and you would
fall into that state of moral degradation where theft, lying, and
murder pass for generous deeds.”
Chapter X
1 Issa went from
one town to another, strengthening, by the word of God the courage
of the Israelites, who were ready to succumb under the weight of
their despair; and thousands followed him to hear his preachings.
2 But the chiefs of the towns became afraid of him, and they made
known to the principal governor who dwelt at Jerusalem that a man
named Issa had arrived in the country; that he was stirring up by
his discourses the people against the authorities; that the crowd
listened to him with assiduity, neglected the works of the state,
and affirmed that before long it would be rid of its intrusive
governors.
3 Then Pilate, governor of Jerusalem, ordered that they should seize
the person of the preacher Issa, that they should bring him into the
town and lead him before the judges. But in order not to excite the
anger of the populace, Pilate charged the priests and the learned
Hebrew elders to judge him in the temple.
4 Meanwhile Issa, continuing his preachings, arrived at Jerusalem;
and, having learnt of his arrival, all the inhabitants, knowing him
already by reputation, went out to meet him.
5 They greeted him respectfully and opened to him the gates of their
temple in order to hear from his lips what he had said in the other
cities of Israel.
6 And Issa said unto them: “The human race perishes because of its
lack of faith, for the darkness and the tempest have scattered the
flocks of humanity and they have lost their shepherd.
7 But the tempest will not last forever, and the darkness will not
always obscure the light. The sky will become once more serene, the
heavenly light will spread itself over the earth, and the flocks
gone astray will gather around their shepherd.
8 Do not strive to find straight paths in the darkness, lest ye fall
into a pit; but gather together your remaining strength, support one
another, place your confidence in your God, and wait till light
appears.
9 He who sustains his neighbour, sustains himself; and whosoever
protects his family, protects the people and the nation.
10 For be sure that the day is at hand when you shall be delivered
from the darkness; you shall be gathered together as one family; and
your enemy, who ignores what the favour of God is, shall tremble
with fear.”
11 The priests and the elders who were listening to him, filled with
admiration at his discourse, asked him if it were true that he had
tried to stir up the people against the authorities of the country,
as had been reported to the governor Pilate.
12 “Can one excite to insurrection men gone astray, from whom the
obscurity has hidden their door and their path? I have only warned
the unfortunate, as I warn them in this temple, that they may not
further advance along the darkened way, for an abyss is open under
their feet.
13 Earthly power is not of long duration, and it is subject to
many changes. Of what use that man should revolt against it, seeing
that one power always succeeds to another power? And thus it will
come to pass until the extinction of humanity.
14 Against which, see you not that the mighty and the rich sow
among the sons of Israel a spirit of rebellion against the eternal
power of heaven?” - said Issa.
15 The elders then asked, “Who art thou, and from what country dost
thou come? We have not heard speak of thee before, and we know not
even thy name.”
16 “I am an Israelite. From the day of my birth I saw the walls of
Jerusalem, and I heard the weeping of my brothers reduced to slavery
and the lamentations of my sisters who were carried away by the
pagans.
17 And my soul was filled with sadness when I saw that my brethren
had forgotten the true God. As a child, I left my father's house and
went to dwell among other peoples.
18 But having heard that my brethren were suffering still greater
tortures, I have come back to the country where my parents dwell to
remind my brothers of the faith of their forefathers, which teaches
us patience on earth to obtain perfect and sublime happiness in
heaven.” - said Issa.
19 And the learned elders put him this question, “It is said that
thou deniest the laws of Mossa and that thou teachest the people to
forsake the temple of God?"
20 And Issa replied: “One cannot demolish that which has been given
by our Heavenly Father, neither that which has been destroyed by
sinners; but I have enjoined the purification of the heart from all
blemish, for it is the true temple of God.
21 As to the laws of Mossa, I have striven to re-establish them in
the heart of men; and I say to you, that you do not understand their
real meaning, for it is not vengeance, but forgiveness that they
teach; but the sense of these laws have been perverted.”
Chapter XI
1 Having hearkened
unto Issa, the priests and the wise elders decided among themselves
not to judge him, for he did harm to no one. And presenting
themselves before Pilate, appointed governor of Jerusalem by the
pagan king of the country of Romeles, they addressed him thus;
2 “We have seen the man whom thou
accusest of inciting our people
to rebellion, we have heard his preaching and know that he is of our
people.
3 But the chiefs of the
towns have sent thee false reports, for this is a just man who
teaches the people the word of God. After interrogating him, we
dismissed him that he might go in peace.”
4 The governor then sent near to Issa his servants in disguise, so
that they might watch all his actions and report to the authorities
the least word that he should address to the people.
5 In the meantime, Issa continued to visit the neighbouring towns,
preaching the true ways of the Creator, exhorting the Hebrews to
patience, and promising them a speedy deliverance.
6 And during all this time, a multitude followed wherever He went,
many never leaving him, and acting as his helpers.
7 And Issa said to them: “Do not believe in miracles wrought by the
hand of man, for He who dominates over nature is alone capable of
doing that which is supernatural, whilst man is powerless to stay
the anger of the winds or to spread the rain.
8 Nevertheless, there is one miracle which it is possible for man to
accomplish. It is when, full of a sincere faith, he decides to root
out from his heart all evil thoughts, and when to attain his end he
forsakes the paths of iniquity.
9 And all the things that are done without God are but errors,
illusions, and seductions, which only demonstrate to what an extent
the soul of him who practices this art is full of shamelessness,
falsehood, and impurity.
10 Put not your faith in oracles; God alone knows the future: he who
has recourse to sorcerers profanes the temple which is in his heart
and gives a proof of distrust towards his Creator.
11 Faith in sorcerers and their oracles destroys the innate
simplicity of man and his childlike purity. An infernal power takes
possession of him, forcing him to commit all sorts of crimes and to
adore idols.
12 Whereas the Lord our God, who has no equal, is One,
all-mighty, omniscient, and omnipresent. It is He who possesses all
wisdom and all light.
13 It is to Him you must address yourselves to be comforted in your
sorrows, helped in your works, and cured in your sickness. Whosoever
shall have recourse to Him shall not be denied.
14 The secret of nature is in the hands of God; for the world,
before it appeared, existed in the depth of the divine mind; it
became material and visible by the will of the Most High.
15 When you address yourselves to Him, become again as children; for
you know neither the past, the present, nor the future, and God is
the Master of all time.”
Chapter XII
1 “Righteous man”,
said unto him the spies of the governor of Jerusalem, “tell us if we
shall perform the will of our Caesar or await our speedy
deliverance?”
2 And Issa, having recognized them as people sent to follow him,
said to them: “I have not said that you should be delivered from
Caesar. It is the soul plunged in error that shall have its
deliverance.
3 There can be no family without a head, and there would be no order
in a nation without a Caesar, to him implicit obedience should be
given, for he alone shall answer for his actions before the supreme
tribunal.”
4 “Does Caesar possess a divine right? And is he the best of
mortals?”, further asked of him the spies.
5 “There is no perfection among men, but there are also some that
are sick whom the men elected and entrusted with this mission should
care for, by using the means that are conferred upon them by the
sacred law of our Heavenly Father.
6 Mercy and justice are the highest attributes of a Caesar; his name
will be illustrious if he adhere to them.
7 But he who acts otherwise, who exceeds the limit of power that he
has over his subordinates, going so far as to put their lives in
danger, offends the great Judge and lowers his dignity in the sight
of man.”
8 At this juncture, an old woman who had approached the group, to
better hear Issa, was pushed aside by one of the spies, who placed
himself before her.
9 Then Issa held forth: “It is not meet that a son should push aside
his mother to occupy the first place which should be hers. Whosoever
respecteth not his mother, the most sacred being after his God, is
unworthy the name of son.
10 Listen, then, to what I say unto you: Respect woman, for she is
the mother of the universe, and all the truth of divine creation
lies in her.
11 She is the basis of all that is good and beautiful, as she is
also the germ of life and death. On her depends the whole existence
of man, for she is his natural and moral support. in all his works.
12 She gives birth to you in the midst of suffering. By the sweat of
her brow she rears you, and until her death you cause her the
gravest anxieties. Bless her and worship her, for she is your one
friend, your one support on earth.
13 Respect her, uphold her. In acting thus you will win her love and
her heart. And you will be pleasing to God; for this shall many of
your sins be remitted.
14 In the same way, love your wives and respect them, for tomorrow
they shall be mothers, and later grandmothers of a whole nation.
15 Be lenient towards women. Her love ennobles man, softens his
hardened heart, tames the brute in him, and makes of him a lamb.
16 The wife and the mother, are the inestimable treasures given to
you by God. They are the fairest ornaments of existence, and from
them shall be born all that shall inhabit the world.
17 Even as the God of armies separated of old the light from the
darkness and the land from the waters, woman possesses the divine
faculty of separating in a man good intentions from evil thoughts.
18 Therefore I say unto you, after God your best thoughts should
belong to the women and to wives; woman being for you the temple
wherein you will obtain the most easily perfect happiness.
19 Imbue yourselves in this temple with moral strength. Here you
will forget your sorrows and your failures, and you will recover the
lost energy necessary to enable you to help your neighbour.
20 Do not expose her to humiliation. In acting thus you would
humiliate yourselves and lose the sentiment of love, without which
nothing exists here below.
21 Protect your wife, in order that she may protect you and all your
family. All that you do for your wife, your mother, for a widow, or
another woman in distress, you will have done unto your God.”
Chapter XIII
1 Issa taught the
people of Israel thus for three years, in every town, in every
village, by the waysides and on the plains; and all that he had
predicted came to pass.
2 During all this time, the disguised servants of the governor
Pilate observed him closely, but without hearing anything that
resembled the reports hitherto sent by the rulers of the cities
concerning Issa.
3 But the governor Pilate, becoming alarmed at the too great
popularity of Saint Issa, who, according to his enemies, wanted to
incite the people and be made king.
4 Soldiers were then sent to arrest him, and he was cast into a
dungeon where they tortured him in various ways in the hope of
forcing him to make a confession which should permit of his being
put to death.
5 Issa, thinking only of the perfect beatitude of his brethren,
supported all his sufferings in the name of his Creator.
6 The servants of Pilate continued to torture him and reduced him to
a state of extreme weakness; but God was with him and did not suffer
him to die.
7 Learning of the sufferings and the tortures which Issa was
enduring, the high priests and the wise elders went to beg the
governor to liberate Issa on the occasion of an approaching great
feast.
8 But the Governor met them with a decided refusal. They then begged
him to bring Issa before the tribunal of the Ancients, that he might
be condemned or acquitted before the feast, and to this Pilate
consented.
9 On the morrow the Governor called together the chief rulers,
priests, elders, and law-givers, with the object of making them pass
judgment on Issa.
10 They brought him from his prison, and he was seated before the
governor, between two thieves that were to be tried with him, to
show the people that he was not the only one to be condemned.
11 And Pilate, addressing himself to Issa, said: “O, man! is it true
that thou hast incited the people to rebel against the authorities,
with the intent that thou mayest become king of Israel?"
12 “None can become king by his own will”, replied Issa: “and they
that have said that I incited the people have spoken falsely. I have
never spoken but of the King of Heaven, and it is He I teach the
people to worship.
13 For the sons of Israel have lost their original purity, and if
they have not recourse to the true God, they will be sacrificed and
their temple shall fall in ruins.
14 Temporal power maintains order in a country; I therefore taught
them not to forget it; I said unto them: Live in conformity to your
position and fortune, that you may not disturb public order; and I
exhorted them also to remember that disorder reigned in their hearts
and minds.
15 Therefore the King of Heaven has punished them and suppressed
their national kings. Nevertheless, I have said unto them: If you
become resigned to your destinies, as a reward the kingdom of heaven
shall be reserved for you.
16 At this moment, the witnesses were introduced; one of whom made
the following deposition: Thou hast said to the people that temporal
power is as naught against that of the King that shall free the
Israelites from the pagan yoke.”
17 “Blessed be thou, for having spoken the truth; the King of Heaven
is more powerful and great than the terrestrial laws, and his
kingdom surpasses all the kingdoms of the earth.
18 And the time is not far when, in conformity with the divine will,
the people of Israel will purify themselves of their sins; for it is
said that a forerunner shall come to announce the deliverance of the
nation and unite it in one family.” - said Issa.
19 And addressing himself to the judges, the Governor said: “Hear
you this? The Israelite Issa admits to the crime of which he is
accused. Judge him, then, according to your laws, and pronounce
against him capital punishment.”
20 “We cannot condemn him”, replied the priests and the elders;
“Thou hast thyself heard that he made allusion to the King of
Heaven, and that he has preached nothing to the people which
constitutes an offence against the law.”
21 The governor then summoned the witness who, at the instigation of
his master, Pilate, had betrayed Issa. The man came and addressed
Issa thus: “Didst thou not pass thyself off as the king of Israel
when thou saidest that he who reigns in the heavens had sent thee to
prepare his people?”
22 And Issa having blessed him, said: “Thou shalt be forgiven, for
what thou sayest cometh not from thee!” Then turning to the
governor, he continued: “Why lower thy dignity and teach thy
inferiors to live in falsehood, since, even without this, thou hast
the power to condemn an innocent man?”
23 At these words, the Governor ordered the sentence of death to be
passed upon Issa, while he discharged the two thieves.
24 The judges, having deliberated among themselves, said to Pilate:
“We will not take upon our heads the great sin of condemning an
innocent man and of acquitting two thieves, a thing contrary to our
laws.”
25 Do then as thou wilt.” Saying which the priests and the wise
elders went out and washed their hands in a sacred vessel, saying,
“We are innocent of the death of this just man.”
Chapter XIV
1 By order of the
Governor, the soldiers seized upon Issa and the two thieves, whom
they led to the place of execution, where they nailed them to the
crosses they had erected on the ground.
2 All that day, the bodies of Issa and of the two thieves remained
suspended, dripping with blood, under the guard of soldiers; the
people stood around about them, while the relations of the crucified
men praying and weeping.
3 At sunset, the agony of Issa came to an end. He lost
consciousness, and the soul of this just man detached itself from
his body to become part of the Divinity.
4 Thus ended the earthly existence of the reflection of the Eternal
Spirit under the form of a man who had saved hardened sinners and
endured many sufferings.
5 Pilate gave the body of Issa to his relations, who buried it near
the spot of his execution. The crowd came to pray over his tomb, and
the air was filled with weeping and lamentations.
6. Three days later the Governor sent his soldiers to take up the
body of Issa and bury it elsewhere, fearing a general uprising of
the people.
7 The next day the crowd found the tomb open and empty. At once the
rumour spread that the supreme Judge had sent his angels to carry
away the mortal remains of the body in whom dwelt on earth a part of
the Divine Spirit.
8 When this report reached the knowledge of Pilate, he became
angered and forbade anyone, under the pain of slavery and death, to
pronounce the name of Issa or to pray the Lord for him.
9 But the people continued to weep and to glorify aloud their Lord;
therefore many were placed in captivity, subjected to torture, and
put to death.
10 And the disciples of Issa left the land of Israel and scattered
themselves among the pagans, preaching them that they must abandon
their gross errors, think of the salvation of their souls, and of
the perfect felicity in store for men in that immaterial world of
light where, in repose and in all his purity, the Great Creator
dwells in perfect majesty.
11 The pagans, their kings and soldiers, listened to these
preachers, abandoned their absurd beliefs, forsook their priests,
and their idols to celebrate the praise of the all-wise Creator of
the universe, the King of kings, whose heart is filled with infinite
mercy." - The Manuscript of Hemis Monastery,
Tibet, “The Life of Issa, Best of the Sons of Men”.
The brotherhood of man, preach it
ever! O, that man would gain the understanding in his heart of this
universality of the truth, that man Is his brother's keeper! Then
may there be the awakening within each soul of the necessity of its
giving expression to those in every walk of life. There will be the
falling away in India of much of the material suffering that has
been brought on a troubled people.
"Christ alone is salvation. He who
lives in Him becomes dead to sin and enters into eternal life."
- Sadhu Sundar Singh
The Teaching of the Order
The Teachings of
the Order, and the Teachings of the Gospels, including the Texts
of the New and Old Testament are One. For they reaffirm, and
validate one and each other. For Truth is One!
The Rectified King James Bible
Please note that
quotes given are all from the Rectified King James Bible, The
Rectified Bible Texts, The Rectified King James Bible is the
Official Bible Text published and used by the Order.
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Essenia