Part Two

Over the course of the first three centuries there were Christians who believed that Jesus did not even have a physical nature.   Because his body was in fact a perfected physical nature, it could be said that if Jesus was to appear physically before us, what we would see would be a projection that originates in the realm of higher spiritual reality.   When the Bible states of Jesus that: “But passing through their midst, He went His way” (Luke 4:30 NAS) -- what is being conveyed is that he simply became invisible by retracting his physical form that was projected into this realm, and departed from the crowd that was intent on killing him.   A soul of his stature who has conquered and perfected the Laws of God within him, has this type of power that is beyond the comprehension of natural organic man in his carnal state of being.

If we possessed scriptures that were more pure, we would quickly understand that if we desire to come face to face with reality, then we must seek to see beyond the reflection, and into the world that is real.   It is this desire to come face to face with reality that prompted the Apostle to write: “even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer” (2 Cor 5:16 NAS).   This spiritual Christ, over the historical Christ in the flesh, was what biblical scholar Rudolf Bultmann was speaking of when he concluded that the “…Christian faith is, and should be, comparatively uninterested in the historical Jesus and centered instead on the transcendent Christ” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1998 electronic edition) -- transcendent, meaning, the source of the projection from the other side of the great divide.

Belief in Jesus, then, means that we possess sufficient faith to follow him into the Kingdom that he declared.   That we cannot presently accomplish this feat, does not mean that we cannot develop these abilities that are already indigenous to our soul and spiritual natures.   It is for this reason that such great importance was placed upon picking up one's cross, and following in the Master's footsteps.   Belief alone cannot open the door to the Kingdom -- but rather, belief and faith in the Lord in conjunction with divinely imparted knowledge and spiritual manifestation.  

The Kingdom is not something to be believed in -- but rather, to be entered into while one is still physically alive in this world.   One cannot be taught about the Kingdom -- we can only be taught how to enter into the Kingdom.   Therefore, those of us who the Bible speaks of as being “without”, are taught in parables -- which are images that contain within themselves great spiritual truths.   On the other hand, those who are willing to go “in the house” with the Lord, are taught all things -- which things are spoken of as the Mysteries of God to those who are “without” -- Mysteries, because they are beyond the comprehension of the carnal mind of man which only uses less than ten percent of its potential.

Clement, the first century disciple of Peter writes of these mysteries: “James the Righteous, John and Peter were entrusted by the Lord after his resurrection with the higher knowledge.  They imparted it to the other apostles, to the seventy…” (Outlines Book VIII).   This higher knowledge that was entrusted only to the soul portrayed as his brother and the direct disciples of Jesus, is what Christians today are in search of, and what was thrown away by the Church of the Roman Empire.

With regard to the Secret Doctrine of Jesus, Origen writes that Jesus “conversed with His disciples in private, and especially in their sacred retreats, concerning the Gospel of God; but the words which He uttered have not been preserved, because it appeared to the evangelists that they could not be adequately conveyed to the multitude in writing or in speech… and they saw… what things were to be committed to writing, and how this was to be done, and what was by no means to be written to the multitude, and what was to be expressed in words, and what was not to be so conveyed”.  

In these words Origen is here revealing an important concept -- a phrase that differentiates the gospel of Christ -- or what is commonly called the Good News that was preached to the masses of people -- and that doctrine that was too sacred to be written, and is herein called the “Gospel of God”.   Origen says of this Gospel that it “could not be adequately conveyed to the multitude in writing or in speech”.   What Origen is confirming is that the Gospel of God has never been written in a document of any kind that you could read, as you do other religious writings.   It is this great truth that is expressed in the words of the Church Father when he writes that the Sacred Mysteries of God's Gospel could never be “committed to writing… and expressed in words”.  

What Origen is very clearly stating in these words have great meaning to the modern believer in search of the Mysteries of God today.   If we are to spiritually mature, we must recognize the fact that what we read literally -- i.e., with our physical eyes and natural perception and understanding -- in our Bibles today, is not the Gospel of God, but rather, the doctrine intended for the masses of people who dwell outside the house or Kingdom.   Open your Bibles and see for yourself.   Nowhere in the New Testament scriptures does it suggest that what is written is representative of what the Bible states is the Mysteries that was revealed to those who were with the Lord “in the house”!

If we are to embrace the higher knowledge that we pray for, it is important that we comprehend that in a Spiritual Church, there would not be any reason to attempt to teach Sacred Truths that carnal words and understanding cannot describe or fathom.   In a Spiritual Church, the only thing necessary to teach is how to enter and open the front door.   Once in, God Himself will teach the disciple all things.   This great truth is expressed in the Gospel of John in the words: “It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me” (John 6:45 NIV).   Thus, the Gospel of God is never taught or written in words that men can perceive with carnal eyes or understanding -- but rather, only the instruction on how -- or The Way -- to embrace the Higher Spiritual Knowledge.

Origen then uses the writings of John as an example and writes: “And once more, John, in teaching us the difference between what ought to be committed to writing and what not, declares that he heard seven thunders instructing him on certain matters, and forbidding him to commit their words to writing”.   The passage of scripture that Origen is referring to is: “And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open. And he placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. And when the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them’” (Rev 10:1-4 NAS).  

What is it that John is conveying to us?   Very clearly he is warning the reader that his writings are sealed -- sealed because the Sacred Truths are not written literally, but with the garb of Gnostic symbolism -- and that only the disciples of the Light can grasp their true meaning.   That we do not have the slightest idea as to the true spiritual meaning of the Book of Revelations is demonstrated in the fact that every generation of church prophets has used this writing to prove they were living in the “end times”, and all have been proved to be in error.

What does this term sealed mean?   In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isa 29:11-13 KJV).   The one who is learned cannot read it because he cannot betray the Mysteries of God to those who are “outside” the house.   While the one who is not learned cannot read it because he lacks the spiritual eyes to see beyond the facade of the exoteric doctrine that is contained in the literal understanding of the narrative.  

It is impostor Jews such as the scribes and Pharisees who attempt to read the scriptures in accordance with what Isaiah calls “the precept of men”, that Jesus condemned.   Thus, it is these people whom the Lord spoke of when he said that they “draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me”.    Why?   It is only through the consecrated physical body, the purified heart, and the enlightened (Anointed) mind that the disciple enters into the Spiritual Temple.  

In self-examination, this same condition that Jesus condemned is prevalent in the modern Church today.   The people who have very little knowledge of the Bible depend upon others to teach them.   This is both good and bad.   It is good that the people gain a greater understanding of the scriptures -- it is not good that they learn the doctrine of the sect, and then they study the scriptures to confirm “the precepts of men” which they have been taught.   When they do this, they unknowingly remove their heart farther from the Lord, and cut themselves off from the Source of True Knowledge.   Moreover, because they possess a carnal perception of God, when they pray, they do not pray to the Lord, but rather they prey to the god of their precepts and dogma.   And in the same way, when they call upon the name of the Lord, they often call upon the lord of their own creation.

The scriptures are spiritual writings that are sealed -- which means that only those who have matured spiritually, and have been given the spiritual eyes to see the true meaning of the scriptures -- those who are able to look within and beyond the seal -- will grasp the essence of the Word.   Why?   Because the objective of New Covenant teachings is not to instruct men about the Kingdom -- but rather, to teach them the means to enter the Kingdom.   In view of the fact that our pre-existent soul already consciously dwells in a heavenly realm that is parallel to this physical world in which we live, the initial knowledge that we need is already manifest within us.  

What the Bible states is that the Mysteries of the Kingdom and the Gospel of God do not belong to the carnal and profane, and this is seen in the command of the Lord: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces” (Matt 7:6 NIV).

Under the heading of Dog, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia for this verse it reads: “Other passages express by inference the low esteem in which dogs are held. Nothing worse could happen to a person than that his body should be devoured by dogs (1 Kin 14:11; 16:4; 21:19,23, etc.). Job 30:1 says of the youth who deride him that he disdained to set their fathers with the dogs of his flock. In Phil 3:2 and Rev 22:15, dogs are coupled with evil-workers, sorcerers, etc”.

With regard to this verse the Adam Clark Commentary writes that the members of this sentence should be transposed thus:

           Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,

            Lest they turn again and rend you:

            Neither cast ye your pearls before swine,

            Lest they trample them under their feet.

 The commentary then goes on to explain the meaning: “As a general meaning of this passage, we may just say: The sacrament of the Lord's supper, and other holy ordinances which are only instituted for the genuine followers of Christ, are not to be dispensed to those who are continually returning like the snarling ill-natured dog to their easily predominant sins of rash judgment, barking at and tearing the characters of others by evil speaking, back biting and slandering; nor to him who, like the swine, is frequently returning to wallow in the mud of sensual gratifications and impurities?”

Speaking of those Christians who again turn to the things of this world after beginning to embrace the gospel of Christ, the Apostle Peter makes reference to the scriptures and states: “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Pet 2:22 KJV).  

We must come to terms with the reality today that Jesus was not all-inclusive.   It is clearly seen in the Bible that Jesus commanded his disciples not to reveal even the elementary precepts of the Gospel of God to those people who can be likened to dogs and swine -- even when they profess with their mouths their allegiance to the Lord.   If they were true believers, then they would know the Mysteries first hand.   For this reason the Sacred Secrets that bring the believer to maturity, are simply not written where the carnal and unworthy can view them.   This is confirmed in the words of Clement, the 1st century disciple of Peter, who wrote: “We remember that our Lord and teacher, as commanding, said to us, guard the mysteries for me, and the sons of my house.  Wherefore also he explained to his disciples, privately, the mysteries of the kingdoms of the heavens.” (Clementine Homilies).

What is important is for us to realize that Jesus taught two gospels -- the good news or gospel of Jesus that was proclaimed to the masses, and the Gospel of God, which were the Mysteries of the Kingdom that was taught only to his disciples.   This is seen expressly in the words of Clement when said regarding the commandment of the Lord that the disciples must “guard the mysteries for me, and the sons of my house”.   Those who are in the house, are the disciples who have gained entrance into the Spiritual Kingdom that he declared.   While those who were said to be “outside”, or sense bound in this world, received only the good news announcing the existence of the Spiritual Kingdom that they must seek with a purified body and mind.  

From a New Covenant perspective, knowledge that is conveyed in the manner of instruction must be understood to be the elementary teachings which assist us in our endeavor to prepare ourselves -- road markers that we will perceive as we travel -- changes in consciousness that we will observe -- and the route that we must follow in our journey into the Kingdom.   The whole concept of the coming of the Kingdom is not from the perspective that a physical kingdom will be inaugurated in this world -- but rather, that the divide between the inner Kingdom (Lk 17:21) will be bridged, and we will then exist in both realms simultaneously.   Thus, herein lies the problem once it is understood that we already consciously exist in both worlds, and it is this division that divides us that Jesus said we must strive and work to overcome.   When the Bible states that we must pick up our own cross and walk in The Way, what it is conveying is the need to purify the body and expand the mind in preparation for the Kingdom to come within the consciousness that we are using in this realm.

With regard to the spiritual term “house”, Origen wrote: “I have not yet spoken of the observances of all that is written in the gospel, each one of which contains much doctrine difficult to be understood, not merely by the multitude, but even by certain of the more intelligent, including a very profound explanation of the parables, which Jesus delivered to ‘those without' while reserving the exhibition of their full meaning for those who have passed beyond the stage of exoteric teachings, and who came to him privately in the house.  And when he comes to understand it, he will admire the reason why some are said to be without, and others in the house”.

This same understanding is explained in the scriptures when it states that one should “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words” (Prov 23:9 KJV).   In the words of Origen, the true meaning of the parables and the scriptures belongs only to “those who have passed beyond the stage of exoteric teachings, and who came to him privately in the house”. 

What, then, is exoteric teachings?   Paul calls it the “milk of the Gospel” designed for the nourishment of immature believers who he calls “babes in Christ” (1 Cor 3:1-2).   These entry-level teachings have to do with the cleansing and purification of the mind and body from the defilements of this realm because “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful” (Rev 21:27 NIV).   In our assessment of these statements, we must understand that spiritual wisdom and understanding is not derived from the memorization of manmade concepts -- but rather, it is the result of our endeavor to utilize a greater potential of our mind.

The second century Church Father Clement of Alexandria expressed this same message when he wrote that: “For the prophet saith: Who shall understand a parable of the Lord save he that is wise and knowledgeable and loveth his Lord?  For it is given to few to contain all things: For it is not as grudging that the Lord commanded in a certain Gospel: ‘My secret mystery for me and for the sons of mine house’” (Clement of Alexandria, Strom. V.10.63).  

Dogs and swine are symbols -- symbols of those who claim to be believers, and yet they attempt to alternate their lives between the gospel and the things of this world.   Regardless of what these people profess with their lips, they do not love the Lord.   Therefore, only the disciple, the one who has put the doctrines of men and the slavery to materialism and the culture of this world behind him, and has entered within the house, can receive the true Gospel and Mysteries of God.

In his famed work De Principiis, Origin explains who can be a recipient of the Mysteries of the Kingdom and the Gospel of God: “Whoever has clean hands, and therefore lifts up holy hands to God… let him come to us… Whoever is pure, not only from all defilement, but from what are regarded as lesser transgressions, let him be boldly initiated into the mysteries of Jesus, which properly are made known only to the holy and the pure… To those who have been purified in heart, he whose soul has for a long time, been conscious of no evil, especially since he yielded himself to the healing of the Word, let such a one hear the doctrines which were spoken in private by Jesus to his genuine disciples”.

The dogs and swine who attempt to live an alternating lifestyle -- clinging to this world while attempting to half-heartedly embrace the gospel of Jesus, cannot “lift up holy hands to God”.   Having never become cognizant of the spiritual essence within them -- an essence that lies beyond the great divide of heaven and earth -- they remain sense bound, and cannot refrain from sin.   They therefore never become “pure… from all defilement”, even from what are “regarded as lesser transgressions”.   Because they do not possess the spiritual power and strength that cleanses them from the defilements of the carnal world, they make excuses for their unholy condition, and create dogma explaining why man cannot be perfect and sinless.   Because the believers who know only the exoteric doctrine of the Christ continue to cling to this world, and have never been purified by the healing of the Word, they continue to dwell in what we call sin.   Having never been purified, they do not possess the knowledge of those who were “…initiated into the mysteries of Jesus, which properly are made known only to the holy and the pure”.   Therefore, they never come to “hear the doctrines which were spoken in private by Jesus to his genuine disciples”.  

It makes no difference what they call themselves; i.e., Christian or Jew, minister or rabbi, priest, bishop, prophet, etc., they cannot be called Jesus' “genuine disciples” until they have been “purified in heart… for a long time, been conscious of no evil, especially since he yielded himself to the healing of the Word”.   Because they remain “outside”, they do not even know or understand the essence of what Jesus truly taught.   They may preach the good news, and appear to live a religious lifestyle, but they are not very much different than the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus condemned for exactly the same reason.   Thus, the doctrine of perpetual redemption, and the sanctification of a carnal lifestyle as seen in our churches today, simply had no place among the genuine Christians of the first three centuries.  

  The Minor Mysteries: In the Martyrdom of Ignatius (first Century Overseer of Antioch), Ignatius speaks of himself as a disciple of John.  In his Epistle to the Ephesians he writes that he has been “initiated into the mysteries of the Gospel with Paul, the holy, the martyred”.  In his Epistle to the Trallaus he speaks of the mysteries and writes: “Might I not write to you things more full of mystery?  But I fear to do so, lest I should inflict injury on you who are babes.  Pardon me in this respect, lest, as not being able to receive their weighty import, ye should be strangled by them”.  Ignatius also writes that though he is aware of the mysteries, he is not yet “by any means perfect, nor am I such a disciple as Paul or Peter”.

What preacher of the gospel today warns his congregation that if he was to reveal the true teachings of the New Covenant -- the Gospel of God -- he would “inflict injury on you who are babes” in Christ?   What teaching of the Lord could a present-day preacher of the gospel reveal that the congregation of believers are not “able to receive their weighty import”?   If Ignatius, either of the two Clements, or Origen was with us today, what profound mystery could they speak regarding the true teachings of Jesus that believers today would be “strangled by them”?  

What must be immediately recognized is that when we speak about the Christianity of the first three centuries, we are not talking about the same religion that exists today.   That's right!   Because of the political agenda and doctrines that were forced upon the church in the fourth century, it is easily demonstrated that the Christianity we know today is a mere shadow of what Jesus taught and was believed over the first three centuries of our Common Era.   Moreover, we can never even begin to move beyond the entry level milk, and partake of the solid spiritual food that enables us to embrace the Gospel of God, until we come to terms with the fact that the Christianity of the first three centuries was so profoundly different than what remains today, that what is practiced today must be recognized as a new religion that came into being in the fourth century, and was revised into still an almost totally new form at the time of the Reformation.  

We cannot today even relate to sacred teachings that would “strangle” the common believer, because we no longer possess the Gospel of God -- and have only the good news that was preached to the multitudes.   Because the Church became carnal and of the flesh, we have only preserved the doctrine that Origen spoke of as “preached in the Churches… for the simpleminded and for the ears of the common crowd who are led on to live better lives by their belief”.   I understand that these words of Origen will be viewed as being objectionable by many believers today!   Is the words of Origen any different that the Word of God where it is written: "Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you--when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm" (Prov 1:20-33 NIV). 

For those of you who judge men such as Origen for being blunt, and not politically correct, wait until you meet the Judge of all mankind!

There is no way that the people of the simple faith are able to perceive and understand the Mysteries of God.   If the modern Christian rejects what is called the minor mysteries -- i.e., such things as the doctrine of transmigration (reincarnation) -- how are they able to embrace the more profound Mysteries?   When Celsus attacked the Church for teaching the masses one doctrine, while teaching the spiritual elect of the Church a secret doctrine, we cannot even relate to Origen's answer when we wrote: “It is good to keep secret the entrance of souls into bodies”, but “not… the transmigration from one body into another”.   If we, in our present day, continue to cling to the religious concepts of the Emperor Justinian, and view the doctrine of transmigration (reincarnation) as heresy -- a teaching that was considered only a minor mystery -- how could we ever come to understand what Origen refers to as the “secret [of] the entrance of souls into bodies”?   We cannot!   And neither can we progress any further as Christians in our desire to draw nearer to Christ!

It is important for us to understanding the far-reaching reality that is being presented to us: From the perspective of the more profound mysteries, if we cannot come to understand the reason for “the entrance of souls into bodies”, then neither can we ever get a right sense of the eventual destiny of mankind.   Without knowing why we came into this realm, or what we must accomplish in order to complete our journey into this life, we become a people without direction -- perpetually lost in what is known as the “wheel of rebirth” -- ever remaining a slave to the ruler of this world.

If we are to begin to comprehend the depth of the great truths that Jesus taught, the modern believer must realize that Ignatius could very well have been speaking about Christians today when he wrote: “Might I not write to you things more full of mystery?  But I fear to do so, lest I should inflict injury on you who are babes.  Pardon me in this respect, lest, as not being able to receive their weighty import, ye should be strangled by them”.   Today -- because we are imbued with an anti-Gnostic Darwinist mindset -- we have become so alienated from the reality of our indwelling pre-existent soul that we have a real serious problem in attempting to comprehend how a Christian could even believe in reincarnation.   Yet, we can plainly see that Origen did not even consider the belief in reincarnation to be any big deal, and was much more concerned with keeping “secret the entrance of souls into bodies”.  

When the early Church Fathers wrote about the Mysteries of God, they did not even consider reincarnation to be included in the teachings that should not be discussed or revealed openly.   Moreover, neither was the belief in reincarnation even considered in the same league with those spiritual concepts that would “inflict injury on you who are babes”.   The Christian concept of reincarnation was never at any time considered to be anything more than one of the “minor mysteries” that must be embraced as a gateway doctrine that brings the disciple to a proper understanding of life, in order to open their mind to the spiritual mysteries that could not be spoken about openly to believers who were not prepared to comprehend man's true spiritual nature.   In truth, the doctrine of reincarnation, or the transmigration of the soul, belonged more to the Mosaic Law that controlled the carnally minded people of this world, than to the spiritually minded Christian who embraced the higher reality of the Word.

In the words of Clement of Alexandria in his Stromata: “The Lord… allowed us to communicate those Divine Mysteries, and of that holy light, to those who are able to receive them.   He did not certainly disclose to the many what did not belong to the many; but to the few to whom He knew that they belonged, who were capable of receiving and being molded according to them.  But Secret things are entrusted to speech, not to writing as in the case with God.  And if one says that it is written, 'there is nothing secret which shall not be revealed, nor hidden which shall not be disclosed', let him also hear from us, that to him who hears secretly, even what is secret shall be manifested.  This is what is predicted by this oracle.  And to him who is able secretly to observe what is delivered to him, that which is veiled shall be disclosed as truth; and what is hidden to the many shall appear manifest to the few”.

The great truth that Clement writes is almost totally devoid from the understanding of the modern Christian.   In fact, the modern believer does not even possess any comprehension with respect to the basis of what is called the oral teachings.   When Clement states that the Mysteries of God are never written -- but rather, only spoken between teacher and disciple -- the ultimate meaning of this great truth is only comprehended when one arrives at the level where they realize that the true oral teaching is that which is whispered in the ear when a consecrated disciple is able to come into the presence of the True Prophet -- i.e., the indwelling Son of God.   The problem is that it is impossible for carnal man who possesses no perception of anything beyond his very limited sensual and material reality, to even envision the spiritual realms that lie just beyond this three-dimensional world.   Thus, the result is that man in his natural organic state of mind always perceives the essence of the spiritual teachings of Jesus in the exact misunderstanding as was observed and predicted by the Apostle Paul when he wrote: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14 KJV).

Because it is impossible for the man of a natural mind to even begin to comprehend the Mysteries of Life, God and Creation, those who are entrusted with this sacred knowledge must of necessity, not reveal to carnal man more than he is able to understand.   This is why Ignatius wrote: “Might I not write to you things more full of mystery?  But I fear to do so, lest I should inflict injury on you who are babes.  Pardon me in this respect, lest, as not being able to receive their weighty import, ye should be strangled by them”.   To what extent was the secret doctrine, or spiritual teachings of Jesus concealed from the masses who were said to be “outside” the house, can be seen where  Clement of Alexandria openly writes that many times the true, or Gnostic Christian, must lie, in order to protect the babes in Christ who would be stumbled by the revelation of more solid spiritual food.   In his Stromata, he writes: “Whatever, therefore, he has in his mind, he bears on his tongue, to those who are worthy to hear, speaking as well as living from assent and inclination. For he both thinks and speaks the truth; unless at any time, medicinally, as a physician for the safety of the sick, he may deceive or tell an untruth…” (Book 7, Chap 9).  

What Clement is stating is that if you believe wholeheartedly in the good news, and have not gone beyond the “milk” or exoteric doctrine of the Christ, then you are believing forms and symbols that could be considered “untruths”.   Why?   Because like the Law of the Jews, these literal doctrines are forms and types that conceal deeper mysteries of the spirit.   Why is a baby is not given solid food?   Because he is not mature enough to consume it.   In like manner, neither is an infant and young child shown explicit sex acts.   Why?   For the same reason that Origen wrote that the exoteric doctrine which the Apostle Paul refers to as the “milk”, is “…preached in the Churches… for the simpleminded and for the ears of the common crowd who are led on to live better lives by their belief”.   Carnal man who uses less than ten percent of his potential of mind, and whose perception of life is totally focused in this very limited physical reality, is only capable of embracing forms and symbols that convey to him deeper spiritual truths that he is not yet able to comprehend the true depth of.   Why?  Because carnal man does not yet possess the necessary maturity to perceive or comprehend anything beyond his very limited physical reality.   Why isn't a college level curriculum given to elementary school students?   The problem goes far beyond the intellectual: Not only is there a great number of concepts that a child is simply not prepared to understand, but because they lack the necessary level of development of mind, neither do they possess the attention span and intellectual focus to even begin to learn at a college level.   Their level of physical development simply does not support the aptitude necessary to comprehend the more advanced concepts that require a much higher state of maturity.

The genuine religious experience can very much be likened to the physical and intellectual nourishment of a child.   In view of these early Christian writings, what does the Bible say: “Whom shall he teach knowledge?” and “whom shall he make to understand doctrine?”  Is the question that is being posed?   “Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isa 28:9-10KJV).  

What is it that the scriptures are conveying to us?   Spiritual precepts are revealed to the believer “line upon line, here a little, and there a little”, until the babes in Christ are prepared to move on to maturity.   The reason we fail in our present day to comprehend this great spiritual truth, is because we no longer even understand the process of spiritual development.   And what is this process?   Where today, in modern Christian doctrine, is the teaching that: “The soul has neither beginning nor end… Every soul… comes into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of its previous life” (Origen, De Principiis).   In our very limited view of reality, we embrace the concepts of a Darwinist theology -- and because we are unable to observe the process of the perfection of the soul, we fail to grasp the means by which we will one day arrive at the cross of our own resurrection.   Because we read our scriptures as a history book, in the same manner as the Sadducees and Pharisees, we never move beyond what the Apostle calls the milk of the gospel.

In the writings of the early church, sinners are spoken of as being sick -- and as people who are afflicted with a disease, they must be given the appropriate medicine in order to be restored to a spiritually healthful state of perfection.   It is clearly written in both the scriptures, as well as the writings of the early Church Fathers, that this purification must be accomplished before the sinner can comprehend the true teachings of Jesus, enter into the Kingdom, and receive the Mysteries of God and Creation.   The medicine for the carnal believer whose mind is controlled and attached to the material and sensual things of this world, is the “milk of the Gospel” -- and as this medicine begins to mold the life of the believer, the appropriate medicine that is then dispensed is called the “lesser mysteries” -- which mysteries have been veiled within the parables and the historical narrative of the scriptures.  

  The Spiritual Embryo: The problem is not that the authors of our scriptures wished to hide sacred truths from the reader.   Neither Jesus, his follower, nor the early church desired to conceal anything from anyone.   The problem is congenital -- our mind is embryonic -- and this embryonic state only permits us to use a very small part of our potential of mind.   If we are to comprehend the realms of Creation beyond the three dimensional limits of this physical world, then we must begin use those parts of our mind that correspond to these other realms.   In our natural state we are unable to perceive and comprehend the Mysteries of God because the part of the mind that we are presently using corresponds to this world.   If we desire to see and understand more of reality, then we must learn to activate those parts of the mind that relates to those extended dimensions of being.   The problem is that because our physical bodies are made up and comprised of earthly matter, in its natural organic state it does not readily support the perception and comprehension of man’s reality beyond his present existence.

In our modern-day study of the differences between the sexes, one of the paramount things we have learned is that men and women use different parts of the brain to evaluate and respond to the same stimulation.   In understanding this scientifically proven fact, it should then be reasonable for us to comprehend that because we have never made any attempt to gaze beyond the three dimensions of this world, that part of the mind which we would have to use, is lying dormant and inactive.   That we attempt to explain the Mysteries of God from the perception of the part of the mind that relates to this world, instead of utilizing that part of our mind that corresponds to our indwelling soul and spiritual natures, is the fundamental reason why carnal man is unable to comprehend the Spiritual Gospel of God.  

In the same way that an elementary school student embraces each concept in its proper order until his thinking begins to mature and develop the power of higher reasoning, as the believer evolves -- line upon line, precept upon precept -- toward perfection and spiritual regeneration, these “lesser mysteries” become revealed to them as the veil of the scriptures becomes slowly removed with the development of spiritual eyes and spiritual ears in their quest for the deeper Knowledge.   Why are they able to see and comprehend more than the natural man?   Because they have begun to activate the dormant parts of their mind that lies beyond the ten percent barrier used by carnal man.

When the early church authorities write about the absolute need for the purification from sin, what are they saying?   Where the carnal mind envisions God, an angel, or some supernatural being, looking down upon men deciding who will receive the gifts of the spirit, and who is not worthy, this is simply not the case.   Ultimately, sin is the squandering away and loss of our vital life force as it is consumed by the sensual and material things of this world -- which condition in the parable of the prodigal son is portrayed of as the squandering away of the son’s inheritance on riotous living.  

In order to use our full potential of mind, we must be able to channel the vital life-force through our carnal nature, and into those parts of our mind that correspond to the other dimensions of Creation.   If, like a gambler, an addict, or any other person who is a slave to the things of this world, we squander away our earnings on things of a temporal nature, and we fail to conserve and direct our energies into the higher purposes and realities of life, we will continue to remain spiritually destitute.   The true purpose of religion, then, is to imbue the people with a higher sense of reality, and then teach them how to channel their Divine Inheritance in a positive direction -- a direction that will make them complete, and permit them to take their place in the vision of man's ultimate destiny with their Eternal Father God.  

In the biblical story of Onan, the Lord brought destruction upon him (Gen 38:8-10) because he spilled his seed upon the ground, rather than raise up offspring with his brother’s widow.   The underlying message is seen in the fact that when we fail to use our energies for the higher purpose of mankind, we will suffer loss, and become spiritually dead.   This is true of our sexual energy, as well as the six other spiritual sources of energy that are moving within and without the body-mind.

In a Living Religion, there is very little emphasis placed upon historical events.   Historical events mean absolutely nothing to the disciple, except to comprehend what disciples have successfully employed in previous ages in their search for higher truth.   In a Living Religion, the focus is on gaining entrance into the Kingdom -- Repent, i.e., “open and unloose the mind”, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 3:2).   The objective of a Living Religion is the return of the prodigal son to his Father in the Kingdom.   Faith or belief without action, cannot transport a believer beyond the natural barrier of this realm into the Kingdom.   Historical events, therefore, are only valid inasmuch as they are used as examples in the life of the present-day disciple -- examples that must be incorporated into the life of the disciple in their quest to open the gate to the Kingdom.   In this respect, in the same manner that Jesus interacted with the world, we must learn to do the same.

From the perception of the milk of the Gospel, to understand these great truths we must pose the question: Who are the Sadducees and Pharisees today?   What is their present day doctrine?   How are the present day Sadducees and Pharisees blocking the entrance of the modern day believer into the kingdom?   What lessons can be learned from the past that will assist the disciple today in his quest to receive the Secret Doctrine of Jesus, and enter the Kingdom?   What is the meaning of the virgin birth, as it pertains to the birth of the disciple into the kingdom?   What is the meaning of the Anointing of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove in the river Jordan?   The twelve disciples?   The temptation?   The Passover, crucifixion, and resurrection?   Regardless of what we choose to believe, each of us must one day come to terms with these great spiritual symbols that have been conveyed in the writings of the New Covenant. 

What we fail to understand is that even if these symbols are based upon actual historical events, they profit us very little if we are unable to use them in our present life.   The commandment of Jesus was for his disciples to follow in his footsteps, and not to merely believe that historical events took place.   Christians today proclaim that they are saved by the blood of the cross -- and yet, they ignore the fact that Jesus himself refutes them, as seen in the words: “and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 10:38-39 NIV).   Thus, what Jesus warns the believer is that to be saved by the blood of the cross, one must shed their own blood on the cross!

It is because we no longer understand the symbol of the cross in relation to the purification of the body-mind, that we can no longer transcend this world and enter the Kingdom.   Yes, we are saved by the blood of Jesus -- but when we ignore the very clear statement of the scriptures that it is absolutely necessary for our own blood to be intermingled with his in our own crucifixion, then there is no life in us!   Jesus never said that he came to save those who refuse to follow.   There is nothing in the scriptures that conveys we can remain very much attached to the things of this world, and still be saved.   Where we view the symbols of the New Covenant as being philosophical, the true worship of God can only be realized when go beyond the symbolism of the milk, and we begin to imitate the example and pattern of Jesus in our daily life.

In the words of Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa: “…it is imperative on all those who have an equally earnest desire for the Good as He has, to be followers by the path of an exact imitation of Him Who leads the way to salvation, and to carry into action what He has shown them. It is, in fact impossible for persons to reach the same goal unless they travel by the same ways”.  

Where the carnal Christian sees these narratives of scriptures as articles of faith and belief in historical events, the spiritual Christian applies them to their own lives in their quest to be re-born into the Kingdom.   The spiritual Christian is he who perceives the great truth in the words of Gregory, and knows that he must walk the “path of an exact imitation of Him who leads the way to salvation, and to carry into action what He has shown them”.   Isn’t these words written by Gregory the exact same message contained in the words of Jesus when he warned: “and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me…”?   Thus, our path into the Kingdom has been obstructed because we no longer comprehend the manner in which the seemingly historical symbols pertain to our present life.   The believer seeking to walk in The Way comes to understand that what appears in scripture to be historical, is actually physical, mental and spiritual events that take place in the life of the disciple -- and he comes to know that he must become born of the virgin, baptized by the Holy Spirit in the river Jordan, raise up the twelve, travail through the seven great cities, experience the crucifixion of the carnal mind in Jerusalem, and become the Son of God who reigns forever in the Kingdom.  

In order to walk in The Way, the disciple knows that they must be nourished by the knowledge of what lies beyond this three-dimensional world.   In order to transcend the physical, and truly become a heavenly being, man must activate those portions of his mind that are dormant in the life of natural man, and be able to rise to his full potential.   In his endeavor to become complete, the disciple understands that this sacred knowledge -- i.e., the secret teachings of Jesus -- could only be revealed to those deemed worthy to walk upon consecrated ground, and enter into the house of the Lord in the endeavor to hear His Words of Life.   Thus, the disciple endeavors to make his physical the consecrated ground upon which the Master is able to enter in and teach the Sacred Knowledge of the Kingdom and Creation.

Because the Divine Mysteries can only be received directly from God through man's spiritual nature, these Sacred Secrets were never “disclosed to the many what did not belong to the many”.   The Gospel of God can only be embraced by those who are spiritually “capable of receiving and being molded according to them”.   Believers today should rightly ask that if these things are so, then why isn't the scriptures more clear on this crucial matter?   They were, but the later Roman Church edited out the many warnings when they purged the scriptures of what they deemed to be Gnostic interpolations.   Gnostic -- or Spiritual Christians -- did not acknowledge the authority of the institutionalized church -- and so, they were deemed to be heretics.   As heretics, they were then silenced by the sword of Constantine -- a ruthless despot who was declared a saint by a very carnal church that was born in his image.  

To the Spiritual Christian, the focus of his religious experience was on the process of making his body a fit vessel for his soul and spiritual natures to indwell and manifest in.   The more fit and pure he made his physical body, the easier was the acquisition of spiritual knowledge in his endeavor to know himself -- and ultimately, come to know God through the total unity of his being with the Divine Presence within him.   As an example: The newly discovered Gospel of Thomas in the Nag Hammadi Library begins this way: “These are the secret words which the Living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote. And He said: Whoever finds the explanation of these words will not taste death”.  

With respect to this declaration in The Gospel of Thomas, at first glance it would seem to be anti-Christian for someone to be saved merely because they find the explanation of certain words.   It would be correct for the modern Christian to ask where faith and belief in Christ enters into such a pattern of religious thought?   Yet, the modern believer comes to this false assumption because they fail to recognize the true foundation of the Spiritual Living Gospel that Jesus taught.   In a Living Gospel, there is only one means to find the explanation of the words in Thomas's Gospel, and that is to hear them at the feet of the Master.   To those people who are sense bound, and have no perception of the Spiritual Kingdom, such a concept of religious thought is impossible.

What is written in the opening of the Gospel of Thomas is no different than the words of Clement when he warns the believer that “Secret things are entrusted to speech, not to writing… and if one says that it is written”, then the true spiritual message is concealed from the eyes of the reader.   Why?   Because “they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14 NIV).  

 The carnal mind, which thinks and perceives Creation from a very limited three-dimensional Darwinist perspective, in the manner of an infant, simply does not possess the mental and spiritual tools to comprehend man's true reality.   The problem can be likened to the very constitution of the body itself.   When we look only at the flesh, which is the realm of physical appearances, we cannot perceive the internal organs that function within the outer form of what we see.   In the same way that we can never get a right sense of the workings of the body by looking only upon the form, neither can we even begin to comprehend the workings of Creation without looking beyond the world of appearances, and perceiving the vital energies and heavenly powers that are to this world as the inner organs are to the body in which we dwell.

In the same way that a true healer must possess a working knowledge of all the bodily systems and how they impact the functioning of the body, a spiritual healer must possess the knowledge of the realms beyond the physical and how they interact with the three-dimensional form of Creation that we observe with our bodily senses.   Like the medical student, the disciple who has begun to be “molded according to” the Word, is “able secretly to observe what is delivered to him, that which is veiled shall be disclosed as truth; and what is hidden to the many shall appear manifest to the few”.  

What Clement is stating is that in the same way a medical student must apply himself in the endeavor to understand the inner workings of the body, the disciple must in like manner apply himself to comprehend the inner workings of the mind and spirit of man -- and especially how the laws of Creation impact the lives of the individual.   When reading the scriptures, the masses who are “outside” of the house, and perceive only the physical form, will see only the gospel of Jesus -- which is an invitation -- the good news, intended to call the lost sheep into the Kingdom.   Clement says that the true meaning of the scriptures are “veiled”, and cannot be seen by the carnal mind.   It does not matter that those on the outside proclaim that they are baptized, committed, and claim to be reborn believers -- so long as they abide outside of the house, they remain strangers therein.   What the Apostle and all early Christian authorities proclaim, is that the babe in Christ can no more comprehend the Living Gospel, than the child in elementary school could comprehend modern physics.  

 In order for us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we must desire to learn, grow, and embrace new dimensions of thinking.   When Edmund Wilson, an expert who worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls asked the question as to what difference it makes if “Jesus… had been trained in the discipline and imbued with the thought of a certain Jewish sect, and that he had learned from it the role that he afterwards lived…” (The Scrolls From The Dead Sea), in view of the fact that the Jewish sect was very Gnostic, it makes all the difference in the world.   When Clement admits that the true gospel is “veiled”, he is confirming not only the existence of a higher knowledge that Jesus taught only to those who were willing to learn and be molded by that sacred knowledge, but also the Gnostic element and nature of our scriptures was also confirmed.   In this respect, only a Gnostic -- or Spiritual Christian who has received the knowledge of the Kingdom directly from God -- can understand the true meaning of the scriptures, which are written in a spiritual language.

With regard to the masses, or the people who are “outside” the house -- the people whose hearts are blinded to the true meaning of the Word -- Origen writes that: “But if some continue indolent, and do not train themselves so as to attend to the reading of the word, and 'to search the Scriptures,' and, agreeably to the command of Jesus, to investigate the meaning of the sacred writings, and to ask of God concerning them, and to keep 'knocking' at what may be closed within them, the Scriptures is not on that account to be regarded as devoid of wisdom”.  

Throughout our present-day Bibles there are numerous passages which warn the reader that the spiritual meaning and sense of the message is veiled beneath the allegorical nature of the writings.   For the most part, Christians today simply ignore these many warnings.   Origen states that the believer of the simple faith does not begin the process of unveiling the spiritual meaning of the Bible, because he chooses to ignore these many warnings.   In recognition of this fact, Origen defends the Bible by stating that this indolent effort by the people of the simple faith is not the fault of the scriptures.   In the first instance, we must understand why they are indolent.   In order to understand this, we must ask what their religious objective is? Fundamentally they remain spiritually indolent because they cling to the doctrines of men and the things of this world, and close their hearts and minds to the inner voice of the Spirit.

When the Church Father speaks of those who “continue indolent”, which basically means to remain as they were when they were introduced to the gospel, he was speaking of those believers who have not become disciples, and know only the exoteric milk of the doctrine of Christ.   With regard to the spiritual meaning of the scriptures -- the meaning that is revealed only to the disciple who seeks the gnosis -- Origen says that they must “investigate the meaning of the sacred writings, and to ask of God concerning them”.  Again we see the thought that spiritual knowledge can only be learned directly from God.  

With regard to the inner mystical door to the Kingdom that must be opened, Origen states that they should “keep 'knocking' at what may be closed within them”.   It is of great importance for us to understand that true religion is a process that must be embraced daily as it begins to mold and encompass every aspect of our lives.   God can only speak to us in accordance with our own spiritual needs and condition.   In the manner of an elementary school student, each level of instruction takes the concepts of life that we already possess to new heights.   Which means that everything we know must remain in a state of flux -- whereby, everything we think we know is continually being grown and evolved to even higher levels of understanding.

The majority of church authorities today will automatically reject everything that is being presented here.   Why?   Because they do not desire change -- but rather, they want everything in life to remain status-quo.   They are successful in their shepherding of the flock of believers.   Thus, because they are full of the old wine (Lk 5:39), they desire nothing more than superficial philosophical changes in order to continue their attachments to the traditions and temporal things of this world.   They therefore adopt religious doctrines that permit them the license to live their life in pursuit of carnal fulfillment.   How many times have we heard a televangelist preach that Christians should have it all -- i.e., wealth, luxury, affluence -- and what is especially needed is sufficient wealth that enables the listeners to make rather large contributions to the ministry of the televangelist.

Spiritually, these people are children.   In the same way that our modern educational systems are age appropriate, so too is God's system of spiritual development -- the difference being that age from a spiritual perspective is in relationship to the soul’s individual achievement.   In the case of the simple believer, they are not yet ready to move beyond the temporal things of this world.   They therefore live out their lives under the dominion of a limited curriculum, and perceive only a very small revelation of the Word as contained in the Bible.  

Something that is easily observed throughout all of humanity is the fact that it is natural for people to move in groups -- all groups of people have their leaders -- and leaders retain their position of authority either by force, or because they say what the group wants to hear.   Successful leaders learn to speak to the people’s imagination.   In the case of religion, these leaders convince the people that they are the chosen people -- and they will inherit the good, while those who oppose the doctrines of the leader or group will meet with destruction.   From a spiritual perspective, this causes stagnation -- as was the case with the Jewish sects of the Sadducees and Pharisees that Jesus condemned.   The result is that these groups squander their opportunity of life, so limiting themselves with their doctrines of belief, that they never perceive either their own spiritual nature, or the inner mind and spirit of the scriptures.

In his Stromata, Clement of Alexandria writes: “now that the Savior has taught the Apostles, the unwritten rendering of the written, this has been handed down also to us”.   What Clement is stating is that it was Jesus who revealed to his disciples the inner soul and spirit of the scriptures.   Moreover, once we begin to understand that the Bible is not an account of historical events -- but rather, spiritual events -- then the Son of God will be able to open our own minds to the soul and spirit of the written word of the scriptures.   This, in acknowledgement of this fact, Clement then explains that: “the mysteries are delivered mystically, that what is spoken may be in the mouth of the speaker; rather not in the voice, but in his understanding”.  

In his search for Truth and Meaning, the path that leads to a higher understanding of the mysteries of life that Clement makes reference to -- but because man does not endeavor to properly prepare the physical body and mind to embrace spiritual reality, he continually rejects the higher path of knowledge perpetually confronts man.   To overcome this stagnation, the scriptures are themselves designed to impede the literal perception of the written word -- and the more one reads and studies the Bible, the more difficult it is to believe the written word.   On this very issue, Origen is quoted pertaining to this biblical fact in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics: “Scripture contains an unhistorical element in-woven with the history, in order that the worthlessness of the latter may drive us to seek the spiritual meaning”.

What does this mean?   “Scripture contains an unhistorical element in-woven with the history” -- or, there exists events reported in what, on the surface appears to be history, that never actually happened.   Why?  Why would the scriptures contain events that never physically happened?   In answer to this question Origen writes: “in order that the worthlessness of the latter may drive us to seek the spiritual meaning”.   What Origen is stating is that to read the scriptures as history is an almost worthless endeavor!   Why?   Because what happened during historical events of the past cannot save you -- you can only be saved by entering within the Kingdom and becoming a disciple of the Living Christ.   Yet Christians today not only read their scriptures solely as history, but unceasingly argue over their many interpretations of what Origen labels as being worthless.

In this respect, Christians today are falling prey to the very trap that has been set by the literal word of the scriptures.   In the Clementine Homilies the Apostle Peter is found explaining the nature of scripture to his disciple Clement: “…consider with me that if any one, as he pleases, form a dogma agreeable to himself, and then carefully search the Scriptures, he will be able to produce many testimonies from them in favor of the dogma that he has formed”.   In considering this, Clement then asks Peter: “How, then, can confidence be placed in them against God, when what every man wishes is found in them?”

What Peter is stating is this great truth: All the many conflicting opinions that all the sects of Christianity have argued about throughout all of Christian history, are the product of the design of the scriptures themselves.   As Peter warns, “if anyone form a dogma, …and then carefully search the Scriptures, he will be able to produce many testimonies from them in favor of the dogma”.   In other words, no matter what you choose to believe, you will find in the scriptures conformation of your beliefs.   Why, we ask, would the Bible be written in such a convoluted manner?   It would appear rational to us to reasonably assert: Why not compose the scriptures so they make perfect sense to the reader?   The answer can only be realized when we begin to comprehend the true problem.   If the scriptures were composed in such a manner so they made perfect sense, then it would be to the carnal mind that the body of the text would make sense to.   The purpose of the scriptures is to awaken the dormant part of the mind that corresponds to man's soul and spiritual nature -- thereby enabling the disciple to use a greater part of his potential of mind.  

What we fail to understand is that the scriptures themselves are written from a universal perspective.   Therefore, the exoteric doctrine -- or milk of the scriptures -- is designed to prepare all of mankind to walk in The Way.   If each person did not see their own personal mindset present in the writings, then the scriptures would be useless in their purpose of being the means to lead all men into the Kingdom.   Clement of Alexandria puts the whole problem into perspective when he quotes a passage of scripture that is no longer in our bibles today: “For by doing the will of God we know the will of God” (Stromata, Bk 1, Ch 8).  

What we must begin to grasp is that the scriptures are created in a Divine Pattern that is beyond our very limited comprehension.   If all men see their own mindset and predetermined beliefs in the scriptures, they will then find affinity in the writings, and claim the scriptures as their source of spiritual truth.   Having adopted the sacred writings, they will then begin to incorporate the Commandments of God into their lives, permitting the scriptures to begin the process of molding them, resulting in the necessary preparation required to receive the higher knowledge of the spirit.   It is by design that the man who is a Jehovah's Witness sees his doctrine in the scriptures -- God wants it that way.   It is by design that the Baptist sees his -- that the Pentecostal or Seventh Day Adventist sees theirs -- and it is by design that even the Atheist sees his doctrine.  

Regardless of how many pamphlets the born again Christian publishes in an attempt to prove the doctrine of the Trinity, the Jehovah's Witness will continue to see their favorite passages of scripture that affirm their position that Jesus was not God.   In like manner, the sects that are considered more mainstream, will continue to use the Bible in the endeavor to prove that the other two groups are self-imposed fundamentalist extremists.   Why? Because these mainstream groups are not ready to embrace the scriptures in a more intimate manner -- having become so attached to the philosophy and thinking of this world, they would be incapable of a fundamentalist perception of life and the Bible.  

The result is that each group uses the same book to prove the other group in error.   Why was the scriptures written in such a way?   Because the Bible is universal -- and though each of them embraces the Bible from a different doctrinal perspective, when they begin to do the will of God, they will then begin to know the Will of God -- and in the process of knowing and doing, the disciple begins the journey of spiritual transformation.   How successful each one will be in their religious quest, will be in direct relation to how quickly each can shed their carnal mindset and limitations, and begin to truly come to the Lord in word, thought and deed.

  Scriptures Written In Acceptable Customs Of The People: In the words of the Church Father Origen who confirms the statement found in the Clementine Homilies, we find his assertion that the Word takes on a form which is appropriate to a certain group of people, that it might bring those people to a spiritual level of maturity: “If a Greek wished by wholesome instruction to benefit people who understood only Egyptian or Syriac, the first thing that he would do would be to learn their language; and he would rather pass for a Barbarian among the Greeks, by speaking as the Egyptians or Syrians, in order to be useful to them, than always remain Greek, and be without the means of helping them. In the same way the divine nature, having the purpose of instructing not only those who are reputed to be learned in the literature of Greece, but also the rest of mankind, accommodated itself to the capacities of the simple multitudes whom it addressed. It seeks to win the attention of the more ignorant by the use of language which is familiar to them, so that they may easily be induced, after their first introduction, to strive after an acquaintance with the deeper truths which lie hidden in Scripture. For even the ordinary reader of Scripture may see that it contains many things which are too deep to be apprehended at first; but these are understood by such as devote themselves to a careful study of the divine word, and they become plain to them in proportion to the pains and zeal which they expend upon its investigation” (Origen Contra Celsum).

This statement by Origen is of the utmost importance if we are to begin to comprehend the manner in which God reveals Himself to all peoples of the world.   The scriptures are written in the language and the culture of the people.   In order to benefit the Jews, the Divine Nature was revealed in the Old Testament scriptures in a manner that would be acceptable to the Jewish carnal mindset of the people in the time-frame they were composed.   The New Testament, on the other hand, was written for the people of the New Covenant who were known as the Essenes, Ebionites and Nazarenes.   And as the Gospel message found its way into the hands of the Gentiles, there were then literally hundreds of scriptures composed from the perspective of the Greek converts known as Christians.   When Mohammed observed that the Roman Christian and Jewish religious worlds had degenerated into the abyss of secular institutional rule, he brought the Koran into being which again revealed the Divine Nature in a manner that the Arab people could receive the higher teachings.

In many instances, these scriptures that were published by the Gentile Christians did not even retain a connection with the Jewish heritage of the Gospel.   Is God Jewish?   In the Old Testament the Divine Nature that Origen makes reference to, incorporates the language of the people in order to develop the people.   The authors of the scriptures were the historical Essenes who, in the words of Origen, “would rather pass for a Barbarian… in order to be useful to them”.   Unlike the Sadducees and Pharisees, the Essenes did not slaughter animals for the redemption of sin in the temple -- neither did they eat only certain kinds of animals, because they were vegetarians and embraced a spiritual lifestyle that was free from the defilements of this world.  

When the question is asked: Why did they write the scriptures in the manner that we observe in the Old Testament?   Because the carnal Jews had for a long time sacrificed animals to the gods -- and by sacrificing only to the One God, in the One Temple, and only sacrificing certain animals that represented higher symbols in the consciousness of man, they were able to begin the process of preparing barbarians to embrace the teachings of The Way.   Moreover, they were successful -- i.e., the Old Testament moral law and symbolism incorporates concealed mysteries that pertain to man's spiritual nature and his relationship to God which the average person whose mindset is imbued with our modern culture would be unable to even conceive of.

In much the same manner, the Gentile converts created scriptures that basically performed the same function -- i.e., they made the Divine Nature acceptable and perceptible to the people of the Nations.   I the Gentile scriptures Jesus was severed from his original Hebrew foundation, and became more universal in his appeal to the mind of the Greeks and Romans.   Though these scriptures were successful in their purpose to transform the Greek convert into a Spiritual Christian, they presented another problem.   Regardless of the level of their spiritual revelation, because they could not be used in an historical sense, they were later condemned by the Roman Church.   In view of the fact that the Gentile Christians had no relationship to Judaism, the leaders of these movements wrote their scriptures in the language and culture of the Gentiles, which meant that there was little or no connection to either the Old or New Testament writings that we have today.

In each case the scriptures were written in the endeavor to reveal the Divine Nature in a way that the people could accept.   A common thread to all the sacred writings, though, was the fact that the body of the scriptures contained many points which were not historically accurate or true.   Why?   Because the Divine Nature is not Jewish, Greek, Roman, or of any other worldly culture -- and, like the scriptures, the body of man is just the tip of the iceberg in relation to the totality of his being.   Therefore, both the body of the scriptures, as well as the body of man, always points to -- and is dependent upon -- a soul (realm of mind) and spiritual nature that is not perceived with the physical senses.  

  The Threefold Patten Of The Scriptures: By Divine Providence, everything in this world -- which is the body or physical embodiment -- is always incomplete without the higher spheres of mind and spirit.   In the same way that the concept of male and female can only be defined by their relationship to each other, nothing in the body can be explained without its interconnected mental and spiritual natures.   Throughout all of life there is a Divine Pattern: In the same way that the organic life chain of this world begins with the sun (spirit), the atmosphere (mind), and the physical manifestation of life (body), this same pattern exists within each of us and throughout all of Creation.  

The “correct… understanding of the Scriptures, and the investigation of their meaning, we consider to be of the following kind” writes Origen, “for we are instructed by Scripture itself in regard to the ideas which we ought to form of it”.   Origen then goes on to explain that: “In the Proverbs of Solomon we find… the following laid down, respecting the consideration of holy Scripture: 'And do thou,' he says, 'describe these things to thyself in a threefold manner, in counsel and knowledge, and that thou mayest answer the words of truth to those who have proposed them to thee.’”   Scripture, then, is patterned after all of Creation, and exists in a threefold manner -- i.e., body, mind and spirit.

Origen then goes on to state: “Each one, then, ought to describe in his own mind, in a threefold manner, the understanding of the divine letters -- that is, in order that all the more simple individuals may be edified, so to speak; by the very body of Scripture; for such we term that common and historical sense: while, if some have commenced to make considerable progress, and are able to see something more (than that), they may be edified by the very soul of Scripture. Those, again, who are perfect, and who resemble those of whom the apostle says, 'We speak wisdom among them that are perfect, but not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, who will be brought to naught; but we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, which God hath decreed before the ages unto our glory’”.  

What Origen is conveying is that carnal man sees only the (physical) body of the scriptures -- which body instructs him in the proper lifestyle to embrace in order to make spiritual progress.   In our analysis we must ask the question: Does the carnal Christian believe that he knows the Word of God?   From his perception, everything that he believes can be demonstrated by reading the Bible in its literal sense.  If he did not believe it, then it could have no lasting and beneficial effect upon him.   Therefore, it is the Will of God that he believes -- and it is the Hand of God upon his heart and mind that causes him to proclaim the truth of the Gospel that he perceives.   What he fails to comprehend, though, is that the scriptures were designed so that he would easily see his beliefs in the written word.   From a spiritual perspective, what he believes about the Mysteries of Creation that is beyond his understanding is not important at that point in his life.   What is important, is that he begin the process of cleansing and moving into harmony with the Light of the Word.  

In view of the fact that all carnal perceptions of the scriptures are equally very partial and incomplete, does it really matter from the Divine Perspective which flavor of incompleteness he embraces?   From one perspective the answer is no -- and from another perspective, there is a necessary and good reason why each man views both the Bible and life itself from a different point of view.

The person who progresses beyond the milk of the Gospel and becomes a disciple in the beginning of his walk with the Lord, seeks the soul or mind of the scripture that he might learn “The Way” by which he can enter the Kingdom.   And further along the path, those who have ceased to be of this world -- i.e., those who no longer live in bondage to sin and carnal desire -- having themselves entered the Kingdom and are walking in “The Way” of the Lord, are those who perceive the spirit of the scriptures.  

With this foundation laid, Origen then explains that: “…all such as these may be edified by the spiritual law itself (which has a shadow of good things to come), as if by the Spirit. For as man is said to consist of body, and soul, and spirit, so also does sacred Scripture, which has been granted by the divine bounty for the salvation of man”.   The scriptures are universal -- and are made for the salvation of all men.   The carnal man sees only the historical narrative which appears to contain the physical laws of God -- the disciple sees The Way -- the perfected soul sees God and the Divine Nature that manifests throughout all of Creation.

  Origen then observes this same great truth being conveyed in an early Christian scripture known as the Shepherd of Hermas, and he writes: “Hermas is commanded to write two little books, and afterwards to announce to the presbyters of the Church what he learned from the Spirit. For these are the words that are written: 'And you will write,' he says, 'two books; and you will give the one to Clement, and the other to Grapte. And let Grapte admonish the widows and orphans, and let Clement send through all the cities which are abroad, while you will announce to the presbyters of the Church.' Grapte, accordingly, who is commanded to admonish the orphans and widows, is the pure understanding of the letter itself; by which those youthful minds are admonished, who have not yet deserved to have God as their Father, and are on that account styled orphans. They, again, are the widows, who have withdrawn themselves from the unjust man, to whom they had been united contrary to law; but who have remained widows, because they have not yet advanced to the stage of being joined to a heavenly Bridegroom. Clement, moreover, is ordered to send into those cities which are abroad what is written to those individuals who already are withdrawing from the letter -- as if the meaning were to those souls who, being built up by this means, have begun to rise above the cares of the body and the desires of the flesh; while he himself, who had learned from the Holy Spirit, is commanded to announce, not by letter nor by book, but by the living voice, to the presbyters of the Church of Christ, i.e., to those who possess a mature faculty of wisdom, capable of receiving spiritual teaching”.

When James, the brother of Jesus writes that: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27 NIV), he is not saying that pure religion is to look after the wives and children of those whose father has died.   Widows and orphans are a symbol employed in order to portray those believers who are still carnal in nature.   It is these believers who see only the letter -- or body -- of the scriptures, of which Origen writes whose “youthful minds are admonished, who have not yet deserved to have God as their Father, and are on that account styled orphans”.   With regard to widows Origen writes: “They, again, are the widows, who have withdrawn themselves from the unjust man, to whom they had been united contrary to law; but who have remained widows, because they have not yet advanced to the stage of being joined to a heavenly Bridegroom”.   The unjust man is the citizen of the far country in the parable of the prodigal son -- i.e., the god of this world.

Thus, widows and orphans do not represent widows and orphans in accordance with our understanding of these terms -- but rather, they represent stages of spiritual growth.   Moreover, because of our modern politically correct mindset where the Bible is at time viewed as sexist, in these words we must perceive that the term widows is used with respect to both men and women.   We can never get a right sense of either the scriptures, or life, until we begin to realize that all of us are reflective with respect to our soul, and therefore we are often rightfully portrayed in the feminine gender.

In the words of James: Pure religion consecrated by the Father is for the disciple to be of the spirit, minister to the orphans and widows, while keeping oneself “unspotted from the world” (KJV).   Unspotted denotes that condition where one has absolutely no part of the world, with the exception of ones manifestation as a spiritual presence.   It is these unspotted individuals who are those who have been reborn into the spirit, and have totally manifested the Light of Christ in their lives.

Widows and orphans see only the body of the scriptures, and are yet carnal believers who the Apostle Paul describes as the Christians of the simple faith.   We can see the next stage of development in Origen's words as he describes those who are more mature: “Clement, moreover, is ordered to send into those cities which are abroad what is written to those individuals who already are withdrawing from the letter -- as if the meaning were to those souls who, being built up by this means, have begun to rise above the cares of the body and the desires of the flesh”.   Those who are abroad are the people who have traversed the sea of spiritual cleansing, and have risen above the “cares of the body and the desires of the flesh”.   It is these men and women who have consecrated their lives in the pursuit of Truth, that will see the mind of the scriptures in their quest to walk in The Way.

With regard to the more mature in Christ, Origen writes of Hermas: “…while he himself, who had learned from the Holy Spirit, is commanded to announce, not by letter nor by book, but by the living voice, to the presbyters of the Church of Christ, i.e., to those who possess a mature faculty of wisdom, capable of receiving spiritual teaching”.   The name Hermas means the “messenger” -- thus it is only the spiritual Christians who are able to hear the Shepherd -- or in the symbolism of the Shepherd of Hermas, the Living voice of Christ.   Clement means merciful -- and it is only those who are themselves walking in The Way who receive the mercy of the Lord.   The widows and orphans -- or those believers who remain of the flesh and see only the letter of the scriptures and the exoteric doctrine or good news of the Christ -- must spiritually mature in order to have their hearts and minds open enough to begin to perceive the Gospel of God, and possess the knowledge to enter the Kingdom.

  People Only See Their Own Doctrines Of Belief In The Scriptures: Returning once again to the writings of Clement we can now see that Peter's explanation should make perfect sense in the confrontation that is to take place with the proverbial Simon Magus: “Therefore Simon, who is going to discuss in public with us tomorrow, is bold against the monarchy of God, wishing to produce many statements from these Scriptures, to the effect that there are many gods, and a certain one who is not He who made this world, but who is superior to Him; and, at the same time, he is going to offer many scriptural proofs. But we also can easily show many passages from them that He who made the world alone is God, and that there is none other besides Him”.  Thus, it is foretold that each side will be able to prove their dogma with many scriptural passages.   Simon will be able to prove that the world was created by a false god -- and Peter will be able to prove that the world was created by the One God.   Both will be able to use the same scriptures to prove their assertions.   This inherent design of scripture is by Divine Providence that each person sees in the body of the writings which confirm their own beliefs.  

Peter then goes on to state that: “But if any one shall wish to speak otherwise, he also shall be able to produce proofs from them at his pleasure. For the Scriptures say all manner of things, that no one of those who inquire ungratefully may find the truth, but simply what he wishes to find, the truth being reserved…” for the disciple who can only learn the correct meaning of the scriptures from the Shepherd and True Prophet.  

During their discussion that was to ensue, Simon became hostile when Peter refused to engage in his interpretation of the scriptures and said: “Then said Simon: 'You are manifestly avoiding the hearing of the charge from the Scriptures against your God.' Then Peter: 'You yourself appear to me to be doing this; for he who avoids the order of inquiry, does not wish a true investigation to be made. Hence I, who proceed in an orderly manner, and wish that the writer should first be considered, am manifestly desirous to walk in a straight path’”.

In these words are noted the most profound error of Bible readers today who only perceive what is literally written in the narrative of the written word.   Believers see and read the scriptures in the manner of their doctrines, while ignoring the very warning of the scriptures that it is their own perception of the Word that is in error.   Simon wants to engage Peter and use the scriptures to prove that the world was created by a lesser god.   Peter states that anyone can prove almost any doctrine by using the scriptures -- and therefore, before the scriptures can be understood, the “writer should first be considered” -- meaning that the reader must look past their own opinions and beliefs, and perceive the inner meaning conveyed by the writer.  

That Peter's warning is correct, is overwhelmingly proven by the modern church.   Many very intelligent minds and astute biblical students have studied the scriptures and continue to hold conflicting opinions that oppose what the next person sees very clearly represented in the Bible.   Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is God -- and they can demonstrate their doctrine in the bible.   Baptists, Pentecostals, and most other Evangelical Christians believe that Jesus is God, and they have a whole host of biblical citations to prove their doctrines.   The Mormons believe in the pre-existence of the soul.   The Quakers have no formal doctrine, and believe only in the revelation of the inner Light.   Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, this Orthodox, that Orthodox, this Church of God, the Universalists, the Reformers, the all inclusive Liberals, the Conservatives, etc., all faithfully read the scriptures, and all find important points of disagreement.   What we must begin to understand is that many of these people are very intelligent and sincere believers -- and yet they all see something different when they read the scriptures.   Their flaw is not in what they see -- but like Simon, they all failed to heed Peter's words when he warned that the “writer should first be considered” -- and if the writer is the Holy Spirit, then it is the interpretation that this writer teaches that is the only true meaning.

If what the early church authorities say is true, and any number of doctrines and dogma can be proven using the same scriptures, then the reader must learn to relinquish personal interpretation.   What, then, is the answer?   The genuine revelation of the scriptures can only be learned from the True Prophet as to the correct meaning of the narrative.  “Hence, O beloved Clement”, proclaims Peter, “if you would know the things pertaining to God, you have to learn them from Him alone, because He alone knows the truth. For if any one else knows anything, he has received it from Him or from His disciples”.   These words -- that you can only learn the things of God from Him alone -- are as true today as when Peter spoke them to his disciple Clement in the first century.  

 The Inconceivable Reality Of The Scriptures

Modern Christians who are in search of the correct doctrine to believe in, are aghast and horrified at the thought that the Bible was purposely designed so that anyone could prove almost any doctrine by using the scriptures -- or that the scriptures contain narratives that are not historically accurate.   Modern believers will rightly ask: If what is written in the scriptures is not a faithful portrayal of the historical events that transpired, then of what value are they?   This type of thinking is carnal, and is the result of anti-Gnostic thinking -- i.e., tell me what to believe, so I can be on the right side of God.   The problem is that man can never be on the right side of God until he returns home to the Kingdom.   Belief, or faith, then, is not part of the equation where these things are independent of man's efforts to walk in The Way.   If you do not pick up your own cross and follow in the footsteps of the Lord, then you are neither a genuine believer or a person of sincere faith.

 In the words of Origen, those who demand historical accuracy do not understand the very purpose of the scriptures -- they have yet to “withdraw themselves from the unjust man”, and are still carnal and under the power of this world.   As believers, they are orphans, and not yet even considered widows.   They may proclaim they are chosen -- saved -- they may even wear the garb of a priest, minister, rabbi, or other clergy -- but they have yet to begin the process of spiritual maturity.   The disciple knows that in order to draw nearer to God, they must possess Spiritual Truth -- and truth can only be found in the mind and spirit of both the scriptures and the Kingdom within themselves.

  Confirmation Of Science: In order to demonstrate the co-relationship between the wisdom of the authors of our scriptures with the findings of modern science, we can observe this same message in the words of Einstein when he admitted: “We may therefore regard matter as being constituted by the regions of space in which the field is extremely intense… There is no place in this new kind of physics both for the field and matter, for the field is the only reality” (quoted in M. Capek, The Philosophical Impact of Contemporary Physics).   What both the scientist and the prophet are conveying to us is that man must come to terms with the fact that reality only exists in the Kingdom -- the world in which we presently dwell is only a shadow of reality; and by virtue of its incompleteness, is an illusion.   The scriptures were not written to comfort the believer during their stay in this world.   The scriptures were not written to confirm tradition, or to verify ones doctrines of belief.   What the scriptures were written for was to provide the disciples with the keys to escape this world and enter the Kingdom which is their source of origination.   The scriptures speak of life in our present realm of existence as being a state of death, because we dwell in the world of incompleteness and illusion.   From the vision of spiritual reality: We literally dwell in the realm of allegorical appearances.   The scriptures -- though not always historically accurate -- are real keys that provide the disciple with genuine truths in his spiritual quest.  

In conformation of what Origen said regarding the fact that in the narrative of the scriptures there exists many things that are not true, Peter said: “If, therefore, some of the Scriptures are true and some false, with good reason said our Master, 'Be ye good money-changers,' inasmuch as in the Scriptures there are some true sayings and some spurious. And to those who err by reason of the false scriptures He fitly showed the cause of their error, saying, 'Ye do therefore err, not knowing the true things of the Scriptures; for this reason ye are ignorant also of the power of God.’”

  Origen On Allegory: In his celebrated work, De Principiis, Origen wrote concerning the factualness of the literal narrative of the scriptures: “Where the word found that things done according to the history could be adapted to these mystical senses, he made use of them concealing from the multitude the deeper meaning; but where in the narrative of the development of super-sensual things, there did not follow the performance of those certain events which were already indicated by the mystical meaning, the scripture interwove in the history the account of some event that did not take place, sometimes what could not have happened; sometimes what could but did not.”

What is Origen saying to us?   Where the Word found that using events from history could fulfill the purpose of the scriptures, the Word used these historical events, “concealing from the multitude the deeper meaning”.   In this respect, Jesus lived and taught the people the Royal Law of God and the means to gain entrance into the Kingdom.   These things are true.   But scripture is designed for a greater purpose than to inform us with respect to the past -- scripture is the handbook of those who desire to enter into Life.

What is the purpose of the scriptures?   Surely not to teach us about history -- how can history open the door to the Kingdom within us.   By placing spiritual truths in what appears to he an historical document, scripture accomplishes the necessary task of putting the sacred truths of God in the hands of the people -- in a language they can understand and relate to -- even during that time when they are yet carnal, and unable to comprehend the Mysteries of God.   By writing the scriptures in this fashion, the carnal Jew could relate to the scriptures because the writings appeared -- on the surface -- to communicate and manifest a history of the people who were using them.   Yet, Origen warns that, even when the scriptures are historically accurate, there is concealed within the narrative a deeper meaning than what is grasped by the carnal reader.  

Was there a historical man named Jesus?   Yes -- but it is the Living Christ that will save you.   Because the scriptures are written for the purpose of assisting the disciples in finding the Christ, even when the scriptures are conveying historical truths pertaining to the Christ, the genuine message is still embedded within the body of the text.   Why?   Because the purpose of the scriptures is that of a guide and road map out of this world -- not to convey to us a system of doctrines in which we should blindly believe and remain immersed in lives of materialism.

Why two gospels?  Why would Jesus have incorporate in his teachings what has been referred to as a secret doctrine?   The modern believer who only possesses a very limited perception of higher reality will reject the idea of an inner meaning to the scriptures, and will reason that Jesus would have spoken all truths very clearly.   To the carnal believer, if it is true that Jesus concealed the mysteries, this would be viewed as being dishonest.   Moreover, they would ask why, even when the scriptures are historically accurate, would the true meaning of the message be concealed from the reader?   The believer asks the question: Why not just write the truth.   The answer is found in the words of Ignatius: “Might I not write to you things more full of mystery?  But I fear to do so, lest I should inflict injury on you who are babes.  Pardon me in this respect, lest, as not being able to receive their weighty import, ye should be strangled by them”.  

In the words of St. Nazianzen: “The Divine Nature then is boundless and hard to understand”.   And in the words of St. Gregory: “The man who in calculating the transcendent powers of the Deity limits them by his own is a fool”.   In order to perceive God and reality, man must go beyond the physical, and activate his own spiritual nature that is lying dormant within his carnal nature.   Until this spiritual nature is manifested, man's true reality makes no sense, and man is unable to understand things of any real value.  

Carnal man places great confidence and reliance on the events of history -- so the Holy Spirit uses what appears to be historical narratives to convey great spiritual truths in the form of allegories.   Origen writes that some parts of these historical narratives are based upon a correct perception of historical facts.   This causes us to adopt them, and cling to them as a source of spiritual truth.   But, Origen warns, even when the narratives of the scriptures are historically accurate, they are still written in such a way that a higher level of spiritual truth is contained within the veil of what is written.

Did Jesus heal a man who was born blind?   Yes he did.   But how does this knowledge of an historical event draw you closer to God?   Even if it makes you believe and have faith in Jesus, this knowledge means nothing if it does not provoke you to strive to walk in The Way.   On the other hand, when you begin to recognize the fact that all men born of woman are congenitally blind from a spiritual perspective -- and will remain blind until healed by the Son of God -- then this knowledge has the capacity to provoke you to change, and cause you to desire to see and behold man's true reality.

Did Jesus have twelve disciples?   He had many disciples -- but the number twelve is of the greatest importance because of its relevance to the mind of man as he begins the process of walking in The Way.   Therefore, it does not injure the people of the simple faith to believe that Jesus had twelve disciples -- but it is important for the seeker who looks beyond the narrative of the text to perceive the blueprint of the mind that he must bring into a state of harmony in order to walk in The Way.

Unlike our modern text books which are different for each level of instruction, the scriptures are written for believers and disciples of all levels of spiritual maturity.   This is seen in the words of Origen when he wrote: “Since, then, it was the intention of the Holy Spirit to enlighten with respect to these and similar subjects, those holy souls who had devoted themselves to the service of the truth, this object was kept in view, in the second place, for the sake of those who either could not or would not give themselves to this labor and toil by which they might deserve to be instructed in or to recognize things of such value and importance, to wrap up and conceal, as we said before, in ordinary language, under the covering of some history and narrative of visible things, hidden mysteries. There is therefore introduced into the narrative of the visible creation, and the creation and formation of the first man; then the offspring which followed from him in succession, and some of the actions which were done by the good among his posterity, are related, and occasionally certain crimes also, which are stated to have been committed by them as being human; and afterwards certain unchaste or wicked deeds also are narrated as being the acts of the wicked. The description of battles, moreover, is given in a wonderful manner, and the alternations of victors and vanquished, by which certain ineffable mysteries are made known to those who know how to investigate statements of that kind. By an admirable discipline of wisdom, too, the law of truth, even of the prophets, is implanted in the Scriptures of the law, each of which is woven by a divine art of wisdom, as a kind of covering and veil of spiritual truths; and this is what we have called the 'body' of Scripture, so that also, in this way, what we have called the covering of the letter, woven by the art of wisdom, might be capable of edifying and profiting many, when others would derive no benefit”.

Thus, the body of the scriptures which are not necessarily historically accurate, are “capable of edifying and profiting many” by the reading of the literal word.   Yet, as the believer matures, he begins to realize that the endless portrayal of wars, genealogies, and stories of carnal strife against Divine Providence, are absolutely meaningless in the life of the disciple.   As he begins to spiritually develop, and starts to experience a shift in perception, he begins to realize that these wars, genealogies and strife in the flesh have great meaning within his own being, as he travails to overcome his carnal nature in his quest to enter the extended realm of his soul.   What, therefore, the carnal believer sees as history, the disciple sees as great spiritual truths that are imparted to him in his pursuit of spiritual perfection and manifestation.

Origen writes that the scriptures contain many places where what is written literally could not have happened.   In examination of this statement we ask why?   Why not create a written word which was totally factual?   The answer that Origen provides to this question is once again very simple:  “But as if, in all the instances of this covering (i.e., of this history), the logical connection and order of the law had been preserved, we would not certainly believe, when thus possessing the meaning of Scripture in a continuous series, that anything else was contained in it save what was indicated on the surface; so for that reason divine wisdom took care that certain stumbling-blocks, or interruptions, to the historical meaning should take place, by the introduction into the midst (of the narrative) of certain impossibilities and incongruities; that in this way the very interruption of the narrative might, as by the interposition of a bolt, present an obstacle to the reader, whereby he might refuse to acknowledge the way which conducts to the ordinary meaning; and being thus excluded and debarred from it, we might be recalled to the beginning of another way, in order that, by entering upon a narrow path, and passing to a loftier and more sublime road, he might lay open the immense breadth of divine wisdom”.

What Origen states is not only true, but is of the utmost importance for us to comprehend in our present day: If the scriptures were historically accurate, then we would believe, and never move beyond the written word.   In never moving beyond the written word, we would fail to develop those parts of our mind that relate to our soul and spiritual natures and reality -- and in our failure to mature, we would remain lost in this carnal world, and never open the door to the Kingdom within our being.   From a scriptural perspective, the prodigal son would never return home to his Father.  

Origen and many of the other early Church Fathers comprehended this design and higher purpose of the Gospel.   They understood that the scriptures are written in such a way that our reading them would be interrupted by the many instances where what we read literally is not true -- and in coming to this scriptural roadblock, the intension was for us to seek to understand the deeper meaning -- a meaning that can only be perceived by drawing closer to our own spiritual nature.

  UnTruths Written Into Scriptures: Some of the more outrageous and blatant untruths in the literal word would be the classic case of the sun and moon standing still: “Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, 'O sun, stand still at Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day” (Josh 10:12-13 NAS).   In the first instance, the sun does not revolve around the earth.   Secondly, there exists sufficient records of the time in question to confirm that such an event never took place.  

“Nor was it only with regard to those Scriptures which were composed down to the advent of Christ that the Holy Spirit thus dealt” writes Origen, “but as being one and the same Spirit, and proceeding from one God, He dealt in the same way with the evangelists and apostles. For even those narratives which He inspired them to write were not composed without the aid of that wisdom of His, the nature of which we have above explained. Whence also in, them were intermingled not a few things by which, the historical order of the narrative being interrupted and broken up, the attention of the reader might be recalled, by the impossibility of the case, to an examination of the inner meaning”.

Just one of these examples are provided at the time of the crucifixion where it reads: “And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst” (Luke 23:44-45 KJV).   There exists sufficient historical records of that time to demonstrate conclusively that the earth was never plunged into darkness for a period of three hours.   In view of the fact that this event took place at the time of the Passover, when the moon is full, it could not have been an eclipse.   Moreover, neither can an eclipse bring darkness over all the earth for a period of three hours.

Since this event could not have taken place in the historical sense, why is it reported?   Origen explains this when he writes that, in the development of “super-sensual things… the scripture interwove in the history the account of some event that did not take place” -- which denotes episodes such as these in the scriptures that a reasonable mind must conclude is not historically accurate.   In the words of Origen, “sometimes what could not have happened” -- events reported as history that could not have taken place -- and “sometimes what could but did not”.  

Sometimes the inconsistencies in scripture are blatant.   This is done intentionally, so the believer is unable to read the text of the body of scripture in its literal sense.   Speaking of the conversion of Paul along the road to Damascus, Acts 9:7 reads: “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man”.   Yet, in Acts 22:9 the narrative reads: “And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me”.   The discerning reader will immediately ask which account was true?   In the first instance they heard the voice but saw nothing, in the second they saw the light but heard nothing.  Thus, we are presented with two contradictory witnesses pertaining to the same event.

By design the reader is supposed to question and reason to themselves that, if the same person wrote both accounts, then why were they written in direct opposition to each other?    If you look in the many Bible commentaries you will observe numerous creative attempts to explain away this apparent contradiction.   Yet, none of them perceives that Saul/Paul is spoken of as being in The Way -- that Saul in this New Testament rendition is synonymous with the Saul who proceeded David as king of Israel -- that only Saul/Paul was struck down with blindness, while those who were with him were not -- and that they were on their way to Damascus -- that Saul/Paul was blind for a period of three days -- that a disciple named Ananias was told in a vision to go to Saul/Paul, who would be at the house of Judas, on a street named “straight”, and heal and baptize him.  

This account is so rich with important symbolism and meaning to the disciple, that it is almost inconceivable that it could be read as an historical, rather than a spiritual event.   The idea that Saul (the forerunner of David) was in The Way, and was blinded by the Light for a period of three days (a period of time used throughout the scriptures to denote a process of spiritual transformation), and was at the house of Judas (the betrayer of the Christ), on a street named straight, where he was to be baptized.   Thus, we see the common references to the command to “Enter ye in at the strait gate” (Matt 7:13 KJV); “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Matt 3:3 KJV); as well as the connection between the concept of the straight path and baptism: “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him…” (Luke 3:5-7 KJV).   While it is impossible to believe the two accounts literally in an historical sense, the purpose of the text is to force us to look beyond the letter and into the spirit, as demonstrated in the words of the Apostle: “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor 3:6 KJV).

What is important here is that the reader understand the things conveyed not as the conversion of an historical man, but rather the evolution of consciousness from Stephen who was stoned by Saul and the Jews -- to Saul who began to walk in The Way -- was transformed from a Jew who was blind when he resided at the house of Judas, the betrayer of Christ -- and after his baptism became Paul, who was the little one (meaning of the name Paul) who was chosen to serve the Lord by bringing the teachings of The Way to the Gentiles -- Gentiles being that part of us that worships the gods (powers and things) of this world.   Where these things mean very little to us from an historical perspective, they are of the highest importance to us from the perspective of spiritual events that are to take place in the life of the disciple.  

Was Paul an historical man?   Yes.   But what is conveyed in the scriptures is not historical -- and cannot even be read in a literal sense.   What is important is that we see that the death of Stephen -- a man who is constantly referred to as a person of great faith, and whose name is defined in the Thayer’s Lexicon as one who is “crowned”.   As we investigate we must also recognize that Stephen was one of seven deacons in the Jerusalem Church, and the first martyr.  Just as important is the fact that after Stephen is introduced into the narrative of the scriptures, we see the recital of an historical account of the Jewish people -- and in this recital, the names, places, events and numbers are conveyed in such a manner so as to instruct the disciple into the necessary stages with respect to the evolution in consciousness and God awareness.

Death in the scriptures has nothing to do with physical death -- but rather, the transitioning from one level of consciousness to another.   Thus, when Stephen is stoned by the angry Jews, we see the immergence of Saul -- which Thayer’s Lexicon defines as having to do with desire.   Again in the transformation of this desire into Paul, which is defined as the “little one”, we are presented with the pattern that one must “turn about”, and become a “little one”, in order to enter the Kingdom.   This message is very plainly seen in the warning of Jesus when he said: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:3 RSV).

   Intentional Conflicts In Text: In order to force the reader to stop, and contemplate the inner spiritual message, a conflicting account is purposely entered into the scriptures: Acts 9:7 reads: “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man”.   Yet, in Acts 22:9 the narrative reads: “And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me”.   It means absolutely nothing for the modern reader to believe that Saul was converted on the road to Damascus -- there is no spiritual edification or uplifting when we relate this knowledge to an historical event at the beginning of our Common Era.   But what is conveyed spiritually is of great value to the disciple in search of the Light -- and must bring about a change of mind in his quest to open the door to the Kingdom.   Thus the disciple begins to see his own transformation from the death of Stephen as spirit became clothed with flesh, to Saul -- from a Jew to Paul -- from Paul the little one, whose blindness was healed by Ananias -- the gift from God.

The many points at which the scriptures conflict in order to force the reader to look for the inner meaning is so numerous, that an entire book could be written in their compilation.   Acts 7:14 has 75 persons coming with Jacob into Egypt -- Gen 46:27; Ex 1:5; Deut 10:22 state there were 70.   Acts 7:16-17 has Jacob buried in Shechem -- Gen 49:28-30; 50:13 buried in Mamre which is Hebron according to Gen 23:19.   If the Holy Spirit wrote both sets of scriptures, there should have been uniformity between them.   Moreover, if the New Testament authors were attempting to convince others that they knew what they were speaking about from a literal sense, they would have been very careful to get the facts correct.

  The Genealogies: Perhaps one of the finest examples of the carnal mind's attempt to explain away what it should be investigating is demonstrated in the genealogies of Jesus.   The fact that the genealogy presented in Luke is not the same as that in Matthew has been the source of many dogmatic theories.   But the fact that the genealogy in Matthew contains four women, and three foreigners, should immediately send up a red flag warning that these genealogies cannot be read literally.

Two of the women were strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, Rachab a Canaanitess, and a harlot besides, and Ruth the Moabitess.   In the pedigree of the kings of Judah, between Joram and Ozias (v. 8), there are three left out, namely, Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah -- and therefore Joram could not have begat Ozias.   When it is said (v. 12) that Jechonias begat Salathiel, that Jechonias was the son of that Jehoiakim who was carried into Babylon, the scriptures tell us that Jechonias was childless (Jer. 22:30), and in direct contradiction to what is written in Matthew, it is written that “No man of his seed shall prosper”.

In order to insure that the genealogies cannot be read literally it is further stated in Matthew: “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ” (Matt 1:17 NIV).   With regard to the many problems presented in the genealogies, the Adam Clark Commentary writes: "Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:] There are three considerable difficulties in this verse.   Josias was not the father of Jechonias; he was only the grandfather of that prince: (1 Chr. 3:14-16) .  2.   Jechonias had no brethren; at least, none are on record. Josias died 20 years before the Babylonian captivity took place, and therefore Jechonias and his brethren could not have been begotten about the time they were carried away to Babylon. To this may be added a fourth difficulty, namely, there are only thirteen in this 2nd class of generations; or forty-one, instead of forty-two, in the whole".

When we closely examine the literal word of the Bible, all of the scriptures could be deciphered in this same manner to demonstrate the inconsistencies from an historical perspective.   Moreover, the problem would be even more serious than it is at present if the Bible had been left in its original condition.   In many instances, where these many places that appear to be contradictions were detected, they were fixed by later scribes who copied the scriptures.   In their ignorance of the very manner in which the scripture are composed, every time they fixed a contradiction or offending verse, they defiled and obstructed the very purpose of the Word of God.   In the case of the difference between the genealogies of Matthew and Luke, there are Greek texts that exist where the genealogy of Luke was replaced by the one in Matthew in the endeavor to conceal this easily detected flaw in the written word.  

Where the carnal believer sees a genealogy that would be impossible to be read literally, it never dawns on the readers that what we have is the pedigree of the three minds of man -- physical, mental (soul), and spiritual -- and that in the formation of the series of numbers in the pattern of fourteen, fourteen and fourteen, what is being indicated has great spiritual significance.   Moreover, the fact that there is forty-one, instead of forty-two, is also important in our quest to understanding the spiritual meaning of what is being conveyed with regard to what Jesus had yet to accomplish in his endeavor to become the first Son re-born into the Kingdom.

  Origen - Scripture Objectives: Does all these things mean that the scriptures are untrue?   In the words of Paul: God forbid!   It is us who is not real and untrue; not the scriptures.   In understanding why the Bible is written in this manner, we must not allow ourselves to be burdened by carnal thinking, and lose sight of what sets scriptures apart from any other writings known to man.   “The chief object of the Holy Spirit”, writes Origen, “is to preserve the coherence of the spiritual meaning, either in those things which ought to be done or which have been already performed, if He anywhere finds that those events which, according to the history, took place, can be adapted to a spiritual meaning, He composed a texture of both kinds in one style of narration, always concealing the hidden meaning more deeply; but where the historical narrative could not be made appropriate to the spiritual coherence of the occurrences, He inserted sometimes certain things which either did not take place or could not take place; sometimes also what might happen, but what did not: and He does this at one time in a few words, which, taken in their 'bodily' meaning, seem incapable of containing truth, and at another by the insertion of many. And this we find frequently to be the case in the legislative portions, where there are many things manifestly useful among the 'bodily' precepts, but a very great number also in which no principle of utility is at all discernible, and sometimes even things which are judged to be impossibilities. Now all this, as we have remarked, was done by the Holy Spirit in order that, seeing those events which lie on the surface can be neither true nor useful, we may be led to the investigation of that truth which is more deeply concealed, and to the ascertaining of a meaning worthy of God in those Scriptures which we believe to be inspired by Him”.

Origen writes that we must come to the realization that “those events which lie on the surface can be neither true nor useful”.   In opposition to this statement we ask: Isn't the belief in the historical Jesus useful?   The answer is yes, but only to the degree that the historical narrative assists the disciple in manifesting the Living Christ in their life at the present time.   What does the name Jesus (Yehshua) mean?   What must we do in order to bring about that state of mind which is portrayed in the scriptures in the life of the historical Jesus, into our present life?

What is important is that we “be led to the investigation of that truth which is more deeply concealed”.   Since we know that everything we can learn from others in this world is of a preparatory nature, and the one true doctrine that will nourish us can only be revealed to those who are in “the house”, and are deserving to be taught privately the Mysteries of the Kingdom, we must therefore seek to enter into the house with our Lord and Savior.   It is important that we perceive that whatever is written literally in the historical narrative is the exoteric doctrine -- or good news -- that serves as merely the invitation to the masses to enter the mystical house of the Lord where the Secrets of Creation can be revealed to the disciple in search of the Truth and the Mysteries of God.  

In fully comprehending these statements in relation to the whole purpose of the teachings of The Way, let us again examine the definitive statement which conveys to us the very essence of the Gospel -- and especially the Revelation of John: “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie” (Rev 22:14-15 NKJ).  

If the Revelation represented the end of the world, as is commonly believed by the majority of Christians today, then why are those who remain outside the city portrayed as “dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie”?   Armageddon, then, indicates the disciples personal conflict as he endeavors to overcome his own lower nature through the crucifixion of what is symbolized by the flesh, in order that he can possess the Knowledge of the fruit of the Tree of Life, transcend the natural barriers of this world, and “enter through the gates into the city”.   With regard to those who call themselves Christian, and continue to remain in this world, these are the ones who, like the Sadducees and Pharisees, “loves and practices a lie” in their refusal to follow in the footsteps of the Master.

Again let us revisit the statement by the Wycliffe Commentary on Genesis 2:7 where it writes about the nature of man: “Man's body was fashioned from the dust of the ground, while his spirit came from the very 'breath' of God. He is literally a creature of two worlds; both earth and heaven can claim him”.   What the fundamental teachings of the New Covenant convey is that if man “turns about”, and re-focuses his direction in life through the process of “opening and unloosing the mind” -- freeing it from the attachments and constraints of this realm -- man will discover that God has given him the power to gaze upon that which is Eternal.

As with all things Created by God, the scriptures are multidimensional.   Even in what appears to be historical, we see the same form being followed.   Our scholars know that Herod could not have been king during that time frame that Jesus was born.   They also know that the plight into Egypt to evade being killed is also not true: “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men” (Matt 2:16 KJV).   Such an act would have been well documented in the numerous writings of the many historians of the time.  

The answer is found in the meaning of the names Herod and Egypt -- and why it was important to make the connection between the same episode that are portrayed in the saving of Moses when the slaughter of the infants was ordered.   Thus, what is a meaningless and worthless historical account to the modern believer, is used to convey great truths to the disciple of the Light -- in that they, themselves, must undergo these same transformations in order for the Christ to be born within them.

In an attempt to clarify his position, and place these things in their proper perspective, Origen writes: “No one, I think, can doubt that the statement that God walked in the afternoon in paradise, and that Adam lay hid under a tree, is related figuratively in Scripture, that some mystical meaning may be indicated by it. The departure of Cain from the presence of the Lord will manifestly cause a careful reader to inquire what is the presence of God, and how any one can go out from it. But not to extend the task which we have before us beyond its due limits, it is very easy for any one who pleases to gather out of holy Scripture what is recorded indeed as having been done, but what nevertheless cannot be believed as having reasonably and appropriately occurred according to the historical account. The same style of Scriptural narrative occurs abundantly in the Gospels, as when the devil is said to have placed Jesus on a lofty mountain, that he might show Him from thence all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. How could it literally come to pass, either that Jesus should be led up by the devil into a high mountain, or that the latter should show him all the kingdoms of the world (as if they were lying beneath his bodily eyes, and adjacent to one mountain), i.e., the kingdoms of the Persians, and Scythians, and Indians? or how could he show in what manner the kings of these kingdoms are glorified by men? And many other instances similar to this will be found in the Gospels by any one who will read them with attention, and will observe that in those narratives which appear to be literally recorded, there are inserted and interwoven things which cannot be admitted historically, but which may be accepted in a spiritual signification”.

Where the carnal mind looks upon the world and attempts to see continuity, it is the disciple who knows full well that we dwell in a world of incompleteness and illusion.   Where the carnal believer attempts to read the scriptures as a witness to historical events, the disciple probes to the depths of the scriptures and understands them as the means by which we begin to awaken to the inner Truth and the Light of the Spirit.  

The believer will rightly ask: If God wants us to know what to believe, why would the scriptures contain events that did not, and even what could not have happened?   Again, the purpose of the scriptures is not to induce people to believe what happened in the past, and then dwell in the comfort of their beliefs -- but rather, to focus their attention on what is taking place at the present time in their own lives.   That the scriptures were written to coincide with a particular time or event in history, only makes them that much more acceptable to the common people.   This acceptance is important -- because even though the scriptures are not historically accurate, they contain within the body of the narrative the essential truths that each of us must embrace in order to find the ultimate Truth which is our destiny.   In their original form -- prior to their being defiled by the Roman Church -- what was written in the scriptures was one hundred percent accurate with respect to man's quest to enter the Kingdom.   Thus, in their original form, the scriptures were the Truth of all Truths!

  The Allegorical Genesis: With regard to reading the narrative as actual events in history, Origen wrote: “What man of sense will agree with the statement that the first, second and third days in which the evening is named and the morning, were without sun, moon and stars, and the first day without a heaven.   What man is found such an idiot as to suppose that God planted trees in paradise in Eden, like a husbandman, and planted therein the tree of life, perceptible to the eyes and senses, which gave life to the eater thereof; and another tree which gave to the eater thereof a knowledge of good and evil?  I believe that every man must hold these things for images, under which the hidden sense lies concealed” (Origen - Huet., Prigeniana, 167 Franck, p. 142).

A man of reason will ask: If there was no sun, moon and stars, how could there have been a day, night and dawn of a new day?   “What man of sense”, Origen asks, will blindly believe such statements?   This fundamental question is very similar to that asked by Jesus with regard to the blindness of the Sadducees and Pharisees who also attempted to read the scriptures literally.   Who could believe that God planted trees in the Garden of Eden which gave to the eater the knowledge of good and evil, while the fruit of another tree gave eternal life?   These things are not history, writes Origen, but rather “images, under which the hidden sense lies concealed”.   Origen explains that the scriptures are an allegory that conceal the deeper truths of the spirit, and writes: “It is sufficient however, to represent in the style of a historic narrative what is intended to convey a secret meaning in the garb of history, that those who have the capacity may work out for themselves all that relates to the subject.”

When Clement (Clementine Homilies) asked of Peter concerning the many things in scripture that are not true, he said: “Truly I rejoice, and I give thanks to God, who in all things doeth well. However, he knows that I shall be able to think nothing other than that all things are for God. Wherefore do not suppose that I ask questions, as doubting the words concerning God, or those that are to be spoken, but rather that I may learn, and so be able myself to instruct another who is ingenuously willing to learn. Wherefore tell me what are the falsehoods added to the Scriptures, and how it comes that they are really false. Then Peter answered: Even although you had not asked me, I should have gone on in order, and afforded you the exposition of these matters, as I promised. Learn, then, how the Scriptures misrepresent Him in many respects, that you may know when you happen upon them”.

In his Ecclestical History Eusebius writes that: “Many were led astray by reading the allegorical contents of the scriptures literally in the method of the Pharisees and Sadducees”.   In these words we are provided great insight into the true heresy of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and why Jesus condemned them as being blind guides.   When it is realized that Jesus was born among the Essenes, who were Gnostic, and a people who comprehended the inner meaning of the Law, we begin to understand that the true focus of the conflict in scripture was the spiritual Israelites vs the carnal Jews.   On the side of the spiritual Israelites was Jesus and the Essenes -- who perceived the true meaning of the scriptures as the guide that assists the disciple in opening the doors to the true Temple of God.   The Pharisees and Sadducees, on the other hand, read the scriptures literally -- and were under the erroneous belief that God dwells in temples made with man's hands -- and employed a body of priests -- and approved a series of sacrifices, rituals and observances.  

  Key Of Knowledge: What was it that the Lord accused the Pharisees of doing? “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered” (Luke 11:52 NAS).   Yet, modern Christians today do not believe this statement.   We do not believe that the lawyers possessed the keys of knowledge prior to the advent of Christ.   We thus fail to understand that the keys of knowledge is the understanding of the true threefold nature of the scriptures, and man's inherent ability to learn directly from the Christ within.  

Because we read the scriptures in the manner of the Pharisees, we have ourselves become the modern day Jews in opposition to the Lord.   Thus, the scriptural confrontation continues right down to this present day -- the spiritual vs. the carnal believers.   In the words of Origen: “Many, not understanding the Scriptures in a spiritual sense, but incorrectly, have fallen into heresies”.   Anyone who attempts to read the scriptures, seeing the body only, while ignoring the mind and spirit, are doomed to fall into these heresies.

From a scriptural perspective, even the name Jew contains a very real message to the disciple of the Light.   Jesus warned of the pitfalls of division -- i.e., “But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth” (Luke 11:17 KJV).   The Jews, being the decedents of Judah, represented one twelfth of the children of Israel.   The disciple understands that, throughout both the Old and New Testament scriptures, the Bible is not speaking about a people who called themselves Jews, but rather the spiritual condition of mind -- a mind that by virtue of its carnal perception of the Word, is limited to only one twelfth of its potential -- which potential can only begin to be realized when we contemplate and embrace the difference between the partiality of the Jew, and the completeness of Israel.  

In this respect, from a biblical perspective the majority of believers today are represented in the scriptures as Jews, others as Samaritans, and still many others as the people of the Nations.   Moreover, we are not just Jews, or Samaritans, or of the Nations -- in that, each one of us possesses aspects of our person that are as the multitudes of separate personalities -- separate personalities wherein each must be converted, brought into oneness, and raised up as the children of Israel.   In all things what we perceive as the one, is comprised of the many, and the disciple understands that the many factions need to be brought into total harmony if the prodigal son is to return to the Father.   Thus, it is the realization of these great spiritual truths that enables us to understand the words of Origen where he wrote:  “Scripture contains an unhistorical element in-woven with the history, in order that the worthlessness of the latter may drive us to seek the spiritual meaning” (Origen quoted under Origen Adamntius; The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics).  

   The Righteous Need Not A Physician: Perhaps one of the most classic verses that remains an enigma to believers today is where Jesus states: “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick… for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matt 9:12-13 KJV).   By present day religious doctrine Jesus made a mistake, and it is apparent from a modern dogmatic perspective that he did not know what he was speaking about.   From our perception of mankind, no one is whole, and there are no righteous people.   Contrary to what is clearly written in the scriptures, we believe that Jesus came to call everyone.   In Matthew Henry's Commentary we read that: “Jesus Christ is the great Physician of souls… Sin-sick souls have need of this Physician, for their disease is dangerous; nature will not help itself; no man can help us; such need have we of Christ, that we are undone, eternally undone, without him. Sensible sinners see their need, and apply themselves to him accordingly”.   Thus, the Matthew Henry Commentary does not agree with the words that Jesus spoke, that only those who are sick need a physician, and he did not come to call the righteous.

The Adam Clarke Commentary clarifies this doctrine when it states that: “Jesus Christ represents himself here as the sovereign Physician of souls. That all stand in need of his healing power. That men must acknowledge their spiritual maladies, and the need they have of his mercy, in order to be healed by him. That it is the most inveterate and dangerous disease the soul can be afflicted with to imagine itself whole, when the sting of death, which is sin, has pierced it through in every part, infusing its poison everywhere”.   Again we see that the Adam Clark Commentary also does not believe the words of Jesus.

In our present day understanding of the scriptures we cannot even comprehend the meaning of the words: “They that be whole need not a physician”.   Why?   Because we have lost sight of the very Kingdom that Jesus came to declare -- a Kingdom that exists within each of us (Lk 17:21 KJV).   Like Cain, each of us has gone forth from the presence of God, and it is the destiny of all the prodigal sons of the Father to return to the Kingdom.   In order to accomplish this, we must first understand what the Bible means when it states that we must be whole?  

The Mystical Essenes and early Gnostic Christians understood the term “whole” as indicating one who converts the Jew, Samaritan, and the Nations within himself, and brings the twelve spheres of mind together into abiding harmony -- reigning over his three natures (body, mind and spirit) -- and consciously dwells in the Kingdom that is accessed within himself.   The disciple also understands that when the twelve spheres of mind which are represented in the Revelation as the Tree of Life, are divided, what we have is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.   Thus the words of Origen: “What man is found such an idiot as to suppose that God planted trees in paradise in Eden, like a husbandman, and planted therein the tree of life, perceptible to the eyes and senses, which gave life to the eater thereof; and another tree which gave to the eater thereof a knowledge of good and evil?  I believe that every man must hold these things for images, under which the hidden sense lies concealed”.

We fail to understand these elementary truths of the scriptures, because what is today called the Christian religion has been cast out of The Way by Constantine and the Church of the Roman Empire.   Having been imbued with a carnal mindset, we simply cannot come to terms with the words: “Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved” (Prov 28:18 NKJ).   Why? Because in the adoption of Augustine's doctrine of Original Sin that attempts to explain away sacred spiritual symbols that are impossible to understand from a carnal perspective, we don't believe that any man can walk blamelessly without the historical Jesus.   In our doctrines, we do not believe Jesus.   We do not believe that the Kingdom is within us -- and when we manifest the laws of the inner Kingdom in our outer life, we will walk blamelessly.   We view the Christ as an historical personage, and not the Light that calls to us from within the door of our soul.

In our scriptures at Luke 10:25-28 (NIV) we find “an expert in the law” asking Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  To this question Jesus asks:  “What is written in the Law?”   Yet, in accordance with our present day doctrines of belief, Jesus never would have answered in this manner.   Again we see another scriptural sighting where it is clear that Jesus is in need of instruction with regard to what we must do to be saved.

From the perspective of modern Christian dogma and belief: There is nothing in the Law that could save the man, and this passage of scriptures represents just one more enigma.   Moreover, we are unable to even comprehend why Jesus would ask him the question: What is written in the Law.   In the narrative the man answers and says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself”.   In our Bibles today Jesus replies: “Do this and you will live”; but in the Bible used in the second century by Clement of Alexandria, Jesus replied: “This do, and thou shalt be saved” (The Instructor, Book 3).  

Fundamentally, modern Christians do not believe these words of Jesus!  Why?  Because we don't believe the Law can either save us, or bestow upon us life.   If what is written here is true, and one can be saved by fulfilling the Law, then where does belief in the historical Jesus come into the picture?   Moreover, if this is true, that would mean that modern day Jews who fully embrace the Law could be saved, even though they never converted to Christianity.

In the version of this scriptural encounter contained in Mark 12:34, the reply of Jesus takes on a whole new dimension.   In reply, Jesus said to the scribe when he answered correctly: “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God”.  But we don't believe that either.   Why?   Because in accordance with our doctrines, one cannot be saved apart from the historical Jesus.

What is written in the gospel is no different than what was conveyed by Paul when he wrote: “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves” (Rom 2:14 NAS).   How could the Gentiles who did not have the Law, keep the precepts of the Law?  “For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts” (Rom 1:19 TLB).   Thus, because we view the scriptures from the same vision as the Sadducees and Pharisees, we are incapable of comprehending the reality of what the Bible is conveying to us -- i.e., by doing good, and seeking to know God -- our True Source of Being -- the Christ that dwells in the heart of man will reveal himself to the faithful, and make known to them the means by which they may enter the Kingdom.  

Contrary to modern day Christian doctrine: If a man lives on a remote island -- having never heard the Law of God spoken -- having never heard a word about the Jesus of the New Testament -- and this man searches within his own heart and manifests the truth (instinctively), he will be saved -- as seen in the words of Paul: “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves” (Rom 2:14 NAS) -- and in spirit, the Lord will come to the man who instinctively does the things of God in their life, and make them whole.  Thus, by fulfilling the Law of God that is written in their hearts, we can begin to comprehend the truth in the statement that: “Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved” (Prov 28:18 NKJ); and, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick… for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matt 9:12-13 KJV).

We must ask the question: Why can’t the modern Christian believe these many passages of scriptures?   Because, having adopted the traditions of the Pharisees and Sadducees, we look only to the letter of the written word -- reading the scriptures as history -- rejecting the wisdom of both the Essene/Ebionite/Nazirenes, as well as the Gentile Christians, whereby they used the scriptures as keys to open the door to the Spirit and the Kingdom of God within their our own minds and being.   An example of this same error of reading the scriptures literally in the manner of the Sadducees and Pharisees is brought to light by Eusebius, who writes of the doctrines conceived by the early Christians Papias and Irenaeus, and still held throughout the modern Christian world today: “Papias reproduces other stories communicated to him by word of mouth, together with some otherwise unknown parables and teachings of the Saviour, and other things of a more allegorical character.   He says that 'after the resurrection of the dead there will be a period of a thousand years when Christ's kingdom will be set up on this earth in material form'.  I suppose he got these notions by misinterpreting the apostolic accounts and failing to grasp what they said in mystic and symbolic language.  For he seems to have been a man of very small intelligence, to judge from his books.  But it is partly due to him that the great majority of churchmen after him took the same view, relying on his early date; e.g. Irenaeus and several others, who clearly held the same opinion” (Eusebius, Hist Eccl., Book III, 39.11).

The mature spiritual Christian understands the parables and the seemingly historical events of the written word not as signifying events in a past age -- even if there is an historical basis -- but rather, these events are seen as spiritual events pertaining to the plight of the disciple as they seek to open the gates to the Kingdom within their mind and being.   When Eusebius writes of Papias' doctrine that “after the resurrection of the dead there will be a period of a thousand years when Christ's kingdom will be set up on this earth in material form”, he makes reference to the error of Papias when he interprets the “allegorical character” of the scriptures in a literal fashion in the manner of the Sadducees and Pharisees and writes: “I suppose he got these notions by misinterpreting the apostolic accounts and failing to grasp what they said in mystic and symbolic language.  For he seems to have been a man of very small intelligence, to judge from his books”.   In these words it is again important for us to grasp what Eusebius states -- i.e., that the apostolic accounts are written in the “mystic and symbolic language” of the Essene Gnostics.   With regard to the thousand years when the kingdom will be set up on the earth -- Armageddon and the second coming of Christ is understood to signify the true war that wages within the disciple in his mental and spiritual quest to overcome the elemental powers in his physical body, and thereby reign in the Kingdom that Jesus said is accessed within us (Luke 17:20-21).  

If Eusebius could meet with modern Christians today, he would convey that we are a people who have been greatly deceived.   He would ask: Why have we taken upon ourselves the error of the Sadducees and Pharisees and that of Papias, Irenaeus and the others who “got these notions by misinterpreting the apostolic accounts and failing to grasp what they said in mystic and symbolic language”?  When Eusebius writes of Papias that he must “have been a man of very small intelligence, to judge from his books”, he said this because any man who is “outside” of the house, even if they are one of carnal man's greatest scholars, is of “very small intelligence” -- using at best only one twelfth of their mental resources.   In comparison to the Gnostic or Spiritual Christians or Hebrews who are the true children of Israel, and who -- in their completion of mind and spirit -- have found entrance into the Kingdom -- the modern believer has embraced only the simple faith that Paul refers to as the “milk” of the Gospel meant for “babes in Christ”.

Eusebius questions how carnal Christians can believe the doctrine that: “after the resurrection of the dead there will be a period of a thousand years when Christ's kingdom will be set up on this earth in material form”, when Jesus clearly explained to the Pharisees that the kingdom of God will never come upon the earth in material form: “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21 NIV).   It is because the Kingdom is a Spiritual Kingdom within you that Thomas can say in his gospel: “Whoever finds the explanation of these words will not taste death” -- and: “When the Lord was asked by a certain man, when should his kingdom come, he said unto him, when two shall be one and the without as the within, and the male with the female, neither male nor female”.   Thus, the disciple understands that the “apostolic accounts” are written in a “mystic and symbolic language” that only the Lord can open their mind to see and understand.

In the words of St. Augustine: “What the apostle says pertains to this problem: 'For the letter killeth, but the spirit quickeneth', that is, when that which is said figuratively is taken as though it were literal, it is understood carnally.  Nor can anything more appropriately be called the death of the soul than that condition in which the thing which distinguishes us from beasts, which is the understanding, is subjected to the flesh in the pursuit of the letter.  He who follows the letter takes figurative expressions as though they were literal and does not refer the things signified to anything else” (De Doctrina Christiana).

When St. Augustine quotes Paul with regard to the saying “the letter killeth, but the spirit” makes alive, he is making reference to those who read the scriptures literally as historic narratives vs those who perceive the inner meaning of what is written.   “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?”  Writes the Apostle Paul to those who want to read the written word literally.   “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory” (Gal 4:21-24 KJV).  

In these words we must ask what Paul is conveying to us?   The Apostle is stating nothing different than that expressed by either of the two Clement's, Origen, or Eusebius when each of these earliest of Christian witnesses warn the believer that those “babes in Christ” who observe these things by the letter of the written word cannot know the truth, because the letter or body of the scriptures cannot save us.   The Apostle states that to observe these things by the letter is meaningless, because the things written literally in the scripture are an allegory -- which allegory is a story which may on the surface appear to be historical, but in the sacred writings conceals a deeper spiritual truth.  

  Paul On The Allegory Of Abraham: From an historical perspective, maybe there was a person named Abraham -- maybe there wasn't.   Maybe he had two sons -- maybe more, maybe one, maybe none.   From the perspective of man entering into the Kingdom, it makes no difference whether the historical personage of Abraham lived or not, or how many sons he had.   What matters is that we understand that we cannot be free until we rid ourselves of the covenant of the flesh, which is the letter of the Law, and cleave to the spiritual, which is the Life that lies within the letter.   In the same way that the body of man without the mind and spirit is dead, so too is the written word of the scriptures dead without the mind and spirit, and belief in the letter and the historical context cannot save us.

To carnal believers such as the Sadducees and Pharisees, it is very important that Abraham was an historical person -- that he had two sons -- and that they are of the lineage of Sarah, his wife.   Without these things being historically true, they would not be able to call themselves the chosen people blest by God.   When John the Baptist saw the Sadducees and Pharisees he said to them: “And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matt 3:9 NIV).   It is important that we ask what was John attempting to convey?   In an opposite fashion to the mystical Essenes, the Sadducees and Pharisees viewed the scriptures as literal historical narratives.    John the Baptist, who through the Dead Sea Scrolls it has been demonstrated was an Essene, and who understood the scriptures in their spiritual language, warned them that God is not the God of carnal believers who twist the meaning of the scriptures -- but rather, the God of the spiritual believer who surrenders his life to the Lord, and lives the Word of God in word, thought and deed.

Do you believe in the historical Jesus?   Do you believe that the historical Jesus can save you?   If you believe, that is good, but be sure to heed his words when he warned: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46 KJV).   The New Testament scriptures were written for the very purpose of your salvation -- but those who do not do what the Lord has commanded are unbelievers, regardless of what they profess with their lips.

With regard to the body of the scriptures: “Which things are an allegory”, writes the Apostle, “for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free” (Gal 4:24-31 KJV).

The Apostle Paul writes that the story of Abraham is not historically true, and is an allegory.   If this is so, how can the Jews be the children of Abraham?   Origen would probably say: What man of sense would believe that Sarah conceived a child at the age of ninety-nine.   Does not the very concept of two nines -- nine divided -- convey to us a state of division?   Is not this same state of division presented to us in the New Testament scriptures where it states: “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?” (Matt 18:12 NAS).

The man of the spirit perceives that the Hebrew Holy Men wrote and conveyed messages in numbers -- and the number nine has a profound meaning in relation to the Kingdom.   Therefore, the number ninety-nine demonstrates a division that can be overcome when we begin to comprehend what it means to go and search in the mountains in our quest for the one hundredth sheep -- which is a number that conveys wholeness and completion.

In view of the fact that the Apostle Paul writes that the story of Abraham, Sarah, and the two sons are not historically true, how does this impact the genealogy of Jesus?   Was his lineage born from an allegory -- or does the lineage itself convey a series of profound sacred truths to the disciple -- truths that are concealed from the perception of the carnal believer who sees only the letter of the written word?

With regard to the two covenants, we are the children of the free woman so long as we pursue the spirit of the Word, rather than the flesh.   In the words of St. Augustine: “He is a slave to a sign who uses or worships a significant thing without knowing what it signifies.   But he who uses or venerates a useful sign divinely instituted whose signifying force he understands does not venerate what he sees and what passes away but rather that to which all such things are to be referred.  Such a man is spiritual and free, even during that time of servitude in which it is not yet opportune to reveal to carnal minds those signs under whose yoke they are to be tamed” (De Doctrina Christiana).

The literal word of the scriptures are signs that signify spiritual truths.   The literal word may be based upon historical facts, or the text of the narrative may be a complete fabrication.   Whether they are historically accurate or not, they appear in scripture as signs that signify profound spiritual truths that assist the disciple in his quest to enter the Kingdom.   Augustine writes that: “He is a slave to a sign who uses or worships a significant thing without knowing what it signifies”.   These stories that resemble historical narratives are allegories, not history.   These allegories are written “when it is not yet opportune to reveal to carnal minds those signs under whose yoke they are to be tamed”.   Yet, those who perceive the deeper meaning of the word, “are spiritual and free”.

Carnal believers will view these things as confusing and not in accord with their understanding of the scriptures.   They will rightly say: How can I believe the scriptures when you state that they are not historically accurate.   With regard to this position Origen wrote: “Let no one, however, entertain the suspicion that we do not believe any history in Scripture to be real, because we suspect certain events related in it not to have taken place; or that no precepts of the law are to be taken literally, because we consider certain of them, in which either the nature or possibility of the case so requires, incapable of being observed; or that we do not believe those predictions which were written of the Savior to have been fulfilled in a manner palpable to the senses; or that His commandments are not to be literally obeyed. We have therefore to state in answer, since we are manifestly so of opinion, that the truth of the history may and ought to be preserved in the majority of instances. For who can deny that Abraham was buried in the double cave at Hebron, as well as Isaac and Jacob, and each of their wives? Or who doubts that Shechem was given as a portion to Joseph? or that Jerusalem is the metropolis of Judea, on which the temple of God was built by Solomon? - and countless other statements. For the passages which hold good in their historical acceptation are much more numerous than those which contain a purely spiritual meaning. Then, again, who would not maintain that the command to 'honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee,' is sufficient of itself without any spiritual meaning, and necessary for those who observe it? Especially when Paul also has confirmed the command by repeating it in the same words. And what need is there to speak of the prohibitions, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' 'Thou shalt not steal,' 'Thou shalt not bear false witness,' and others of the same kind? And with respect to the precepts enjoined in the Gospels, no doubt can be entertained that very many of these are to be literally observed, as e.g., when our Lord says, 'But I say unto you, Swear not at all;' and when He says, 'Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart;' the admonitions also which are found in the writings of the Apostle Paul, 'Warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient towards all men,' and very many others. And yet I have no doubt that an attentive reader will, in numerous instances, hesitate whether this or that history can be considered to be literally true or not; or whether this or that precept ought to be observed according to the letter or not. And therefore great pains and labor are to be employed, until every reader reverentially understand that he is dealing with divine and not human words inserted in the sacred books”.

What we must not loose sight of is that the bible is a spiritual book that does not deal with man's history -- but rather, man's relationship to the Kingdom of God.   Yes, it is true that the Son of Man walked the earth at the beginning of our Common Era -- that he came to save those who were lost -- this is an historical fact that with my own eyes I have been permitted to witness.   But we must remain ever mindful that the Son of God is calling us into his Kingdom this very day, and those who will hear him calling and enter therein will be saved.   Therefore, even when the scriptures are historically accurate, their accuracy means very little unless you can understand what is being conveyed in the context of your quest to enter the Kingdom during our present time.

It is not until we understand that the Living Christ is present within us, and that we must become the Son of Man who walks in The Way, that we can begin to embrace the written word in its soul and spiritual essence.   All the names, numbers and seemingly events that are reported in the New Testament, convey a sacred meaning to the disciple of the Lord who is in search of the Truth and Light.   All those who walk in The Way must be born of a virgin -- be baptized in the river Jordan -- raise us twelve disciples -- preach the Living Word to the Nations (the elemental forces of the body/mind -- convert the Jew (Judas) who practices the Word of God outwardly, instead of inwardly -- carries their cross to the crucifixion in the endeavor to overcome the body/mind of flesh and return as the prodigal son to the Kingdom of Origination where our Heavenly Father awaits us.

The carnally minded believer who simply skims over the body of the scriptures and sees historical events -- rather than intimate spiritual truths -- believes horrific absurdities about God that are not worthy to even entertain, as well as beliefs that are often contradicted in other places within the scriptures.   Anyone who believes that the Bible is literally true where it is written: “And the LORD our God delivered him over to us; so we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining” (Deut 2:33-34 NKJ); is simply unable to perceive the Divine Essence of God.  

How can we believe that God would look favorably upon the senseless destruction of innocent men, women, and children?   How can we believe that God would Himself orchestrate such a heinous act of irrational and pointless violence?   Only those people who are themselves of a gross, barbaric, and unrefined nature, would even entertain the belief that a Supreme Being would orchestrate and affirm such horrendous behavior.

Often those places in scripture that contain the greatest absurdities, are the very places where important truths are placed for man to discern and behold.   Thus, an example of this fact is seen in the Ten Commandments where it is written: “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Deut 5:9 NIV).   Is this the loving God revealed by Jesus who holds the children of unbelievers accountable to the third and fourth generation?  

From a spiritual perspective, what we have here is the embodiment of a very important and profound spiritual concept -- a concept conveying a truth of such magnitude, that if we understood its spiritual meaning, we would begin to comprehend the reason why carnal man cannot gaze into the heavenly realms with his physical eyes.   Going one step further, if we knew what is being conveyed in this statement, and we could perceive the workings of the natural laws of this realm and their impact upon our minds and thinking, we would immediately understand why we are limited to less then ten percent of our potential of mind.   Yet, instead of seeking out the spiritual significance of this absurdity, Christians believe that God punishes the children of sinners to the third and fourth generation.  

That the literal meaning of the written word is not worthy of our belief is even demonstrated in the Bible's own refutation of such a doctrine that the children of sinners will be held accountable to the third and fourth generation: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek 18:20 KJV).

The reader who pays close attention to the scriptures will immediately question why God would hold innocent children accountable for the sins of their forefathers to the third and fourth generation?   Is this the righteousness of God?   Or, are we supposed to seek the inner meaning of the scriptures, and learn what great spiritual truth the Bible is attempting to convey to us with regard to the third and fourth sequential generation?

  The Shepherd Of Hermas: In view of the fact that such an absurdity was written so that men of a reasonable mind could not believe such statement literally, we would do well to learn from the first Christians, and investigate their mindset regarding the nature of scripture?   In the introduction of the early Christian writing known as the Shepard of Hermas it is written: “The Pastor of Hermas was one of the most popular books, if not the most popular book, in the Christian Church during the second, third, and fourth centuries... In ancient times two opinions prevailed in regard to the authorship. The most widely spread was, that the Pastor of Hermas was the production of the Hermas mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans. Origen states this opinion distinctly, and it is repeated by Eusebius and Jerome”.

If it is true that the Pastor of Hermas was one of the most important scriptural authorities over the first four centuries, then we can use it in our endeavor to better understand the essence of early Christian thought.   What the Shepherd of Hermas has to say is very important to us today because it represents the scriptural tradition that was taught directly to the faithful flock by the Apostles of Christ.  Thus, on the nature of scripture, in the Shepherd we find: “I am senseless, sir, say I, and do not understand these parables. For how she can crush out, and on the other hand save, I do not perceive. Listen, says he. Those who have never searched for the truth, nor investigated the nature of the Divinity, but have simply believed, when they devote themselves to and become mixed up with business, and wealth, and heathen friendships, and many other actions of this world, do not perceive the parables of Divinity; for their minds are darkened by these actions, and they are corrupted and become dried up. Even as beautiful vines, when they are neglected, are withered up by thorns and divers plants, so men who have believed, and have afterwards fallen away into many of those actions above mentioned, go astray in their minds, and lose all understanding in regard to righteousness; for if they hear of righteousness, their minds are occupied with their business, and they give no heed at all. Those, on the other hand, who have the fear of God, and search after the Godhead and truth, and have their hearts turned to the Lord, quickly perceive and understand what is said to them, because they have the fear of the Lord in them. For where the Lord dwells, there is much understanding. Cleave, then, to the Lord, and you will understand and perceive all things”.

The message that is very clear from this early Christian writing is that it is impossible to mature spiritually, while attempting to divide oneself between the two worlds.   In our present day culture we are living proof as to the validity of the wisdom that is portrayed in this writing -- i.e., one cannot perceive the true meaning of the parables and the inner significance of the historical narrative of the scriptures, while one devotes their lives to their “business, and wealth, and heathen friendships, and many other actions of this world” -- which would include an addiction to television, computer games, internet pornography, and all the many leisure’s and entertainments that captivate and control our every-day lives.   Moreover, how can we even be called believers when we send our children to educational systems that not only teach a Darwinist perception of life that is fatally flawed, but further teaches our children to become totally immersed in the sensual and materialistic powers of this world?   Fundamentally, what this universally accepted first century writing conveys to us is that, contrary to what is being preached in our pulpits, the Sunday go to church people who live culturized lives over the course of the rest of the week, are incapable of fulfilling the requirements of the Word of God.

In the Shepherd of Hermas a reference is made to a tower, of which it is written: “And the tower, I asked, what does it mean? This tower, he replied, is the Church. And these virgins, who are they? They are Holy Spirits, and men cannot otherwise be found in the kingdom of God unless these have put their clothing upon them: for if you receive the name only, and do not receive from them the clothing, they are of no advantage to you. For these virgins are the powers of the Son of God. If you bear His name but possess not His power, it will be in vain that you bear His name”.  

In understanding what is written, it is most important for us to be aware of the continual message found in the words: “If you bear His name but possess not His power, it will be in vain that you bear His name”.   Thus, if you call yourselves Christian, but fail to purify and develop your mind and body from the defilements of this world -- and do not possess the true Knowledge of the Spiritual Christ -- and have not yourselves inherited the same higher powers of mind that the Son of God promised all his followers would possess -- then “it will be in vain that you bear His name”.

Everything throughout the scriptures, including the New Testament, has three meanings, as proclaimed in the Proverbs: “And do thou describe these things to thyself in a threefold manner, in counsel and knowledge, and that thou mayest answer the words of truth to those who have proposed them to thee”.   In explaining this great truth, Origen writes of the miracles of Jesus: “…so also there were many dead in the days of Jesus, but those only rose from the grave whom the Logos knew to be fitted for a resurrection, in order that the works done by the Lord might not be merely symbols of certain things, but that by the very acts themselves He might gain over many to the marvelous doctrine of the Gospel. I would say, moreover, that, agreeably to the promise of Jesus, His disciples performed even greater works than these miracles of Jesus, which were perceptible only to the senses. For the eyes of those who are blind in soul are ever opened; and the ears of those who were deaf to virtuous words, listen readily to the doctrine of God, and of the blessed life with Him; and many, too, who were lame in the feet of the 'inner man,' as Scripture calls it, having now been healed by the word, do not simply leap, but leap as the hart, which is an animal hostile to serpents, and stronger than all the poison of vipers. And these lame who have been healed, receive from Jesus power to trample, with those feet in which they were formerly lame, upon the serpents and scorpions of wickedness, and generally upon all the power of the enemy; and though they tread upon it, they sustain no injury, for they also have become stronger than the poison of all evil and of demons” (Symbols of miracles; Origen, Contra Celsum).

What these words demonstrate to us is the great truth that both life, and the scriptures, is a great deal more than what we perceive it to be.   The secret to understanding the Bible, which is the key to the knowledge of life itself, was possessed by the early church, and can still be embraced in the words of Origen when he responded to Celsus that the Christ still visits the Godly, as seen in the words: “I maintain that even after His incarnation, He is always found by those who possess the acutest spiritual vision to be most God-like”.   Thus, the secret, then, is not in what one believes -- for all philosophical belief is at best a mere shadow of reality -- but rather, all the great Truths of Creation belong to those who are willing to live their life in accordance with the teachings of The Way, in order to make themselves a fit vessel for the Son of God to come and make his abode within them, and personally reveal the Mysteries of God and the Sacred Secrets of Creation.