In the Genuine teachings of The Way There can be no Sects No manmade opinions There is only One Teacher That there exists an almost uncountable number of sects which divide the Christian world today -- each attempting to portray themselves as the genuine followers of Messiah/Christ -- from a purely biblical perspective this house divided syndrome demonstrates the reality of a spiritually disenfranchised people of blind faith who are led by blind guides. How can I make such a statement? This fact is easily demonstrated by listening to the voice of the scriptures that speak to those in search of Truth. Thus, the warning of Isaiah: "Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray" (Isa 9:16 NIV). With respect to the blind guides who lead the people astray Yeshua said: "And He spoke a parable to them: Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye" (Luke 6:39-42 NKJ). The teachings of The Way had absolutely nothing in common with a church or synagogue where priests, rabbis and other clerics performed rituals to absolve the people of their refusal to live in accordance with the Word of God. The teachings of The Way was a path which the disciple walked that permitted him access into the indwelling Kingdom of God.
That
modern Christianity has lost this vision and severed themselves from the direct communication
which is given to the disciple of Truth, is easily seen
in the schismatic nature of the present day church.
If the Apostle Paul were with us today he would condemn the modern
Christian for the exact same reasons that he condemned the believers at
Corinith: “I appeal to you”, writes the Apostle, “…that there may
be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and
thought” (1 Cor 1:10NIV).
What
we fail to realize today is the fact that there can be no divisions and sects in
a Living Religion -- where there is One Leader and One Teacher that all genuine
disciples have access to. By Divine Decree, the followers of Yeshua/Jesus were to have
no divisions, sects, or independent opinions among the believers because the
Lord promised that each “…shall hear my voice; and there shall be one
fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16 KJV).
It is for this reason the Apostle cautioned Titus to “Warn a
divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing
to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is
self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11 NIV).
The Greek meaning of the word divisive is “one who promotes a
sect”. It was for this
reason the religion of the Messiah/Christ can have no worldly name, and this is seen in
the fact that it was called “The Way”.
Paul
was so adamantly opposed to manmade schisms and carnal opinions that he chastised the believers
at Corinith that they were not men of the spirit -- as was evidenced that they
had divisions among them. He explained that the carnal, or “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); and informs them that they are too “carnal, and walk as
men” (1 Cor 3:3 KJV) to open the inner door of the mind and learn directly
from the Lord via the spirit. From
his perspective, the very existence of these divisions was proof the believers
at Corinith were too carnal to experience direct communication with the Lord --
which opening of the inner door to the spirit was the whole essence of New
Covenant theology.
Writing
about schisms and divisions, the Church Father Turtillian writes: “On
this point, however, we dwell no longer, since it is the same Paul who, in his
Epistle to the Galatians, counts 'heresies' among 'the sins of the flesh,' who
also intimates to Titus, that 'a man who is a heretic' must be 'rejected after
the first admonition,' on the ground that 'he that is such is perverted, and
committeth sin, as a self-condemned man.' Indeed, in almost every epistle, when
enjoining on us (the duty) of avoiding false doctrines, he sharply condemns
heresies. Of these the practical effects are false doctrines, called in Greek
heresies, a word used in the sense of that choice which a man makes when he
either teaches them (to others) or takes up with them (for himself). For this
reason it is that he calls the heretic self-condemned, because he has himself
chosen that for which he is condemned”. In the gospel preached by Paul, heresy is considered a “sin of the flesh”, because schisms and divisions are the result of natural man clinging to ideas of a carnal nature. Why are these baptized and committed Christians plagued by schisms and divisions? Because they only call upon the Lord with their lips, while failing to do as the Apostle states by following in The Way and “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Col 3:5 NIV).
We must
therefore turn from the understanding of the flesh, or in the words of the
Apostle: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace” (Rom 8:6 KJV).
The religion of Christ was one of the spirit -- and Paul taught the
Gentile believers not to look to the historical man Yeshua/Jesus, but rather the
indwelling Spiritual Living Messiah/Christ as their savior and revealer of truth: “Therefore
from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have
known Christ according o the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer” (2
Cor 5:16 NAS). This Spiritual Messiah/Christ, over the historical
Messiah/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).
In
the eyes of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, the church of our present day has
been turned out of The Way. In a spiritual religion there can be no schisms and
divisions, which are “sins of the flesh” -- but rather, spiritual
unity must prevail because the true disciple of Yeshua has opened the door to
the indwelling Kingdom, and is the student of “the true light which... enlightens every
man” (John 1:9 NAS). In
this respect, the perspective of the Apostle Paul is very clear -- i.e., one
cannot cling to the “Christ according to the flesh”, and be in
harmony with the Living Christ that calls to us from beyond the door -- the
transcendent Messiah/Christ -- who calls out to the genuine disciple from the other side of the
inner strait gate that leads
to the Kingdom.
Again
we are confronted with the revelation of a great truth that we fail to recognize
today. In acknowledgement of
these words of the Apostle, the concerned Jew/Christian should immediately ask:
What is it that Paul is talking about that the carnal or natural man
cannot comprehend? Why can't
the Apostle just tell us in plain language what he is referring to?
Throughout his epistles Paul constantly refers to the true Jewish/Christian
doctrine as concealed mysteries that can only be learned via the spirit. Of these hidden mysteries Paul says: “Let
me tell about the visions I've had, and revelations from the Lord. Fourteen
years ago I was taken up to heaven for a visit. Don't ask me whether my body was
there or just my spirit, for I don't know; only God can answer that. But anyway,
there I was in paradise, and heard things so astounding that they are beyond a
man's power to describe or put in words (and anyway I am not allowed to tell
them to others)” (2 Cor 12:1-4 TLB).
What
great mysteries can the spirit impart to the believer that are “so
astounding that they are beyond a man's power to describe or put in words”?
And more importantly, why would Paul say that he was “not allowed to
tell them to others”? In
light of these rather profound statements, every believer today must ask what
the relationship of these secret mysteries is to the gospel?
The Apostle warned the believers at Corinith that “I gave you milk,
not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not
ready” (1 Cor 3:2 NIV). This
means that the religion which was preached to the masses -- the doctrine that
Paul refers to as milk -- is merely the elementary principles of the gospel
which are a form and pattern, and the True Gospel of the Messiah/Christ was those
mysteries that he was “not allowed to tell to others”.
We must then understand that the whole focus of New Testament theology is
to prepare the disciple to receive the revelation of the great spiritual truths that can only be
revealed through the opening of the spiritual door within us.
Show me a Jew, Messianic believer, or Christian today who says that he believes a certain thing because it was written by Paul, and I will show you a babe in Messiah/Christ who is nourished by the milk. Do you not see what the Apostle warns: “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready” (1 Cor 3:2 NIV). This means that there was another -- more superior Gospel -- a Gospel that was not written in the manner of the Old Covenant -- and when writing to believers who are still of this world and have yet to become spiritual, Paul can only allude to this more perfect Gospel in his letters. In view of these biblical facts, this means that no man can find the Truth of the Gospel in what Paul wrote in his epistles -- but rather, this truth is only revealed by the Living Spiritual Messiah/Christ that Paul wrote is unveiled only to those who were able to put off their carnal nature, and receive the mysteries directly from God. This is the essence of New Covenant thought!
What many believers today fail to realize is that the
answer to the dilemma is found implanted on their own lips as they gather
together for prayer and worship. Further,
the answer is again found in the words of the Apostle Peter, as contained in an
obscure writing of his disciple Clement -- a writing rejected by the fourth
century Roman Church -- where he said that the genuine Jew/Christian must learn only from the True Prophet as to the correct meaning of the
scriptures and the revelation of the Word.
“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 -- i.e., that you not only can, but you MUST
learn the things of God from Him alone, or from one of his genuine disciples --
are as true today as when Peter originally spoke them to Clement in the first
century. They are based upon
the New Covenant teaching that Yeshau/Jesus came to teach the Truth, and this Truth
cannot be altered or defiled by either an impostor church, or the doctrines of
men. Therefore, built into
the essence of the Word is a means by which the truly faithful disciple
throughout any and every age in the history of man is able to learn the Truth
directly from the Lord Himself. What
this further means is that even during that timeframe when the church was
plundered into the very depths of darkness and despair, the truly faithful
followers of the Light were taught the truth directly from the One Source of all
Truth.
The problem is that the modern
believer has become so
accustomed to listening to the preaching and doctrines of other men, that they
have permitted themselves to become totally alienated from the very essence of
New Covenant teachings. We
have therefore been so estranged from the Word that Yeshua/Jesus taught, that few
Jews or Christians today can even envision the core teaching of the New Testament
scriptures -- i.e., that only what has been revealed to you by the Lord Himself
via your own spiritual nature is a valid Truth that you are to embrace.
The Great Reality that we totally fail to understand is
the fact that in the same way the true follower of Messiah/Christ was not of this world,
neither was his Church! What
this means is that when we ourselves become spiritual, we will be able to see
the door to the Spiritual Church, open it, and enter therein.
While it is true that we will not use our physical body, Paul teaches
that we possess both a natural and a spiritual body, as seen in the words: “There
is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:44 KJV) -- and
with respect to Paul’s own experiences with regard to entering the heavenly
realms the Apostle writes: “whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether
out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth” (2 Cor 12:2 KJV).
It was the witness of the first followers of Yeshua/Jesus that all those who
faithfully followed in The Way, and learned only from the Master, were
themselves permitted into the Spiritual Temple that they accessed through the
inner door within their own mind.
The True Church of
Messiah/Christ is Spiritual -- and if you are
to begin the journey along The Way and into the Light, you must first rid
yourself of the many lies and fallacies of the impostor Church of the Roman
Empire. To walk in The Way,
you must endeavor to begin the process of restoring the mindset and essential
teachings that was revealed to the faithful flock in the first century -- in
order that you might be able to see and understand more clearly -- with the
objective being, to enable you to learn the truth directly from the True
Prophet, and from him alone.
We are living in a time of great spiritual opportunity.
The Hand of God has again moved in the life of man, and all the elements
we need to transition the church back to its original spiritual essence has been
put into place. All the pieces to the puzzle have already been given to
us. All that we need to do is
embrace the Truths in the revelation of the Royal Law of God, walk in The Way
ordained by the Master Yeshua/Jesus, and enter into the Kingdom that awaits our return.
The journey into the Light is begun through a very
thorough critical examination of ourselves, and what we believe.
In the same way that we would readily admit that an Atheist is the
greatest obstacle to his own salvation, as people of the simple faith, we are
the only obstacle to our own advancement in the Word -- and each of us is in the
process of creating the future in which we will dwell.
In today’s world, Christianity is seen as the religion of the masses --
blind to intellect, political stature, ethnicity, or one's station in life.
Anyone can literally be a Christian by merely professing a belief in
Jesus. It is a faith-based
religion -- it serves and uplifts the poor -- the downtrodden -- and those who
are in need. This is good! Yet, at the beginning of our Common Era, Christianity
in its original form was all these things and more -- and few people today
understand, or even have the ability to perceive the all-pervading spiritual
potential of the Genuine Gospel of Messiah/Christ.
The contrast between the modern faith-based Christianity
we know today and first century Christianity is easily discernible.
The perception of Christians in our present-day is that of a faithful
believing people. There is very little emphasis placed upon the idea of
spiritual transformation. This
is demonstrated in the fact that modern Christians are not looked upon as an
all-knowing, illuminated and enlightened people -- a people whose Anointed
(Messiah/Christ) perception, knowledge and understanding reveals to mankind the great Mysteries
of Life that explains all aspects of man's quest to comprehend the Sacred
Secrets of God. In fact,
Christians violate the whole premises of the Gospel when they send their
children to secular schools to learn the wisdom of this world -- a wisdom the
Apostle Paul calls foolishness. Was Paul wrong in his condemnation of the wisdom of this world? There are many who call themselves Jews and Christians today who would have us believe this great deception! No, the Apostle was not wrong then, and neither is his perception of the wisdom of this world outdated.
Spiritual Light, as spoken about in the Bible, is
synonymous with an elevated mindset, and a state of all-knowing -- all-being --
and all-truth and good. Modern
believers would ascribe these qualities to Yeshua/Jesus, who they consider God -- but
it was the promise of Yeshua/Jesus that all his followers would know the same Truth
that had been revealed to him by the Father -- and it is an historical fact that
the earliest Christians were the most enlightened people of their time.
Yet, this is no longer the case in our present day.
In the second and third centuries the greatest teachers
under whose guidance the most intelligent sought to be students, were the Hebrew
Christian holy men of their day. What
has changed? In our present
time young men and women no longer defer secular based studies to pursue Jewish/Christian studies in order to gain a superior knowledge-base from an informative
educational perspective.
In today’s world, the perception of the nature of
religion itself no longer occupies the same place in the minds of the people as
it once did. Religion is no
longer seen as the path in life to educate and develop the intellect and the
mind of the student. No one
applying for employment today puts down on their application that they studied
with a rabbi, priest or theologian -- unless, of course, they are seeking
employment as a member of the clergy.
Moreover, even the clergy attend universities in order to be qualified to
teach and preach the gospel. Thus,
the astute person will immediately perceive that something is very different
today, and both Judaism and Christianity is no longer seen from the same lofty perspective it
once held in biblical times. This
fact has not only created a great void in our modern-day perception of
Christianity, but this same void is present in our culture today because the
people who were supposed to be the manifestation of Light in the world, are only
partially effective in the job they were ordained and called to accomplish.
If we restore the Gospel to the position it held from a
first century perspective, we must recognize that the Good News, and the
original message that Yeshua/Jesus declared to mankind, was in every way a
transformation and journey of the mind and spirit of man.
It required a genuine change in the manner in which the believer lived,
thought, and perceived the very purpose of life itself.
The followers of
Messiah/Christ were ordained to be the Light of
the world -- and Light is the very factor that overcomes and dispels darkness,
which is synonymous with ignorance. The
very word Messiah and Christ, when translated into the English language from its native
Hebrew and Greek, means to “Anoint”.
The meaning of the Greek term Logos, which in the Gospel of John we
translate The Word, is indicative of the Mind of God.
Darkness is the absence of Light -- which is brought about by the
disconnection and severance from the Source of our being.
Man, who dwells in darkness, is not saved by believing in the Light --
but rather, by intimately connecting with the Light -- and this Light is found
within us beyond the barrier of our natural consciousness that is associated
with our physical body. Speaking
about the trials and tribulations that each disciple of Yeshua/Jesus must endure as
illumined people who dwell as strangers in a world ruled by the powers of
darkness, the Apostle writes: “But call to remembrance the former days, in
which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions”
(Heb 10:32 KJV).
To be Anointed
(Messiah/Christ) by the Mind of God, then, would
mean that the believer’s mind is illumined -- and being immersed in the Light,
perceives and understands all things from the same perspective as does God
Himself. A person who is
Anointed (Messiah/Christ) by the Light, no longer is hindered by the carnal limitation
of mind that restricts the thinking and perception of natural men.
It is the promise of the scriptures, as well as the witness of the first
followers of Messiah/Christ, that the genuine followers of Jesus will see all things --
understand all truths -- and rise above the power of Satan and the elemental
nature forces of this world.
This all-important teaching of the Bible is for the most
part ignored by those who call themselves Christian today. Because the fourth century church severed itself from
the spiritual essence of the Word when they entered into a covenant with Pagan
Rome -- redefining the very Spiritual teachings of The Way into a carnal manmade
semi-secular institution -- and then created foundational doctrines of
belief that remain an integral part of our church dogma to this very day, the
modern Christian has been forced to ignore many of the most profoundly important
and paramount teachings of the scriptures. The result is that believers today embrace a form of
spiritual and religious agnosticism that obstructs their walk with the Lord.
We read the Bible -- we see what it says -- we acknowledge the many
promises that no longer seem to apply to us -- and we are perplexed.
And we ask, what has changed?
Why has religion fallen from its once elevated and lofty place, and been
relegated to a much lower, philosophical position in the minds and perception of
the people?
As we ponder the promise of the scriptures, and think
about what it must be like to see the world and Creation through the eyes of
God, we must immediately pose the question as to why, if total enlightenment is
the promise of the Bible, have Christians permitted themselves to become
spiritually sterile and agnostic? Why
do they attend universities and learn from the teachers of this world, when it
is the promise of the scriptures that God himself will teach us, and open our
perception to the same vision with which He, Himself, looks out into the world?
If this concept of Christianity
which I have been portraying as an illumined and
Anointed journey of the mind seems bazaar and outlandish from a modern believers
perspective, perhaps we should be cognizant of the true facts of the matter.
Science has long ago demonstrated beyond any doubt that at best, the
majority of people are only able to use no more than ten percent of their mental
capacity. There are stories of
people falling off ladders, hitting their heads, and suddenly they have access
to what is commonly known as a sixth sense that through some unknown means,
enables them to know and see things that other people do not.
Every culture and society has its stories of people who were either born
with, or developed superior abilities of mind that gave them access to a
storehouse of information that cannot be realized by the majority of people.
Some of these people were called visionaries and prophets.
Others called themselves mystics.
Are these people freaks of nature?
Or are they just simply people who can use various innate portions of the
over ninety percent of human potential of mind that the majority of people are not able
to access?
In view of the indisputable scientific evidence that man
only uses a very small portion of his potential of mind, we must ask the
question: Why? Why does this
limitation exist? How can the
limitation be overcome? Moreover,
what would the world look like to us if we could overcome this limitation?
These are truly important questions for every person in our modern world
to answer -- and especially those who call themselves Jewish or Christian.
With respect to science: Though science can easily prove
that we have both an inherent limitation as well as this innate potential,
science does not have an answer to the dilemma.
The scientist knows that within the mind of man there exists an immense
untapped potential of mind-power and phenomenal abilities that are beyond the
understanding of those people who we call normal -- and yet, science can do
absolutely nothing to overcome this limitation.
The result is that this great potential remains an illusive untapped
resource that the scientist is simply powerless to find a means to provide us
access to.
This indisputable fact with regard to man's congenital
limitation poses a number of important questions from a religious perspective:
Why would God create mankind -- in God's own image -- and then inhibit him by
limiting his mind and intelligence to only a fraction of his potential?
If we are truly created in God's image, then we should not have this
limitation -- unless, the unthinkable is true, and the Spiritual Jews and Christians were
correct in their assertion that our limitations are self-imposed!
That’s right! We
should be able to utilize all of our potential of mind, but it is our manner of
thinking and the way we live our lives that is responsible for our being limited
to less than ten percent of our true potential!
From a fundamentalist religious perspective, how could
our Creator-God expect mankind to make proper choices in life, and hold man
accountable for these sometimes very difficult elections, when man is using only
a fraction of his innate mental ability to make extremely consequential
decisions? When seen in its
proper perspective, it would appear that God has a rather strange sense of humor
-- i.e., it is as if God is requiring a deaf man to compose a great symphony,
and a blind man to paint a portrait that details all the intricacies of life as
seen through the perception of seeing eyes.
From a biblical perspective, there is still another
dimension to the problem of man's inherent hardships in the world that has not
yet even been considered. The
Bible warns us that there is a force of darkness that is referred to as the god
of this realm, and it is this god that controls the governments and thinking of
the people. This supernatural
being called the Prince of Darkness has been commonly referred to as Satan, the
Devil, Beelzebub, and many other names.
Further, the Bible also tells us that Satan has under his command one
third of all the angels, a host of disincarnate spirits, and an
all consuming power of evil and darkness which he uses to control the thinking
and actions of man in this world.
The exact nature of the relationship between God and
Satan has always perplexed the mind of man.
In the first chapter of the Book of Job, God and Satan appear to have a
very friendly (working) relationship -- even entering into a wager as to whether
Job was of such a perfect stature that regardless of the havoc that Satan
brought into the life of Job, Satan would not be able to turn Job against God.
To prove the wager, and with God's blessings, Satan then moves in the
life of Job and totally devastates him by harnessing all of his earthly and
heavenly powers in the endeavor to test Job's faithfulness and endurance.
The Book of Job invokes numerous questions that mankind
has only been able to speculate about.
Why doesn't God protect man from the power and influence of Satan?
Why would God even encourage Satan to bring evil upon the life of a
faithful man? Killing his
children -- destroying his home and all possessions -- decimating every aspect
of his life? In view of the
fact that man does not possess supernatural power -- and his intellect is
severely inhibited by his congenital ten percent limitation -- and the
scriptures demonstrate that even religious authorities can be controlled by
Satan -- if what is written in the Bible is correct, then man is truly in a
dreadful position with regard to making any sort of informed decision in life.
How can man even begin to find truth when he is only able
to use no more than ten percent of his potential of mind? How can man know what is right, when God permits an
evil, supernatural power, to rule over his life?
It would appear that the deck has been severely stacked against man --
i.e., he functions at a very limited level of reasoning of mind -- he is opposed
by an all-powerful supernatural being -- and yet, the Bible states that God
holds man responsible for making the proper choices in his life.
If you consider this vision of mankind cruel, ask
yourself this question: If the average person has an I.Q. of one hundred, and
someone who was using only ten percent of their potential had an I.Q. of ten,
are we cruel when we consider such a person to be profoundly retarded. In view of the fact that the greater number of people
probably do score somewhere around one hundred percent on an I.Q. test, and the
majority of people we label retarded score considerably over a level of ten
percentile, this comparison in order to better understand ourselves is well
founded upon principles that we commonly employ in our own modern society.
Perhaps it would help us if we put the matter in its
proper perspective: There are some apes that exhibit a higher I.Q. than the
level of ten percent in relation to the average of the human population.
What that means to us is that, what we consider normal human reasoning,
would be similar to comparing the intelligence of an ape to that of a man -- and
can again be used in comparing our present power of mind to our true innate
potential which we would possess if we were using all of our potential of mind.
From a biblical perspective we can again use this
comparison to better understand the Apostle Paul's teaching on the subject of
sectarianism. In the same way
that we would refrain from arguing with a person of such a limited I.Q. because
they would be considered retarded by our standards, or engage such a person in a
theological or philosophical discussion, for exactly the same reasons the
Apostle warns us not to attach ourselves to the doctrines of the natural people
of this world. Why?
Because, being of a carnal mindset, they possess a very limited
perception of man's true reality. Just
as important is the warning of the Apostle that when someone suggests we align
ourselves with a certain sect or doctrine of belief, we should view such a
person as a heretic. Why?
Because from a New Covenant perspective, they are spiritually and mentally
challenged, and are incapable of any greater understanding than their limitation
of mind permits.
In the plight of mankind in this world all things are
relative: A person who attempts to perceive either the meaning of the
scriptures, or life itself, will be directly limited by their level of mind as
manifest by their awareness and consciousness.
A person functioning at ten percent of their potential, will be severely
limited in their ability to understand and reason.
Moreover, only when we begin to come to terms with this congenital
limitation, and work to overcome the limitation, rather than to deal with the
mysteries of life by embracing the philosophy of other men -- men who are
themselves inhibited by this same natural limitation -- can we begin to truly
comprehend and understand the Mysteries of God and Creation.
Religion today has been redefined by both the secular
politicians of the fourth century and the Protestant Reformers in the Middle
Ages to be an expression of faith in the unknown -- but this was not the
original intent of the New Covenant and teachings known as The Way. If we are to begin the process of restoring the Gospel,
and drawing closer to God, then it is imperative that be start to perceive the
true depth and purpose of the religious experience. It is therefore important for us to understand the
claim of religion at the beginning of our Common Era that man not only has the
ability to overcome this ten percent limitation that plagues him, but that the
holy men and women of the past possessed the keys to opening the door to higher
understanding. This claim
that man can possess the secret to open the full potential of his mind, was made
by both the Spiritual Jews known as the Essenes, Ebionites and Nazirenes, as well as the
Spiritual disciples and followers of Christ.
Genuine religion, then, was not only a life based upon
faith, but also the transformation of man from a carnal being of very limited
perception and understanding, to a spiritually mature Child of God who has been
set free from the shackles of the Prince of Darkness.
A genuine disciple of the Messiah/Christ is the one who seeks the all-illumining
Power of the Light in his life -- a Power that permits the disciple to overcome
the congenital ten percent limitation of mind, and opens the spiritual senses of
the disciple to enable them to perceive Life and Reality from an enlightened and
illumined vision that is beyond the understanding of those who the Apostle
refers to as a “natural man” (1 Cor 2:14 NKJ).
What the Bible states is this: If man is to understand
and embrace existence from the perception of the Source of his Being, then he
must move beyond the superficial, and seek the Source and Essence of all things
in his life. What the Bible
teaches us is that this can only be accomplished when man ceases to adhere to
the doctrines of men who are limited by their natural carnal reasoning, and
learn directly from God -- the Source of all Truth.
Every day our school children are instructed and educated
into all the theories of science and philosophy of man -- and yet, the most
important aspect of man's learning experience is rarely ever discussed.
It is as if want to maintain an air of politically correctness -- i.e.,
we don’t what to convey to them that they are congenitally retarded.
If
we were to tell the people the truth -- and especially our children -- only then
would they be in a position to rectify the limitation of mind that plagues
them. This is especially demonstrated in the fact that the root
cause of all ignorance and conflict in the world is never presented to them in a
manner that would enable them to alleviate the problem, and strive to overcome
the obstacle. Fundamentally,
we at times do admit to our school children that the mind of man uses only a
fraction of its potential -- and there are instances in our educational
curriculums where we do acknowledge that our perception of life is of a
suppressed and limited vision -- but what does this mean?
Rarely do we ever discuss the implications of these facts -- i.e., it
means that every scientific truth and philosophical precept that we teach to our
children in all probability is incomplete and defective -- and yet we rarely
ever discuss the problem from the perspective that we do not know how to
overcome the congenital limitation and enable the child to use more of their
latent potential of mind.
In the same way, children and adults alike are constantly
being showered with claims of the superiority of one religious doctrine over
that of another -- and yet, they are never told about what the Bible states is
the cause for all theological conflict in the world. Non-religious people are critical of religious people
and vise versa, liberal religious people are critical of fundamentalists and
vise versa, and yet few ever acknowledge the true cause of the dissension
between the opposing points of view.
In the ultimate quest to perceive truth from error, these
questions regarding the very nature of mind, its inherent organic limitations,
and the true reason for all conflict of thought in the world, represent the root
cause of the problem that each one of us struggles with over the course of our
lives. Yet, this root cause
is rarely ever discussed by either the religious or non-religious authorities we
look to as teachers who are charged with the responsibility of enlightening our
understanding. By continually
dwelling on the effect, while ignoring the true cause, it is as if they suggest
that we resolve the problem of a car running out of gas by manually pushing the car.
Do we tell a blind man to see?
Or a deaf man to hear? Or
a crippled man to walk? Or a
retarded man to think and reason? If
we did, we would be looked upon as fools.
Yet, from the true perspective of man’s inherent limitation of mind,
this is exactly what we are attempting to do.
Every day we teach our blind, deaf, spiritually crippled and mentally
deficient children to ponder the Mysteries of God that are beyond even their
ability to imagine -- and this we call education.
Moreover, in removing any accountability to a Higher Power or the need to
live in accordance with moral standards, we have in many instances turned our
children into beasts.
If there is an organic and congenital reason why it is
impossible for man to perceive and comprehend the higher truths that would
enlighten his understanding, then it is this root problem that should be the
paramount issue for both the believer and non-believer to seriously ponder and
find a means to overcome. It
is reasonable to recognize that if man’s vision is inhibited -- if his hearing
is inhibited -- if his thinking is inhibited -- then to intelligently resolve
the problem, we must endeavor to remove the obstacle that inhibits him. Yet, the reality of man’s plight is seen in the fact that
both our secular and religious authorities today are ignoring the problem, and
telling the blind man to see -- the deaf man to hear -- and the man who is
incapable of comprehending to understand.
In past ages we institutionalized children with the
congenital defect known as Down Syndrome.
We diagnosed them as hopelessly retarded, and incapable of living any
kind of normal life. At birth
our medical doctors strongly encouraged the parents of these children to sign
them over to an institution, and not even bring them home.
Our medical experts told the parents of a Down Syndrome child that they
will never mature beyond the mental age of five years old.
Today we have Down Syndrome children who
are employed, drive a car, and even attend
college. What changed? One of the most profound changes that impacted the
plight of the Down Syndrome child was the Supreme Court ruling of Roe vs Wade.
With the reduction of adoptable children, suddenly these throwaway
children took on new value in the eyes of perspective parents, and there became
a waiting list to adopt a child with Down Syndrome.
Since these children were no longer simply cast into an institution where
they were ignored and neglected, we began to research the cause of the problem,
and we discovered that the level of retardation was directly linked to certain
physical and mental conditions that could be worked with.
The result is that today there are people with Down Syndrome who attend
public school, have gone on to college, are employed, have learned to drive a
car, and because we have addressed the problem on a wholistic level, are able to
function very well within our society.
This has been accomplished because insightful researchers confronted the
problem directly, and found ways to overcome the inherent limitation.
The religious holy men and women at the beginning of our
Common Era were those who endeavored to conquer the cause of the problem.
They wrote about their own experiences with regard to overcoming the
congenital limitation of mind that is a natural condition of birth in this
world. Like the person with
Down Syndrome, they did not attempt to dogmatize the thinking of the child --
but rather, they incorporated disciplines and a lifestyle into the life of the
person that would enable them to overcome their congenital limitations.
The result was that they could profoundly alter the life and thinking of
their student/disciples. By
removing the obstacle, sight was restored to the blind man -- hearing to the
deaf man -- and comprehension to the man who was previously limited by the
congenital natural level of understanding of carnal man.
The issue is this: We can spend our lives in the vain
endeavor of stuffing one hundred pounds of knowledge in the form of substance
into a ten pound bag -- uselessly attempting to instruct and educate a
genetically suppressed and congenitally limited mind -- or we can use our
intelligence to see the futility of such a course of action, go to the root
cause, fix the problem, and in overcoming the natural barrier, symbolically make
the bag bigger.
If we recognize the fact that man is congenitally blind
to the higher realities of Creation, what is the proper cause of action?
Should we continue to do as our secular educational institutions -- i.e.,
ignore the problem; accept our inherent condition; live our life in denial; and
adjust our lifestyle so we can continue to exist under the constraints and
limitations of our handicap? Should
we continue to face the problem in the manner of our churches -- i.e., ignoring
the warning of the Apostle by teaching and embracing incomplete religious
doctrines that divide the Word of God by the creation of still more sects and
factions, while doing nothing to resolve the cause of the problem?
What these things mean to us is this: So long as we
continue to ignore the source of the problem, we could argue forever about
theories and doctrines that we can never, ever, resolve.
In fact, from the perspective of ascertaining the truth, we are a people
who can be likened to one who attempts to eliminate the sea of confusion by
standing on the beach throwing one shovel of sand at a time into the ocean.
It is a useless endeavor that is simply not worth our effort -- much less
our life. What this means is
that, unless we are willing to focus on the source of the problem, rather than
the downstream effects, we will die without ever attempting to resolve the true
dilemma. Regardless of
whether we become educated from a secular perspective, or whether we become
religious from a church perspective, we will die on the battlefield of life
without ever having begun to wage war on the true cause and adversary that
confronts us. Moreover, from
the perspective of our soul, we will have wasted and squandered our very
opportunity of life itself.
In view of the facts, it is not only reasonable, but
necessary to conclude that mankind in his natural -- carnal -- state, has an
inherently great limitation and burden placed upon him with regard to his
ability to comprehend the Mysteries of Creation.
Moreover, this inherent limitation is so all-pervading and encompassing,
that it overshadows every aspect of our lives in our quest to understand and
perceive our place in the Divine Order of things. Further, we will continue to dwell under the great
cloud of unknowing that has continually plagued man since the very dawn of time
-- endlessly groping in the darkness of this realm of illusion -- until we begin
to confront the source of the problem, rather than arguing and quarrelling over
its downstream effects that we can do nothing about. What this means is that we do not escape the dilemma of
this world by physically dieing -- but by dieing to the thinking of this world while we are
still alive in this physical body!
What I am saying is nothing more than what we are warned
about in the scriptures: “For those who guide this people are leading them
astray; and those who are guided by them are brought to confusion” (Isa
9:16 NAS). For the most part
we ignore these many statements in the Bible because we fail to perceive that
they speak directly to us. Because
we fail to understand the cause of the problem, we are unable to recognize that,
like the child born with Down Syndrome, each of us enters into this life with a
congenital defect that uniformly causes us to focus our lives and thinking in
the wrong direction -- and it is this congenital defect that limits us to using
only a fraction of our true potential of mind. The great truth which the Bible acknowledges in the
above quotation is that those who lead us will always attempt to resolve the
dilemma of life by resorting to the use of the natural intellect -- and
intellect which the Apostle calls the wisdom of this world -- an intellect which
the Apostle states is congenitally limited.
In the world of both science and religion the wisdom of
the biblical prediction is once again seen as true and applying to us, as we are
able to observe that those who we look to as authorities, and attempt to teach
us, very rarely ever discuss or even acknowledge the root cause of either our
congenital learning disability, or the reason for all the doctrinal and
political conflicts in the world. Why?
Because the majority of our leaders are virtually living off the
conflict! In fact, they are in essence the very people which the
Bible warns us to stay away from -- calling them false prophets and the servants
of the antichrist -- and cautions us not to follow in their way.
In their many doctrines and understandings that they create in order to
explain mysteries that they possess no comprehension of, they have not even
begun to confront the beast of ignorance that plagues all of mankind -- a beast
that they themselves, do not possess the means to overcome and slay.
Yet, like blind guides, they are all too willing to instruct and
indoctrinate you into their religion and/or philosophy about life.
Once you understand and come to terms with the heart of
the problem, you will cease to become immersed in its ever-unfolding outward
effects. You will no longer
engage others in meaningless arguments over the mysteries of life that they are
incapable of comprehending. Once
you have truly come to recognize the root cause of the problem of all conflict
and dissension, you will understand the reason why the Apostle Paul condemned
the formation of sects and opinions based upon conflicting contentions over
religious doctrine. And you
will truly begin to see that there is One Truth -- and when mankind fails to
perceive this One Truth, and argues among himself, there is truly One Error; and
this one error takes on as many forms as there have been men who have lived upon
the face of the earth. Therefore,
not wanting to be a child of darkness and error, you will alter your course, and
come to the Light by embracing the Source of this One Great Truth.
There is no point in arguing with an Atheist -- they are
utilizing a part of their mind that is incapable of seeing beyond their current
perception of life. In like
manner, there is no point in arguing with a Fundamentalist, a liberal or
conservative, a feminist, or any other school of thought that exists.
These people cannot think and perceive beyond their self-imposed
limitations, until they are willing to open their minds to man's higher
spiritual reality. The problem is that before a person
can even begin to open their minds, they must perceive their limitations of
mind, and they must then embrace the problem from a wholistic perspective.
Few people are willing to do this, and they therefore spend the majority
of their lives believing everyone else to be in error.
It is only when be begin to understand the cause of the
problem that we will then be able to comprehend the New Covenant prohibition
against judging and finding fault with our fellow brothers and sisters.
In most instances, the majority of people are doing the best they can
under the circumstances of life they are presently living.
Change does not come with preaching or condemnation -- but rather, change
can only come when the Children of the Light demonstrate the manner in which the
people must walk in The Way. In understating these facts, we are then presented with a choice. We can either continue to swim in the never ending sea of contention -- pointing to the error in our brothers and sisters, while we, ourselves, continue to exist in our own brand of falsehood because we are only capable of a very partial understanding of the mysteries of life -- or, we can focus our effort on the heart and essence of the problem. When Yeshua/Jesus promised his disciples they would know the Truth, what he stated is that his followers would be able to perceive Reality and Creation through the eyes of our Eternal Father-God.
If we were to go to the very essence and core of what
Yeshua/Jesus taught -- a core teaching that is ignored by what the Bible refers to as
the children of darkness -- perhaps one of the most important concepts that
Messiah/Christ conveyed to his faithful disciples is embodied in the words of the
Apostle Paul when he wrote that the “carnal mind is enmity against God; for
it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are
in the flesh cannot please God... For if you live according to the flesh you
will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will
live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God”
(Rom 8:7-8;13 NKJ).
People from all over the world open their Bibles written
in almost every language known to man, and only a very few ever see one of the
most ignored and misunderstood verses in the New Testament -- which message is
the profound warning of the Apostle that “the natural man does not receive
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor 2:14 NKJ).
These words that possess a profound and all-pervading meaning to every
person who has ever lived, represent the very first principles of New Covenant
thought that is ignored by our churches and synagogues today!
What this means is that man, in his natural state -- born
of the union of man and woman -- is utterly incapable of understanding God, the
Divine Mysteries alluded to in the scriptures, and man's true spiritual reality
as manifest in Creation. The
profound message that the Apostle is warning the reader about is this:
Regardless of how often you pick up your Bible to read the written word of God,
so long as you are of a natural mind, it is impossible for you to ever perceive
what Paul calls the Mysteries of the Gospel.
Moreover, it is not a matter of more study -- or more prayer -- or more
worship -- or calling upon the name of the Lord -- so long as we continue to
ignore the congenital problem of mind that inhibits us.
What the Bible proclaims to the reader is that only when we begin to
embrace the Word of God in the totality of the Truth, and we become fully
consecrated to the Word throughout every aspect of our being, will the Lord be
able to move in our lives to break down the wall which limits our natural
consciousness, and we will see and know all things as they truly are from the
same vision as our Creator-God.
One of the most ignored truths which the Bible conveys to
those in search of the Light is this: “If any one imagines that he knows
something, he does not yet know as he ought to know” (1 Cor 8:2 RSV).
Why? Why, we ask,
would Paul make a statement such as this?
How can the Apostle warn those who were baptized and committed Christians
-- a body of believers who had themselves received the gifts of the spirit, and
of whom the Apostle writes: “that in every way you were enriched in him
with all speech and all knowledge--even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed
among you--so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift” (1 Cor 1:5-7
RSV) -- and yet, the Apostle said of these confirmed and committed Christian
believers that they do not yet know as they ought to know?
If these confirmed and baptized Christians were enriched in “all
knowledge” and were “not lacking in any spiritual gift”, and
yet they did “…not yet know as they ought to know”, then what is
the nature of the Mysteries of God that they cannot even be revealed to the
minds of carnal man who would view man’s spiritual reality as “foolishness”.
In these words of the Apostle lies the dilemma that has plagued mankind
since the very dawn of time itself -- and it is the followers of Yeshua/Jesus who
should take the Apostle’s message to heart, and should be leading men into the
Light.
Mankind, and especially those who profess to believe of
the Gospel, dwell in a world of great confusion because they chose to
continually ignore one of the most profoundly important warnings of the Bible.
In fact, all contention in the world -- all factions -- all confusion --
all division -- all dissension among mankind -- all evil -- all racial and
ethnic conflict -- all domestic violence -- all error -- all has its root in the
core message of the scriptures that all but a very few possess the wisdom to see
-- i.e., that what the Apostle says is the great truth that continually plagues
mankind as he searches for truth and understanding is this: If you read the
scriptures and perceive the Word of God in accordance with human understanding,
then you are seeing only a very limited and carnal sense of the Gospel.
Moreover, in view of the fact that this world in which we presently dwell
is in and of itself a living scripture which was created for our instruction,
the same blindness that plagues the religious man, is exactly the same as the
philosopher and scientist who attempts to understand the higher reality of the
world in which we are presently confined to.
They may appear smart because they have learned to manipulate matter with
either craftsmanship or technology, but unless they comprehend the essence and
purpose of life itself, they know very little of any real value.
Wise men, then, understand that it is not that man has to
be educated, instructed, or learn more than he knows at present through the
process of rote programming in our systems of education -- but rather, he must
strive to overcome the carnal limitation that plunges him into a world of
darkness. From this
perspective, the religious man, the philosopher, and the scientist are all in
search of the same exact Power of Enlightenment -- and in our quest to come into
the Presence of the Anointing (Messiah/Christ), and be taught directly from the Word of
God, it is imperative that we embrace truth over culture and doctrine, and start
to open our eyes and mind in the endeavor to possess a greater understanding and
depth of what we presently see and believe.
In the same way that man is a great deal more than what
he appears to be physically, spiritual men of wisdom have always heeded the
warning at Proverbs 22:20 where the scriptures reveal to us: “Have not I
written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge” (KJV).
One only has to check the meaning of the Hebrew text where it is here
translated “excellent things” to understand that the word means a
triangle, three, or threefold revelation of counsel and knowledge.
Thus, the Word of God is then a threefold revelation that can only be
perceived by those who, in yeshua/Jesus' own words, possess the eyes to see and ears to
hear and understand the inner meaning of the Word that is beyond the natural
comprehension of man.
It
is of the utmost importance for us to recognize that this threefold nature of
the scriptures merely follows the pattern of all things in life, and is so
paramount in our search for truth and understanding that the Church Father
Origen wrote that it is in fact the very Key of Knowledge that Yeshua/Jesus accused the
Jewish sects of the Sadducees and Pharisees of throwing away.
A most profound statement of Origen is found in his famed writing De
Principiis where he writes: “But all the narrative portion, relating either
to the marriages, or to the begetting of the children, or to battles of
different kinds, or to any other histories whatever, what else can they be
supposed to be, save the forms and figures of hidden and sacred
things? As men, however, make little effort to exercise their intellect, or
imagine that they possess knowledge before they really learn, the consequence is
that they never begin to have knowledge; or if there be no want of a desire, at
least, nor of an instructor, and if divine knowledge be sought after, as it
ought to be, in a religious and Holy Spirit, and in the hope that many points
will be opened up by the revelation of God -- since to human sense they are
exceedingly difficult and obscure -- then, perhaps, he who seeks in such a
manner will find what it is lawful to discover”.
If it is our desire to possess what we can call genuine
knowledge -- to begin to perceive the Mysteries of God which the Apostle said
was beyond the natural perception of man -- and we want to know anything of any
real value -- i.e., who we are, and what is our true relationship to both Yeshua/Jesus
and our Creator God that the scriptures very clearly teaches is our Truth Father -- then it is of the
highest importance that we contemplate what we see in the above words by the
Church Father Origen. Of a
paramount importance is for us to closely analyze the statement by Origen that
is in absolute conflict with the quasi-Darwinist mindset with which we have been
imbued with since childhood from our modern-day culture.
This is seen in the words that few men even “…imagine that they possess knowledge
before they really learn”.
Ask the question and ponder the ramifications: How is it that we could
possess knowledge before we even begin to learn?
Moreover, how can it be said that because we fail to recognize this fact,
that “…the consequence is that they never begin to have knowledge”?
While the average reader may simply skim over these
words, the ramifications of their wisdom is profound!
More importantly is the fact that it should be clear to the reader is
that Origen saw life from a totally different perception than we do today.
What we must decide as we analyze his words is if the Church Father
Origen is representative of a more pure biblical vision of the meaning and
purpose of life -- and if it is, then we can easily begin to perceive why both
our churches and our culture has failed to manifest the higher reality that we
have sought. What Origen
conveys is that because we are looking at the picture of life in reverse of
man’s actual reality, that the words of the Apostle are completely relative to
us when he warned: “If any one imagines that he knows something, he does
not yet know as he ought to know” (1 Cor 8:2 RSV).
With respect to these statements we must ask why Origen
would state that: “…men, however, make little effort
to exercise their intellect”?
And stating with respect to the scriptures that: “…But all the narrative portion,
relating either to the marriages, or to the begetting of the children, or to
battles of different kinds, or to any other histories whatever, what else can
they be supposed to be, save the forms and figures of
hidden and sacred things”.
What Origen writes is that all those references to marriages, the
begetting of children, and the depiction of the many battles, has absolutely
nothing to do with historical events -- but rather, are “…the forms and
figures of hidden and sacred things”.
The problem is that in order to begin to understand the true meaning of
these sacred symbols and forms, we must begin to utilize those parts of our mind
that are beyond the less than ten percent level which nature permits us to use.
Moreover, the key is found in the words: “…As men, however, make
little effort to exercise their intellect, or imagine that they possess
knowledge before they really learn, the consequence is that they never begin to
have knowledge; or if there be no want of a desire, at least, nor of an
instructor”. If we are to begin to truly “…exercise our intellect”, and desire to learn in the presence of the only genuine “instructor”, then we must reverse the quasi-Darwinist mindset with which we have been imbued, and recognize the great truth that we do indeed “…possess knowledge before we really [begin to] learn”. Once we begin to come to terms that Yeshua/Jesus truly meant that the Kingdom is within us (Lk 17:20-21) -- and within the Kingdom is the Source of All Knowledge and Truth -- then why would we sever our connection to this Source of Truth by learning and adhering to the very limited doctrines of men who dwell in the darkness of this outer world?
Without our very astute recognition of the implications of these
all-important words as representing the very essence of New Covenant thought, we
will remain hopelessly carnal, and make little progress in our quest to
understand anything of any real value! It is therefore of the greatest importance for us to
recognize that what Origen is very clearly stating, is that we already possess a
source of knowledge within us that was manifest at a time before we endeavored
to begin the process of learning in this life.
This in turn confirms the great truth and biblical assertion that, when
we embrace the doctrines of the teachers of this world who attempt to teach us
in the traditional manner of instruction, that we become disenfranchised from
this inner source of knowledge that each of us already possesses.
With
respect to the hidden meaning of the scriptures, Origen then writes: “But
lest this difficulty perhaps should be supposed to exist only in the language of
the prophets, seeing the prophetic style is allowed by all to abound in figures
and enigmas, what do we find when we come to the Gospels? Is there not hidden
there also an inner, namely a divine sense, which is revealed by that grace
alone which he had received who said, ‘But we have the mind of Christ, that we
might know the things freely given to us by God. Which things also we speak, not
in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teacheth?’ And
if one now were to read the revelations which were made to John, how amazed
would he not be that there should be contained within them so great an amount of
hidden, ineffable mysteries, in which it is clearly understood, even by those
who cannot comprehend what is concealed, that something certainly is concealed.
And yet are not the Epistles of the Apostles, which seem to some to be plainer,
filled with meanings so profound, that by means of them, as by some small
receptacle, the clearness of incalculable light appears to be poured into those
who are capable of understanding the meaning of divine wisdom? And therefore,
because this is the case, and because there are many who go wrong in this life,
I do not consider that it is easy to pronounce, without danger, that any one
knows or understands those things, which, in order to be opened up, need the key
of knowledge; which key, the Savior declared, lay with those who were skilled in
the law”.
The
great truth that Origen conveys to us is that the scriptures are written in
symbols, figures and enigmas that can only be revealed to the reader by man’s
spiritual nature and the indwelling mind of Christ. But then again, we should have recognized this fact by virtue of
Paul's assertion that the scriptures are an allegory (Gal 4:24)! And if we ask why the scriptures would be written in such a
manner? The answer is because
they are composed in accord with the universal genetic blueprint of Creation --
in order for the soul in search of Truth will observe the same pattern in the
scriptures that exist throughout all of life.
If
we were of an enlightened mind (Anointed), and we could perceive the totality of everything
we see and experience, we would perceive that all of life in this realm is a
series of symbols, figures and enigmas that can only be perceived when we see
through the eyes of our soul and spiritual natures.
The universe is a great mind -- and everything we see is a symbol that
conveys a deeper thought to those who possess the eyes to see man’s spiritual
reality. Moreover, it is equally important for us to
recognize that, according to Origen, these Mysteries of the Gospel that we seek
today to understand can only be contemplated by those who possess the Key of
Knowledge. Origen then goes
on to say: “And here, although it is a digression, I think we
should inquire of those who assert that before the advent of the Savior there
was no truth among those who were engaged in the study of the law, how it could
be said by our Lord Jesus Christ that the keys of knowledge were with them, who
had the books of the prophets and of the law in their hands. For thus did He
speak: “Woe unto you, ye teachers of the law, who have taken away the key of
knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them who wished to enter in ye
hindered” (Origen quoting Luke 11:52).
These words of Origen should open up a whole new avenue
of reality that few of us whose thinking and mindset has been cultured by our
modern society has ever contemplated!
If both the scriptures and the life we are living is a series of symbols,
figures and enigmas that we must possess the Key of Knowledge to understand,
then our present limitation of mind has in fact been caused by our inability to
use the same Key of Knowledge that unlocks the meaning of the scriptures, to
unlock the three-dimensional prison in which we presently dwell. Moreover, it is this same Key of Knowledge that when
properly applied in our lives, permits our minds to evolve out of the embryonic
state of natural man, into an Anointed (Messiah/Christ) and Illumined Son of our
Heavenly Father -- who has, in the manner of the Prodigal Son, overcome this
world and returned Home to the Kingdom from which we originally emanated.
What Origen makes reference to is the very essence to the enigma of mind
that has confused and confounded all men in search of knowledge -- whether
philosophical, secular or religious -- throughout all the ages.
What this also means is that both the Roman Church, as
well as the modern-day intellectually elite, have all underestimated the true
depth of mind of the Hebrew holy men and women.
In view of the fact that many modern-day Jews are Atheist -- and even
Carl Marx himself was a Jewish Atheist -- it can be demonstrated that these
great thinkers and philosophical icons of our modern culture threw away the very
key to the essence of knowledge that they sought after.
From a Christian perspective, the great truth that Origen
conveys to us is the understanding that the Jews already possessed the Key of
Knowledge prior to the time of Yeshua/Jesus -- but because the Sadducees and Pharisees
failed to use this Key within themselves, and hindered the people of the common
(Jewish) faith who attempted to use the scriptures in the manner that was
intended, that for this reason Yeshua/Jesus condemned them as counterfeit leaders and
false instructors whose study of the law would remain unfruitful.
Why are these words so important to us today?
Because the doctrines of the fourth-century Roman Church has in effect
imbued us with the same exact error as those “teachers of the law”
that Yeshua/Jesus condemned. Moreover,
once properly understood, it is seen that the very people who call themselves
Christian today, continue to embrace the same exact error as did the Sadducees,
Pharisees, the Church of Rome, Carl Marx, Darwin, and the majority of our
societies cultural philosophers who the Apostle Paul condemns as promoting the
false wisdom of this world.
With
respect to the Key of Knowledge, Origen then goes on to explain: “
But, as we had begun to observe, the way which
seems to us the correct one for the understanding of the Scriptures, and for the
investigation of their meaning, we consider to be of the following kind: for we
are instructed by Scripture itself in regard to the ideas which we ought to form
of it. In the Proverbs of Solomon we find some such rule as 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’.”
Only when we begin to understand these biblical concepts are we able to perceive the wisdom behind the commandment to be in the world and not of it! Moreover, so long as we attempt to cling to the thinking and natural human understanding of this world, we can never be anything more than cultural Jews or Christians who are being nourished by what the Apostle calls the “milk” of the gospel -- never perceiving or understanding the Mysteries of God or the Spiritual and Genuine Gospel of Messiah/Christ.
It is the Genuine Christian who has become enlightened
by the indwelling Anointing of the Light, who will perceive that this same Key
of Knowledge with respect to the threefold nature of the written word not only
applies to the scriptures, but to every facet of our lives.
Evidence that this threefold nature is not limited to the Bible, and is
present throughout every aspect of creation is seen in Seiss' Apocalypse for
Revelation 1:17-20, where it is written with regard to the number three: “As
such, it has also been done in all God's works. Man is body, soul, and spirit --
three-one. The family is man, and wife, and offspring -- three-one. Religion is
knowledge, action, and experience -- three-one”. What Seiss is saying is that if we desire to escape the
error of the Sadducees and Pharisees, we must recognize that this genetic
threefold imprint of God is seen throughout every aspect of Creation.
Ultimately, Seiss conveys to us the wisdom of the ancients with the
acknowledgment of “man, and wife, and offspring”, and especially when
perceived universally as the positive, negative and balance -- or offspring of
the two primary forces of Creation -- wherein when properly understood, lies the
Key of Knowledge.
What
this means is that in every aspect of our lives we are living out the Divine
Genetic Pattern with which all of Creation has been imbued, and we only need to
become conscious of the forces at work in our lives, and then apply the formula
in accordance with the teachings of the New Covenant. The more we apply the formula, the more we develop from
our embryonic state of mind. As
we become mature, the First Force of Creation -- i.e., the Word -- can instruct
us into all the Mysteries of God.
At Psalms 119:18 where it is written: “Open my eyes,
that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (RSV), these wondrous
truths that the eyes must be opened to are not easily perceived. On this word that we interpret “wondrous”,
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Definition tells us that what is contained is “beyond
one's power, to be difficult to do... to be difficult to understand...
extraordinary or hard or difficult thing...”
A very important biblical concept is revealed by the
Prophet Isaiah in the words: “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the
spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers,
the seers hath he covered. 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 honour me, but have removed
their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of
men” (Isa 29:10-13 KJV).
With regard to the statement that the inner and true
meaning of the scriptures are hidden from the mind of man by the Hand of God,
the Commentary Barnes' Notes writes: “The vision of all the prophets; that
is, all the revelations which God has made to you. The prophet refers not only
to his own communications, but to those of his contemporaries, and of all who
had gone before him. The sense is, that although they had the communications
which God had made to them, yet they did not understand them. They were as
ignorant of their true nature as a man who can read is of the contents of a
letter that is sealed up, or as a man who cannot read is of the contents of a
book that is handed to him”.
If we say that we desire to be disciples of the Truth,
and commence our journey into the Light, then it is absolutely necessary that we
begin with the recognition of the barrier that obstructs our path.
It is no different than if we started a business -- or any other endeavor
where there are obstacles that must be overcome.
Truth belongs only to those who are willing to seek it.
In order for us to commence our journey as a disciple of
the Light, and open our minds to the higher truths of the spirit, we must start
the process by asking the question: Why was the genuine spiritual revelation of
the scriptures closed to the people, their religious leaders, and their
prophets? If we are to find
success in our journey, then we must understand the reason why the Bible states
that God intentionally concealed the true meaning of the written word?
The key to the great dilemma is found in the words that they permitted
themselves to be “taught by the precept of men” (Isa 29:13).
Thus, one of the most profound questions that affects
every person today: Why is teaching others philosophical truths as we routinely
do today considered such a sin from a biblical perspective? How else are we to instruct and educate our children
but to send them to school? How
else are we to learn and improve ourselves but to study the wisdom of the great
minds of our society? How
else are we to learn the word of God but to attend study groups and learn the
meaning of the scriptures?
In view of the fact that study and instruction can be
very important, the answer to these questions are not easy for us to understand
and embrace. True learning
and knowledge can never be embraced through instruction alone -- but rather,
through instruction that conveys knowledge in its true threefold form, along
with the means to manifest this instruction and knowledge in our daily lives.
If it is the purpose of instruction to grow our level of
consciousness, then we must learn to apply the Key of Knowledge to our thoughts,
as well as every aspect of our lives.
As we read the scriptures the most important interpretation is the one
that we see with our own mind. When
we take the thoughts of another person and memorize their thoughts, and attempt
to make them our own, we totally negate the power of the written word, as well
as the soul and the spirit to instruct us.
Thus the words of Yeshua/Jesus towards those who teach a doctrinal
interpretation of the scriptures: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,
and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are”
(Matt 23:15 NIV).
What the essence of the New Covenant teachings proclaim
is that, in the life of the genuine disciple of the Light, the Lord Himself must
be our Only Teacher -- and it is only the Lord Himself that can reveal to us the
threefold nature of the Word, the Holy Books that we call Scriptures, as well as
every aspect of the life we are presently living.
Once this reality is properly understood, we can then begin to discern
the difference between the true shepherd of the people -- the true church
manifest in this world -- and the true wise man from whom we must seek to learn
from. The genuine shepherd of
the flock does not preach the gospel -- or teach the meaning of the scriptures
-- but rather, the genuine shepherd teaches by shining his light, and living
that pattern for his brothers and sisters to see and emulate, that they too may
come into the Presence of the Lord and learn the Mysteries of Creation. Thus, the man of true wisdom understands the truth of Origen’s words
where he states that we already know before we begin to learn -- and thus
assists the flock in opening the mind to the indwelling revelation of the Word.
In an honest appraisal of the scriptures the Rev. Charles
Spurgeon wrote in his autobiography: “The system of truth revealed in the
Scriptures is not simply one straight line, but two; and no man will ever get a
right view of the gospel until he knows how to look at the two lines at once....
Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other... and it is only my folly that
leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other”
(Charles H. Spurgeon, Autobiography Vol. 1: The Early Years. pp. 173, 174).
Rev. Spurgeon could not bring the two lines of Gospel
Truth together -- speaking of them as his “folly” to even imagine
that two of God's teachings could contradict each other.
Yet, Rev. Spurgeon makes an astute and honest observation that, to their
own demise, few Christians throughout history have been willing to admit.
It is absolutely necessary for us to come to terms with the fact that
truth is not only paradoxical, but that in our natural-carnal state, we are
unable to bring these paradoxes together.
In fact, this wide-eyed perception of reality is so important, that we
can never progress beyond the very limited point we are presently at, until we
realize this great truth. Why? Because
it is in the realization of what Spurgeon calls his ”folly” that we
begin to open our minds to the reality that exists beyond the physical barrier
of this world.
What Rev. Spurgeon failed to understand is that this same
dilemma has plagued mankind since the very dawn of time itself.
The Bible, as with all of life, contains an uncountable number of
paradoxes -- paradoxes that on the surface appear to oppose each other because
we cannot harmonize and balance the two opposing truths -- and these two
opposing lines are consciously built into the text of the scriptures.
Moreover, the two lines of truth that Rev. Spurgeon writes about can
never be resolved, because he was missing the third element to the equation. It is the presence of this third great truth -- the one
that brings the two conflicting and contradicting lines together into an abiding
harmony and oneness -- and the means to perceive it, that we must strive to
embrace in our lives if we are to confront the root cause of our own
limitations. Thus, Rev.
Spurgeon perceived the presence of the Key of Knowledge in its opposite
polarities (positive/negative, male/female), but lacked the third element to the
equation that unlocked the Mysteries of God that had the power to harmonize and
merge the many paradoxes of both the Bible and Creation itself.
Because we continue in the doctrinal legacy and mindset
of men such as Constantine and Justinian, and embrace a quasi-Darwinist
perception of life, we permit our children to be instructed by an educational
system that not only does not possess the Key of Knowledge, but attempts to
negate the polarities of the threefold forces of Creation through a false vision
of political correctness. We
therefore embrace a culture that is in total conflict with the Key of Knowledge
-- we worship in churches that parallel the same exact flaw that Yeshua/Jesus condemned
in the Sadducees and Pharisees -- and we continue to perceive life through the
limitations of an intellect that utilizes less than ten percent of its
potential. Moreover, if
individual parents even attempt to live and teach their children in accordance
with the genuine fundamentals of New Covenant teachings, and imbue them with a
vision of the threefold essence of themselves, the scriptures, and Creation, we
have empowered the government to take custody away from these parents.
In view of this fact, how can we call ourselves a free people?
How can we even begin to call ourselves Christian?
The truth is that we are neither free, and neither are we Christian in
the genuine meaning of the word!
If these allegations are true, and we in fact obstruct
and inhibit the parents who even attempt to convey to their own children the
true threefold reality of both the scriptures and Creation, while we continue to
live in accordance with the doctrines of carnal men, do we really believe that
we will be rewarded with the gift of eternal life or any part of the promise of
the New Covenant? Moreover,
to simply reject what I am saying without investigating the facts in the
endeavor to know the truth of the matter for ourselves, must be viewed as being
synonymous with playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun! There was a valid reason why Yeshua/Jesus warned us that man
in his natural organic state is blind to man’s true reality -- blind to the
true meaning of the scriptures -- and blind to the manner he must live in order
to walk in The Way!
What few of us are able to realize is that these two
lines of truth that Rev. Spurgeon could not reconcile is in fact the greatest
moving factor throughout every aspect of our lives -- from the seemingly
smallest coincidental random occurrence, to the most paramount and decisive
incidents that mold our every expression of life itself. To exist in a state of ignorance with respect to the
impact of these two, and ultimately threefold forces upon every interaction of
our lives, is to be totally ignorant of the very meaning and purpose of life
itself. And yet, we educate
our children, and promulgate our doctrines of belief, and attempt to live out
our lives without any awareness or knowledge whatsoever of these two dominant
major factors with which everything else we depend upon in the process of
decision making is subservient to this ultimate defining reality that we fail to
even perceive.
When the scriptures convey the idea that natural man is
spiritually blind to his own greater reality, the very essence of this blindness
is manifest in our failure to even be conscious of the all-encompassing impact
these two lines of truth manifest in an uncountable number of forms that are
simply beyond the ability for the average person to contemplate.
From a biblical perspective, what we call satanic influence is indicative
of a lack of comprehension and perception of these two forces at work in our
lives, and our failure to apply the third force -- which is the Key -- to bring
our life into a state of Oneness.
From a biblical perspective, it is Satanic to squander
away one’s essence of life on things of no meaning.
Why? Because in order
to know the true being that we are -- i.e., to know our soul and spiritual
natures and our higher relationship to God -- is the very purpose and reason for life in this realm.
To squander away our vital life-force on things of no value, and never
come to know the essence of the spiritual being that we truly are -- and as the
offspring of God, such a frivolous life is synonymous with living the life of a
fallen god -- this condition that is paramount among the people today is
Satanic.
The biblical reality that we fail to understand is that
everyone who fails to manifest and utilize the Key of Knowledge to unlock the
threefold nature of man and Creation is his life, is under the dominion of
Satan. The religion of Yeshua/Jesus
was one where the genuine disciple was not of this world, which meant that he
was in harmony and at one with his essence of inner being.
His expression of religion was one of spiritual manifestation, and had
little in common with the traditional philosophical-redemptive religion of the
masses of carnally minded believers who dwell under the dominion of the god of
this world.
What this means is that the carnally minded sects of Jews
known as the Sadducees and Pharisees who called themselves the chosen people,
were controlled by the forces of Satan.
People whose consciousness is of this world and who dwell under the
dominion of Satanic influence, cannot be the chosen people of the One Eternal
God who is the Source of all Being. In
like manner, the Church that called itself Christian that was born in the fourth
century was in reality the Church of Satan. In the words of the Apostle: “Howbeit we speak
wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the
princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a
mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our
glory” (1 Cor 2:6-7 KJV).
To understand the Satanic reality the Apostle is warning
us about, we must first understand the conditions that the Apostle openly
condemns in a very non-politically correct fashion.
It is imperative that we ask the question: How can Paul make the
statement that all wisdom that is embraced by the intellectuals, scientists and
philosophers of this world is in error, and will come to “nought”?
The answer lies in the fact that without regard to how logical and
rational the wisdom of this world sounds to us, it is always in error because
being three-dimensional, it is incomplete.
What we fail to understand today as we question the validity of Paul’s
words, is the fact that the Apostle can universally condemn all wisdom of the
philosophers of this world because being of a natural mind with its congenital
ten percent limitations, each has failed to utilize the Key of Knowledge in
their lives.
By virtue of the limitations of our own three-dimensional
perception, when we study the scriptures we fail to perceive the overshadowing
significance that these two lines of seemingly opposing truth present within
every concept that is conveyed to the reader -- and thus the consequential
reality of Spurgeon’s words when he wrote what is perhaps the most important
advice to all who open the Bible that “…no man will ever get a right view
of the gospel until he knows how to look at the two lines at once”.
Moreover, these two lines of truth are merely emblematic of the greater
flaw in our natural vision that ultimately encompasses every aspect of what we
think and comprehend throughout every experience that embraces every solitary
moment of our lives from birth to death and beyond.
The looming problem that is an obstacle for every
Jew and Christian when they open the scriptures is the reality that there is nothing in
the Bible that can even be comprehended without a very thorough and genuine
knowledge of the impact of the workings of these two lines of truth -- with the
problem being that because of our present-day quasi-Darwinist mindset, few
Christians today are prepared to even contemplate with respect to the dynamic
design of the essence of genuine original New Covenant thought. When it is realized that the very term Christian
denotes one who is of an enlightened state of mind because of the Anointing they
have received, then it must also be realized that the present spiritual poverty
that envelopes the modern believer and causes him to cling to faith and belief
in doctrines not fully understood, has been brought about because we permit
secular philosophers, counterfeit religious authorities, and worldly social
re-engineers to dominate the manner in which we think!
Again, the root cause that natural man is almost totally oblivious to, is
the fact that it does not matter at all as to what we believe, so long as what
we believe is not in absolute harmony with the embodiment of these two lines of
truth -- and the reality that Truth cannot even be envisioned or contemplated so
long as we continue to ignore these two lines of truth that impact every element
of both the Bible and life itself.
When we do as the great majority of our churches today,
and close our eyes to the words of Rev. Spurgeon where he warns us of the two
lines of truth in the scriptures that appear to conflict with each other -- two
lines that even he, a well respected biblical authority could not reconcile --
the reality of which continues to haunt the church to the degree that no amount
of Bible study can bring these two lines together into one harmonious accord --
our indolence with respect to pursuing the resolution of the great universal
dilemma that the Apostle warns us of, will only bring about our own demise and
spiritual death. Perhaps more
importantly is the fact that from the perspective of the essence of New Covenant
teachings that was placed into the hands of the disciples in the first century
of our Common Era, without the knowledge of the workings of these two lines of
truth, one cannot be born into the next level of being that Yeshua/Jesus taught was
absolutely necessary to enter the Kingdom, and the faithful flock cannot walk in
The Way and become a body of spiritually mature Jews and Christians.
Yet, without a doubt, the person today who preaches the gospel, or
believes the gospel, is unable to bring these two conflicting lines of truth
together. Why?
Without the application of the Key of Knowledge which Yeshua/Jesus taught and
revealed to his disciples, it is impossible!
Once properly understood, the universal flaw of the
natural mind of man can be observed in Yeshua/Jesus’ condemnation of the Jewish sects
of the Sadducees and Pharisees. Where
we attempt to doctrinally assign this condemnation to the rejection of Yeshua/Jesus by
these sects of secular/carnal Jews, we entrap ourselves in the same exact bonds
of servitude when we fail to perceive the true nature of the allegation that he alleged.
The Sadducees and Pharisees failed to recognize the
Messiah/Christ manifest in the world, because they failed to properly utilize the Key
of Knowledge and perceive their own soul and spiritual natures -- which natures
has the ability to learn directly from the Son of God who dwells in the inner
most Kingdom that can be accessed by each of us who goes beyond the congenital
limitations of our physical nature. Thus,
because the Sadducees and Pharisees remained very much attached to the elemental
powers of this world, they were in reality impostors when they proclaimed
themselves to be the chosen people of the One Eternal God.
Moreover, once we begin to understand what is being conveyed in the
scriptures, we then are able to begin to perceive that regardless of what the
impostors call themselves, this condition is prevalent among mankind whenever
man permits himself to be ruled by his carnal nature.
Moreover, regardless of the name of the religious-philosophical or
secular-philosophical schools they embrace, the Apostle is correct when he warns
that they will always be in error because of the congenital limitation of mind
that is ruling over their perception and understanding.
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