THE WATCHER
The voice of the Prophet sent from the Lord
to make known to the modern Christian the Essence of the Gospel Message that became Lost
when the teachings of The Way was placed in the hands of carnal men.
The Message speaks of The Way of Life
and of the impending doom of those who turn away from The Way of Truth
The purpose of this web site is not to teach you the truth -- but rather, guide you in TheWay that will enable you to learn the Truth directly from God. The objective of the Gospels is not for you to read and believe -- but rather, to be used as the Key of Knowledge that provides you access by unlocking the inner "narrow strait gate" to the Kingdom that Jesus declared is within you.
The Warning To The Watcher: It is written in the Book of the Holy Word of God: "At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, You will surely die, and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself" (Ezek 3:16-21).
What the warning of the Watcher means, is that if someone who knows the Truth, fails to warn the people of the deception being promoted, then the person who knows the Truth will be held accountable. Death is not physical death -- but rather, the cutting of the person off from the Truth and the Inner Kingdom -- i.e., "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matt 7:21-23) .
For the most part, modern Christians haven't the slightest idea how these words of universal warning apply directly to them in our present time. How can they -- they become offended when it is suggested that they embrace sinners by perpetually preaching the "milk" of the gospel, while rejecting the Higher Truth of Genuine Salvation? As Christians, we traverse land and sea to preach the "elementary" teachings which the Apostle Paul portrays as the gospel of the simple faith, while we ourselves refuse to go on to maturity and perfection, as seen in the words: "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment" (Heb 6:1-2 NIV). Thus, the very same exact flaw that Paul saw among the Gentile congregations in his time, remains true with respect to modern Christians -- and was further true of the leaders of the Sadducees and Pharisees where Jesus said: “How terrible for you teachers of the [simple faith]! You have kept the key that opens the door to the house of knowledge; you yourselves will not go in, and you stop those who are trying to go in!” (Luke 11:52 TEV).
In the modern language of the New Living Translation the above commandment of Paul to the church reads: "So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don't need to start all over again with the importance of turning away from evil deeds and placing our faith in God." The problem is that the religion of the simple faith has become so ingrained in the thinking in both the modern Christian and society at lodge, that as a body of believers we not only know nothing more, but actually condemn the very concepts and teachings that open the door to higher knowledge, and thus we remain stagnant and spiritually impotent. In fact, anything even approaching the framework of what would be considered genuine Christianity from a first-century perspective, is portrayed as a cult or right wing extremism.
There is an ancient rabbinic saying that goes like this: "Show me your strength, and I show you your weakness!" The Christian Church today is a viable entity that brings about a great amount of good in the world. It cares for the sick and the needy -- it turns drug and alcohol addicted lives around -- it provides people of faith with an organization to lean as the people endeavor to overcome the obstacles of life -- it is a gateway in the world that shelters the people, and draws them nearer to God. And therein lies the problem -- i.e., because it's doctrines of belief are founded in carnal man's attempt to explain Mysteries that are beyond his comprehension, it obstructs the journey of the disciple in their quest for Truth, and has become a substitute temple made with the hands of man.
With good reason many sincere modern-day Christians should be greatly offended by these statements! After all, they believe in Jesus -- they are attempting to live a moral life in accordance with biblical standards -- and they believe they are saved and will go to Glory when they pass from this life! And without realizing it, they will of themselves proclaim the error of their ways which the Apostle made reference to: The Kingdom is not something we will go to when we die -- but rather, it is necessary to die to this life while still alive in the physical body, in order to inherit the promise and enter the Kingdom of God! Moreover, the acceptance of Jesus as one's personal Lord and Savior is not the culmination of the process of being saved and born again -- but rather, the beginning! The key to the dilemma is found in the words of the Apostle where he teaches the absolute necessity: "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity".
What is maturity? What modern-day Christians fail to realize, is the reality that the teachings of The Way is not a system of beliefs and worship -- but rather, it is the path that the child of God walks, in order to return Home to their Father. @
Once again the modern-day believer has an absolute right to be offended by these words when it is realized that the flaw in our thinking is not so much the fault of the church -- but rather, the government takeover, capture and hostile occupation of the church throughout much of its history. What I am saying is that the politicians of the past needed a means to continue to rule over the masses of people, so they abducted the religion of Jesus, killed all his genuine followers, and rewrote the tenets of religious belief in order to support their own very secular agenda! That over the course of time these alien tenets of belief became intimately ingrained in what has come to be accepted as New Covenant thought, is not only true, but is a reality that few Christians today possess the necessary knowledge and comprehension of the facts to overcome. Thus, the question is that when the Lord answers our prayers and sends us a spiritual guide to help us, will we even listen to what this guide tells us, or will we condemn him in the manner that the Old Testament prophets were dealt with?
If
what I am stating is true, then we must pose the question: Why do we
unknowingly reject the Higher Truth of the Gospel, and cling
to the religion of the "simple faith"?
Actually, it
is because we don't know any better. In many respects we are doing
the best we can under the conditions of life we are presently dealing
with. To do better, will require both knowledge and a means to
overcome our present-day obstacles that inhibit our walk with the Lord. The problem is
seen in the fact that because the fourth century Church
created by the Emperor Constantine threw away the Key of Knowledge when it
recreated the teachings of the New Covenant in order to make the teachings of
Jesus support a secularized institutional church -- a church which supported the doctrines
and traditions of Pagan Rome -- we no longer even know how to fulfill the commandment
of the Apostle where he conveys to us the absolute need to move beyond the elementary teachings of the
"testimony
of Christ" in the endeavor to go on to maturity. How
can we, when we no longer possess the knowledge to bring about the necessary
transformation of our carnal nature? The result is that while we
claim to place our faith in Jesus, we never bring about the necessary changes in
our thinking and lives, because we worship the Lord with our lips, and remain
clinging to the culture and mindset of this world.
From a modern-day Christian perspective, the problem is further complicated by the reality that regardless of the fact that many sincere members of the clergy are very much aware of the problem, they are themselves without a means to correct the situation. Regardless of the fact that they are sincere, they are themselves at a spiritual impasse because they simply don't know what more they can do. How can they? They were not present when Jesus taught the spiritual precepts of the New Covenant! They never heard him speak, much less sit with him "in the house" where he revealed the Mysteries of God privately to his disciples! Though our present-day clergy are often sincere in their endeavor to serve God and His flock, they learned their concepts of religions either in school, or from other men. Moreover, if it was such a simple task to merely read the Bible and learn the Word of God, then why does everyone who studies the scripture see a different, and often conflicting message, in it's pages?
Just
as important is the fact that our modern cultural mindset is in total conflict
with the foundational thinking which Jesus referred to as the
"good
ground" (Mark 4:8) within which the Word must be
planted. Unknowingly, when we ignore the teachings conveyed in the
parable of the sower and the seed, we ignore the very fundamental principles of
the teachings of The Way. While the Jesus we preach from our pulpits today
saves everyone irrespective of what they accomplish in their lives, the parable
of the sower and the seed demonstrates the absolute necessity for us to so alter
our life to thoroughly embrace the Word that is sown within us, that we become a
vessel of Light that is in every way alien to the thinking of this world.
Thus, the problem which confronts our modern clergy and faithful flock of believers: There is very little in our present-day society that would even remotely support the tenets of a truly spiritual religion. While faith is of the utmost importance, the parable of the sower and the seed, as well as the very essence of New Covenant thought that is the paramount theme throughout the scriptures, requires us to make change in our lives -- radical change -- if we are to become the "good ground" that multiplies the seed a hundredfold from what we receive.
Because we dwell in a culture devoid of the necessary biblical mindset that promotes the true growth of the Living Word, and the Key of Knowledge was thrown away by the Church of Constantine, it is near impossible for our present-day clergy and congregation of believers to overcome the obstacle that burdens them in their search for Truth and Light. Because the foundational doctrines which we have inherited from the Church of the Roman Empire has left us spiritually complacent, we fail to perceive the absolute need to develop a truly serious relationship with the Lord -- i.e., one where we reflect every commandment and teaching of the Bridegroom -- to whom we must daily remain in total subjection -- and who awaits our total servitude to The Way of the Light.
During the Reformation a group of sincere believers attempted to remove the strongly infused presence of Paganism that had become firmly ingrained in the church -- but contrary to modern Christian perception, their efforts only brought about very partial results. Moreover, because Luther's doctrine of faith was a reactionary doctrine which was founded upon the corruption of the Roman Church, in many ways the Protestant Churches which emerged from the Reformation actually plunged the Christian religion further into the abyss of darkness which was begun by the hostile takeover and occupation by the secular politicians of Pagan Rome.
Throughout the world we routinely preach that we are saved by faith regardless of our works or the manner in which we live, and yet we continually ignore the many places where we are told to: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Col 3:5 NIV) -- which transmutation through the metamorphosis of our lower nature, is absolutely necessary to experience the next stage of birth that Jesus taught permits us to enter the Kingdom of God. The result is that because we no longer possess the Key of Knowledge that opens the door to the indwelling Kingdom, we preach a philosophical rebirth in place of the true spiritual rebirth which is the foundation of the teachings of The Way.
If it is true that we are saved by merely calling upon the name of the Lord and accepting him as our savior -- and if it is true that we are saved from the moment we turn to the Lord regardless of our works or actions -- then we owe it to ourselves to pose the question: Why are we told to put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature? Moreover, as people of the earth, how can we even begin to accomplish this requirement?
The problem is seen in the fact that we no longer possess the foundational knowledge that is necessary to fulfill the commandment of the Apostle to his followers. Because of the past secular takeover and hostile occupation of the Church of the New Covenant, we only have the teachings of the simple faith -- and we no longer possess either the knowledge or the means to "put to death... our earthly nature" which inhibits and undermines our own spiritual growth and development. Regardless of the fact that we believe -- regardless of the fact that we are sincere in our desire to serve the Lord -- we simply fail to comprehend that it is our "earthly nature" that anchors us to this world -- and it is our own "earthly nature" that obstructs our entrance into the Kingdom that Jesus declared.
Having been alienated from the spiritual essence of the teachings of The Way by the very Pagan doctrines, mindset and traditions of carnal men, we therefore interpret the gospel to mean that the Kingdom is a place we will go to when we die, rather than comprehending that when our "earthly nature" dies through the process of transmutation, we will be able to enter the Kingdom even while still alive in the physical body our souls presently inhabit. Thus, regardless of the fact that we are sincere and correct in our beliefs, we remain spiritually stagnant because we no longer comprehend the means that we must actively apply the Gospel message in our lives -- which application is necessary in order to overcome the flesh and become truly spiritual!
As Christians, we ignore the words of the Apostle where he commanded: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor 6:14-18 NKJ). While it is admirable that as Christians, we focus our attention on the unsaved -- in so doing, though, we have permitted culturized Christians who live in accordance with the thinking and ways of the ruler of this world, to set the standards, and thus limit and obstruct the spiritual expression of the church as a whole.
Because we no longer focus on the absolute need for the proper application of biblical principles in the life of the individual, Christians have permitted themselves to become defined by culturized believers who adhere to no set of standards of behavior, morality, or manner of living. We only have to turn on our television sets to hear men and women who present themselves to the world as members of the clergy, who label other Christians who hold to biblical principles as "right wing extremists" whose tenets of religious belief are self imposed -- and in the eyes of the world, defining sincere biblically based believers as cultists who are out of the mainstream of contemporary (Christian?) thought.
Are these sincere believers cultists and right wing extremists who embrace a self-imposed and unnecessarily strict interpretation of the scriptures? Where does the truth lie? In our search for this all-important answer we must pose the question: Is it within our ability as faithful believers to know for sure which Christian sect is right -- which is wrong -- which is more right than others -- or could the Apostle say of the modern church: “For all have [deviated from the path], and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23 KJV)?
While the world watches, Christian contends with Christian over which doctrine of belief is correct -- i.e., because we are saved by faith and not works, whether it is necessary to live in accordance with any set standards or morality -- which of the almost countless sects are approved by God -- whether God is all-inclusive, or does He expect us to live in accordance with a set of standards -- whether God ordains gay marriages and clergy -- whether women can be members of the clergy -- whether the prohibition on sex outside of marriage is outdated thinking -- whether or not abortion is a sin -- as well as every other aspect of our present-day culture which is championed by men and women who claim to speak for Jesus and know what is or is not acceptable. Is this what Jesus came to teach to mankind -- i.e., that we must decide without any first hand knowledge, which interpretation of the scriptures are correct? Which tradition and doctrine of other men is correct? I don't think so!
One of the most pressing issues that divides the church today is the issue of morality and homosexuality. Fundamentalist Christians open their Bibles and conclude that God hates Homosexuals and every other form of immorality. More liberal thinking believers counter this by pointing out that the condemnation of homosexuals was done away with by Jesus, along with the rest of the tenets of the Mosaic Law. To the absolute horror of conservative Christians, some homosexual believers further content that Jesus himself had a sexual relationship with the disciple that he loved above the rest.
Important questions are in fact raised by the present-day conflict among conservative and liberal believers. This web site is not listed among such organizations as Christian Family Links which requires that the author of the site believe: "You must believe in salvation by grace alone, and that salvation is immediate and eternal upon acceptance of Jesus as a one-time sacrifice for your sins, and not obtained through works, sacraments, traditions or merits of our own". Ultimately, regardless of the fact that good and sincere people believe this, I believe that James -- i.e., the brother of Jesus and the first leader of the Jerusalem Church -- demonstrated the defectiveness of this doctrine of belief when he wrote: "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20 NKJ). Why? Because in order to be a Christian, one must live in the manner that was prescribed by the Lord.
Can there be a Christian porn site? Can a Christian own and run an abortion clinic? If it is true that we are all sinners, and we are thus saved by faith regardless of works, then the homosexuals may very well be correct in their assertion that they are saved regardless of their homosexuality. If it is true that all believers are sinners who are saved by the blood of Christ -- and "...salvation is immediate and eternal upon acceptance of Jesus as a one-time sacrifice for your sins" -- and Jesus is all-inclusive in his love for those who have called upon his name, then isn't it the conservative Christian who judges and condemns the homosexual and believer who lives an immoral lifestyle, the one who is actually the greater sinner?
From a doctrinal perspective, the solution to the dilemma is not easily resolved. If Martin Luther could see the wholesale immorality and lack of standards that would envelop the church as a result of his umbrella doctrine that man is saved by faith irrespective of the manner in which purported believers live their lives, he would himself rise up and call for a new Reformation!
The problem is that the modern clergy and religious leaders can't do anything about the immorality that plagues the modern church. When they even momentarily attempt to step out from under the umbrella doctrine of faith and salvation by grace, they are immediately confronted with the deluge of flawed doctrine that they have no means to deal with. Thus, it is the very core teaching that man is saved by faith irrespective of what they accomplish in their lives, that permits the Prince of Darkness to rule the hearts of many who call themselves Christians and people of faith.
How can I make such a statement? The moment we poke our heads out from under Luther's doctrinal umbrella, and begin to say that regardless of faith, we are accountable to a certain standard of works, we literally open Pandora's Box with respect to what is required to be saved and inherit eternal life. If all people are sinners -- and all people must be saved by the blood of Christ -- then why are homosexual sinners often held to a different standard than heterosexual sinners? If all are forgiven by the blood of Christ, then the liberal believer must be correct in his assertion that regardless of each individual flavor and variety of sin, all who call upon the name of the Lord are saved!
Once we attempt to place qualifiers and restrictions on the believers forgiveness through Grace, then from a doctrinal perspective we enter dangerous territory, and we can no longer be sure of anything. In view of the fact that man is a congenital sinner who cannot save himself -- and thus he must come to Jesus -- if works are required and man can in fact work out his own salvation, then the whole structure of modern Christian thought becomes undermined. Further, whose concept of what is required with respect to works is correct -- i.e., the Fundamentalist who condemns drinking, dancing, sex outside of marriage, as well as almost every other enjoyment of life, or the liberal who has no moral compass, and is thus not guided by any set standard of ethics and principles?
Whose interpretation of the Bible is correct? While as Christians we can argue and contend among one another until we have taken our very last breath, it can also be argued that the conflict among present-day believers is in fact superficial -- and from a spiritual perspective, the position of the right wing extremist is no different than the more liberal believers they condemn. How can I make such a statement? The answer is simple once it is realized that in the same way that the liberal Christians claim that works are not more important than faith, the more conservative Christians profess a parallel position with respect to the meaning of faith and works from a modern-day perspective, in relation to the meaning of faith and works from the perspective of the original people of the New Covenant.
While the Fundamentalist Christian claims to live in accordance with the Bible, we must pose the question: Whose interpretation of the scriptures do they adhere to? If their interpretation of the Bible is not the same as it's authors -- and if their perception of Jesus has been colored and tainted by manmade doctrines -- then how can the modern Fundamentalist be viewed any differently than the Fundamentalist Pharisees who Jesus condemned! While the modern Fundamentalist can perhaps philosophically distance himself from the Pharisee by virtue of the fact that they profess to believe in the Son of God, that more is required is easily seen in the words of Jesus where he warned: "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46 NKJ).
From a purely spiritual point of view, both the present-day liberal believer as well as their conservative brother and sister, are actually in the same boat -- i.e., both not only ardently cling to the manmade doctrines and the philosophy of their beliefs, but each are equally gambling with their own salvation by virtue of the fact that each awaits the event of their physical death as the means to prove their dogmatic position. Where the liberal Christians proclaim that the love of Jesus has no bounds, and all are saved by grace and the blood of the lamb irrespective of the manner in which the people live, the conservative Christian is literally betting their lives on their fundamental interpretation of the Bible and strict adherence to the elementary teachings of Christ and the gospel of the simple faith.
Isn't it ironic that it appears we have no means to answer the most profoundly important question in life? We would not buy a product if it did not come with a users manual. Everything we purchase has a warranty. We do not drive without automobile insurance. Our place of residence has homeowner's insurance. We speak of the need for universal medical insurance. We continually legislate, adjudicate, and attempt to insure and direct the outcome of every aspect of our lives -- except for life itself! Thus, when it comes to the most important aspect of our lives -- i.e., comprehending the very reason for life itself -- we cling to speculation and conjecture, instead of going directly to the Source!
While religious people -- and especially Christians -- will contend that they have found the answer in the Bible, the fact that no two sects of believers agree on even the most fundamental elements of Christian doctrine fly's in the face of rationality, and does not meet with any standard of assurance. Regardless of the claims of many believers who proclaim the simplicity of the Word, and will convey to you the clarity with which they understand the gospel, human experience has proven that the message of the scriptures is not plain and easily discerned. Yet, what the critics as well as the factional champions of both the Bible and religion fail to comprehend, is the reality that the scriptures were written in such a manner that each person would see a different doctrine.
What we fail to realized is that both the scriptures as well as life itself, is multidimensional -- and its multidimensional dynamics are beyond the ability of all but a very few individuals to comprehend and understand the full depth of the great Truths that are revealed. Does not the New Testament itself warn us that there is a meaning to the scriptures that cannot be perceived with man's carnal senses and understanding: "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45 NKJ). Doesn't the Apostle warn the Galatians that a literal reading of the scriptures will mislead them -- providing them the example of the two wives of Abraham and saying: "Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants..." (Gal 4:24 KJV).
Proof of
both the allegorical and multidimensional nature of the scriptures is demonstrated in the reality that universally, people from all walks of
life open the pages of the Bible and say: The message that I see is very
plain and simple -- and yet, the message they see is in direct conflict and
opposition to the uncountable number of doctrines that others have formed from
their own very plain and simple perception of the Bible.
Proof of this is easily demonstrated: The Jehovah’s Witness and the
Evangelical Christian cannot agree on anything, and each are viewed as
extremists by the mainstream all-inclusive churches -- yet each reads and
studies the same Bible.
From
the perspective of the scriptures, the very assertion by many religious sects
that the message of the Bible is very clear must be viewed as a witness against
themselves.
On the one hand
they proclaim that God is All-Knowing -- All-Seeing -- and He knows every event
from the beginning till the end of time. If this is true, then we must question why God would
not have foreseen the great many opinions and conflicting doctrines that would
be born from the uncountable number of misconceptions derived from the Bible?
Ask
yourself a truly pertinent question: Is God simply not intelligent enough to
compose the clear and concise articles of faith and belief that have been
composed by man -- articles of faith which continue to serve as the foundation
of church doctrine today? All the confusion that has existed for thousands of
years could have been alleviated if God only possessed the vision, the clarity
of thought, the wisdom and perception that Christians have demonstrated, and
simply wrote the words: I am God -- my name is Jesus -- and everyone is
required to affirm their belief in me!
This is a very simple message -- and if it is true, then people of faith
must agree that God would have made this very clear and concise statement in
order for all people to know the truth.
Any
student of the Bible knows very well that the scriptures does not say this --
but what it does say is that the intellect of natural man will be greatly
confused by what is written, and regardless of how often or sincerely he studies
the text of the Bible, he will be unable to get a proper sense of the revelation
that lies beneath the body of the written word. Why? The problem is that we believe and cling to ideas
which sound good to our own manner of thinking and reasoning, and we reject the
very warnings which the pages of the scriptures continually set before us in a
thousand different ways.
In the manner of the fallen religious societies of the past, modern believers are under the assumption that what they see in the Bible is very clear -- that great numbers of their flock will go to Glory -- and they base this assumption on doctrines that are founded upon what they perceive from the pages of the scriptures. Yet, in contradistinction to this doctrine, it was Jesus himself who warned that “many be called, but few chosen” (Matt 20:16 KJV). With regard to the question as to who Jesus was speaking about when he said these words, it is clear that he spoke of those who considered themselves to be his followers.
When Jesus used the phrase in reference to the many who are called, the reality of this statement is easily seen in the words of the Apostle where he warned the flock of baptized and committed Christians: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” (1 Cor 10:12 NIV). What this means is that history can again repeat itself, and those who think they are saved, or the chosen of God, and believe they are “standing firm” in the faith, may be the next generation of religious people who “fall!”. Moreover, upon closer examination of both the New and Old Testament Scriptures, it can easily be demonstrated that it is those who considered themselves “standing firm” in the faith, that were imbued with the greatest error from the perspective of the prophets that were sent from God to speak to the people. While Jesus displayed great compassion on the lost sheep, it is also true that he reserved his greatest condemnation for the religious leaders of his day who led the sheep in the wrong direction. What Jesus said was that his followers need not be taught by other men -- but rather, each will know the Truth because they will learn directly from the Father. In direct opposition to to this important New Covenant concept, each sect today continues to remain anchored to their doctrinal position -- rejecting the universal and constant theme and assertion of the very scriptures they claim to champion -- i.e., that man has it within his ability to know the Truth by virtue of the promise that the Lord Himself will teach and reveal it to them.
The Apostle Paul understood this fact that is ignored by both liberal and conservative Christians today, and it was for this very reason that he condemned all factions and the creation of sects! In fact, if Paul was able to come and speak in our churches today, he would repeat the exact same words that he spoke to the baptized, committed, and spirit-filled Christians at Corinth when he warned them: "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?" (1 Cor 3:1-3 NKJ). And what did the Apostle of faith teach with respect to the means of overcoming this "envy, strife, ...division" and the flaw in their inherent carnal nature? Paul's prescription was seen in his assertion that the true Christian was able to put to death and overcome their carnal nature, and in their spiritual rebirth that would make them a "new creation", they would then be able to learn directly from Christ.
What Paul preached to the believers in his day was that those who argued over manmade doctrines and human perceptions of the Word, were in fact sinning and turned out of The Way, because if they were in fact genuine believers who worked to put to death their carnal nature, they would then be able to personally ask the Lord Himself the Truth of all matters. As the Christians of the simple faith, we are today a mere shadow of our true potential. The very Greek word Christ denotes a person of an Anointed and Illumined mind. While man in his natural organic state of being utilizes less than ten percent of his potential of mind, the Genuine Mature Christian should know all things -- be all things -- excel where carnal man fails -- and possess the intellect and the knowledge to explain and demonstrate the Presence of God to the scientist, the musician, the mathematician, the doctor, the lawyer, the philosopher, the craftsman and every other discipline known to man.
If the Bible is correct in its assertion that we were created in the image and likeness of our Heavenly Father, then the Apostle is also correct in his assertion that we are the offspring of God: "For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring'" (Acts 17:28 NIV). Didn't Jesus himself confirm this fact when he said to the Jews: "Is it not written in your law, I said, 'You are gods'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God?" (John 10:34-36 NKJ).
This higher reality of mankind is further revealed in the words of the Apostle John: "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 Jn 3:1-3 NKJ). Thus, the Genuine Christian who has moved on to maturity, is the one who has "...purified himself, just as He is pure". Why? Because the Genuine Christian who has gone beyond the entry level doctrine of the simple faith, has overcome and transformed his carnal nature -- and being spiritual, Knows what the Father Knows -- sees what the Father sees -- and being of an Anointed Mind, perceives all things from the smallest element of the building blocks of the natural world, to the very structure and pattern of Creation and the Highest of Heavens. While the modern Christian will be shaken by such a perception of the potential of man, this was not the case among the earliest of Christians who confirmed the Truth for themselves by walking in The Way.
What would appear impossible to the mind of carnal man, is easily accomplished by the Anointing (Christ) of the Holy Spirit. Once we begin to understand the Pattern of Creation, and possess the Knowledge of how to overcome our lower carnal nature, then we begin to inherit the Promise and the Vision of the scriptures as we become transformed into citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom who happen to have a physical presence in this world. Didn't Jesus himself promise that his followers will know and do even greater works than he did? As seen in the words: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father" (John 14:12 NAS).
The person who is the Genuine Christian, is the one who has moved beyond the "elementary" doctrines of the Christ, and has become mature. This transformation of our carnal nature into spiritual, is in fact the true essence of the process of rebirth that is declared in the Gospel of John, and is in fact the foundation of faith that was declared by the Apostle Paul. Thus, when the disciple begins the journey of walking in The Way, it is the process of crucifying the flesh that opens the "strait gate" which provides us entrance into the Kingdom -- and the door to the Kingdom must be opened while we are still alive in the physical body we presently inhabit.
The striking differences between the original teachings of the New Covenant and the religion of the simple faith that remains today is easily demonstrated. In the approximate year of 178 of our Common Era, Celsus, the Epicurean Philosopher and opponent of the Church, published a rather embarrassing work in opposition to Christianity known as The True Word or Discourse. It is said that this work was widely disseminated and used by the Pagan world as an attack on the early Church. Seventy years after its publication The True Word was still so widely circulated, that the Church Father Origen was commissioned by St. Ambrosius to refute this attack by Celsus.
In our modern day it can be said that this reply by the Church Father Origen is even more important than when it was written. Why? Because the majority of Christians today have been so disenfranchised from the essence of the teachings of The Way that Jesus taught, that it is as if they are practicing a different religion. Again, many sincere believers will be offended by this statement -- saying, how can you make such an allegation? I can, because it is the truth! When Jesus said the immortal words: "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt 4:17 KJV), if a more precise Greek to English translation was to be made, this would instead read: "Open and unloose the mind, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand"! Which words conveys the reality and the essence of New Covenant teachings with respect to The Way being a bridge between this world of the "outer darkness" that leads the Genuine Christian along the "narrow path" that opens the "strait gate" into the indwelling Kingdom of God.
The idea that we
must die in order to enter the Kingdom, means that we must die with respect to
the thinking and culture of this world! If we physically die without
having picked up our crosses and walked in The Way, then our end will not be in
accordance with what is being preached from our pulpits today! And
while we are commanded to preach the Good News to those who are lost, we are to
convert the world by letting our Light shine so the lost will themselves be
guided into the Kingdom of our Eternal Father. In the word of St.
Francis, "By all means preach the Gospel, and only if you must, use
words"!
In
our endeavor to enlighten ourselves with regard to a much clearer picture of the
original Gospel message as it was envisioned by the early Gentile church at that
time prior to its Paganization under the government of Rome -- and in our effort
to begin the process of comprehending our present day theological limitations
which was a result of the Reformation -- it would be very helpful for us to
begin by examining the church prior to the time when its doctrine came under the
direct control of a series of Roman Emperors in the fourth century.
From this perspective, what we have in both The True Word, and the
official reply of the church in the form of Origen's work known as Origen
Contra Celsum, or, Origen Against Celsus, is a rather unique glimpse into
the beliefs and doctrines of the first and second century Gentile Christian
Church.
Unique, in that the
text not only contains the allegations of the second century Pagan world against
the Church, but also the official reply of the Church to these allegations.
The document known as The True Word no longer exists, but its text
is largely preserved in the eight (8) books that Origen wrote in the endeavor to
refute the charges against the Church by the Pagan Philosopher Celsus.
In
examination of this document, the modern Christian must initially ask: Who today
would accuse the Christian Church of being a “secret system”?
No one! Because the Church today no longer embodies the
original threefold nature (body, soul and spirit), and has thus lost its spiritual essence --
being only of the carnal body, it is today a mere shadow of its former self that is was over the first three centuries of its
existence.
Therefore, it is
important for us to recognize that such an allegation would be totally unheard of in our
present time.
The
Church today views its mission as a sort of religious outreach to save sinners
-- and yet, quite contrary to the modern agenda, Celsus viewed sinners as being
detrimental to a religion such as Christianity. In fact, he questioned why they were even tolerated.
Before we inquire how such a statement could even be made, let us
remember that the Apostle Paul said the exact same thing when he wrote:
“Do
not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness
have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Cor
6:14 NIV).
This
view -- in and of itself -- is crucial to both demonstrate and understand the
major fundamental differences between a secular institutionalized church --
which was born during the Nicene (Nicene Council in the year 325) and post
Nicene period (after the year 325) -- and the anti or pre-Nicene Church (prior
to the year 325 AD), during the first three centuries of our Common Era.
“‘The
Kingdom of God is within you', saith the Lord.
Turn thee with thy whole heart unto the Lord, and forsake this wretched
world, and thy soul shall find rest.
Learn to despise outward things, and to give thyself to things inward,
and thou shalt perceive the Kingdom of God to come in thee"
(The Imitation of Christ). What
we fail to realize today is the reality that the teachings of The Way was not a
system of belief -- but rather, a means to open the "strait gate"
to the Kingdom, and enter within the Temple of the genuine disciple's Soul and Spirit.
Thus saith the Lord of his true followers and believers:
"For they are spiritually undefiled, pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the men on the earth as a consecrated offering to God and the Lamb.
No falsehood can be charged against them; they are blameless" (Rev 14:4-5
TLB). The true believer in Christ is the one who walks in The Way as
they follow the voice of the Lord calling out to them from the Kingdom beyond
the "strait gate" within them. They do this by
rejecting the thinking, customs and mindset of this world -- taking upon
themselves the true yoke of the Christ. Thus,
the congregation of believers today are culturized and philosophical Christians,
because they live in the manner of the heathen and unbelievers, and not in
accordance with the biblical lifestyle and manner of thinking required in the
scriptures: "Then many of the Jewish leaders who heard him say these things began believing him to be the Messiah. Jesus said to them,
You are truly my disciples if you live as I tell you to, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free" (John 8:30-32
TLB). What we fail to understand today is the reality that when we
begin to live our lives in strict accord with the scriptures, and have a total
change of heart and mind that we become the "good ground" (Mark
4:20) that receives the Word of God and multiplies it a hundredfold from what
was given, then we will "...know the Truth" because the
"strait
gate" within us will open, and provide us entrance into the Kingdom.
If
we are to begin the process of the total restoral of the spiritual essence of the
teachings of The Way, it is important for us to understand that the doctrine of
the Nicene and post-Nicene Church was largely under the control of the Emperors
and the Roman Government.
This
meant that many truly important elements of Christian thought had become
redefined in order to make it the religion of the masses.
Masses of what? Masses of Pagan and heathen converts from every quarter of the Roman Empire.
This also meant that freedom to believe in accordance with either ones
conscience, or even ones spiritual knowledge received through revelation, was terminated once the church was
brought under government control.
In
fact, it could be stated that freedom of belief no longer existed once the
church became institutionalized.
The
church -- which had become thoroughly secular in nature -- formulated official dogma, and
like any other government edict or law, everyone was required to adhere to this
doctrine.
Anyone who
disagreed with the official position of the Church was either banished from the
empire, or immediately put to death.
We
can observe this same problem at work today in Communist China.
There is only one church -- which is the government ordained church.
Doctrine is controlled -- religious thought and expression is controlled
-- the clergy being ordained to their position by the state, is tightly
controlled -- by virtue of these controls, the church is never at odds with the
government -- and the very manner in which the people worship is also
controlled.
Genuine,
spiritual religion, is suppressed, and anyone who deviates from the prescribed
doctrine of the government-church is immediately dealt with -- severely.
In
a Spiritual Church such as that which Jesus ordained, the focus is not on the
believer holding the proper set of beliefs, or a hierarchy of priests -- because
the source and authority is spiritual, and remains above and beyond the physical
world. The beliefs of each
person are therefore seen as a product of the individual's stage of spiritual
development, and are in accordance with the individual person's condition in
relation to man's spiritual reality.
Because each person is at a different level of spiritual awareness, fixed
creeds and dogma are a detriment to a truly spiritual religion.
Speaking of the carnal Jews the Apostle Paul said: "They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary; for when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, See that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain" (Heb 8:5 RSV). Thus, if the words of the Apostle are also true when he said: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor 3:16 NKJ); then we must comprehend that the temple portrayed in the Old Testament is a pattern of our own mind and inner Being. What this means is that the various courts of the Temple were representative of the levels of consciousness within us -- with the objective being that the Genuine Christian overcomes his lower nature by walking in The Way -- ultimately entering beyond the veil of the Holy of Holies, and coming into the Presence of the Most High.
If
it is true that the Kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21), and each of the
outer courts of Solomon's Temple represent patterns and levels of consciousness
within the structure of our own minds -- and by adhering to the commandments of
the Lord and following in The Way, the Lord grants us the ability to enter beyond the veil of the Holy of Holies and dwell in the Presence
of the Most High, then we must pose the all-important question: What is inhibiting the
present-day community of Christians from truly
becoming the Light of the world? The answer is that as a body of
believers, we lost the Key of Knowledge when the fourth century church entered
into a
covenant with Pagan Rome, and permitted themselves to become severed from the
spiritual essence of the teachings of The Way.
When
Celsus questioned why sinners were tolerated in the Anti-Nicene Church, he was
merely affirming the Apostle Paul's warning when he commanded:
“Do not be
unequally yoked together with unbelievers?” (2 Cor 6:14 NKJ).
Unbelievers are not those who are outside of the church -- but rather, those who, because of their carnal thinking and
lifestyle, are spiritually undeveloped, and do not have a solid spiritual
connection with God.
They may
profess a belief in the Lord -- they may contribute their money to the church -- they may
call upon the Lord and sing praises -- they may demonstrate the outward appearance of a
religious person -- they may portray themselves as a "born again"
believer -- they may even be a priest or member of the clergy -- but
because their heart and mind is focused on the things of this world, their
condition is carnal, and they are said to be of the flesh rather than the
spirit.
This same reality has always existed -- i.e., where those who call upon the name of the Lord and worship him in their temples, synagogues and churches -- but because their thinking remains firmly attached to the culture and temporal things of this world, their hearts remain far from the God they call upon. Thus, we see the words of the Lord: "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt 15:7-9 NKJ).
To a genuine Spiritual Church, these unbelievers who put on the appearance of being a Christian are in fact an anchor to the soul of the congregation, and cause it to be grounded in the error and darkness of this world. Their condition is one of spiritual sickness -- they are incomplete and not whole, and unable to connect with God in the true spiritual sense. As both Celsus and the Apostle Paul warns, if they are in too great a number, they will bring about the death and demise of the church itself. How? By making their (sinful) ways and manner of thinking the norm for the church -- being therefore unable to entertain spiritual concepts and move on to maturity, they inhibit the growth of the whole.
In the end the warning of Celsus, which merely reflected that same
warning in the Epistles of Paul, proved correct.
The
great truth that Paul, Origen, and Celsus warned the Christian community of was
seen in the reality that a secular institutionalized church not only welcomes sinners,
but its strength and continued existence depends upon a large body of adherents
that Celsus calls sinners, and what Paul refers to as unbelievers.
Where a Spiritual, or Living Church must be accessed through man's
spiritual nature, the authority of an institutionalized church is very much of
this world -- and it is necessary that its members remain at a level below, and
in subjection to its body of priests.
From an historical perspective, genuine followers of the Christ would have nothing to do with the likes
of the fourth century Pagan Emperor Constantine -- much less would a genuine
Christian enter into a covenant with the secular
powers of this world.
It
is important for us to recognize the fact that neither Celsus, Origen, the
Apostle Paul, or the anti-Nicene Church could have been imbued with the thinking
that too many sinners or unbelievers were detrimental to the religion, unless
they possessed what we call a Spiritual mindset, and their church was built upon a
Spiritual framework that is totally alien to our manner of thinking and
believing today.
This
fact is further explored in Origen's reply to the allegations of Celsus, and in
his answer we can see revealed the true mission of the genuine Christian Church
that was ordained by Jesus and his Apostles.
Origen responded to the allegation of Celsus by explaining that:
“For there are in the divinity of the Word some helps towards the
cure of those who are sick”, meaning the sinners.
This is true -- i.e., many people who were addicted to alcohol, drugs, sexual
perversion, and the materialism of this world, have experienced great
improvement when the were converted to the gospel of the simple
faith. But these "elementary" teachings which Paul
refers to as the "milk" of the gospel, is only the beginning of
the spiritual journey. Origen then clarifies his statement and writes that these sinners are by
no means invited to “…participation in mysteries, then, and to fellowship
in the wisdom hidden in a mystery, which God ordained before the world to the
glory of His saints”.
To
demonstrate the biblical foundation of this great truth in Origen's reply to
Celsus, we can see the same exact message in the assertion of Paul in his First
Epistle to the Corinthians that there
were different doctrines -- i.e., the “milk” for the carnal believer
-- the lesser mysteries for the seeker -- and the deeper Truths that can only be
revealed through the spirit to the genuine Christian -- of which Origen wrote:
“Now, in answer to such
statements, we say that it is not the same thing to invite those who are sick in
soul to be cured, and those who are in health to the knowledge and study of
divine things. We, however, keeping both these things in view, at first invite
all men to be healed, and exhort those who are sinners to come to the
consideration of the doctrines which teach men not to sin, and those who are
devoid of understanding to those which beget wisdom, and those who are children
to rise in their thoughts to manhood, and those who are simply unfortunate to
good fortune, or -- which is the more appropriate term to use -- to blessedness.
And when those who have been turned towards virtue have made progress, and have
shown that they have been purified by the word, and have led as far as they can
a better life, then and not before do we invite them to participation in our
mysteries." Origen then quotes the Apostle Paul directly
and explains that: "‘For we speak wisdom among them that are perfect’”.
What
we have demonstrated in this reply to Celsus by Origen is the framework of a
True Spiritual Church.
Contrary
to the structure of the modern church, the Word is presented at varying levels
in accordance with the needs of the individual.
The sinner is invited to partake of the healing of the Word -- and if
they repent, and have a change in heart and mind, they will have prepared
themselves to move onward.
After
purification from the transgressions and mindset of this world and servitude to
man's carnal nature, the minor mysteries can be revealed to the disciple --
which minor mysteries will then enable the disciple to begin the process of
gaining entrance to the spiritual kingdom and Temple of their soul within them.
As the disciple gains spiritual strength and vitality, and develops his
innate spiritual attributes -- attributes which lie dormant in the carnal
believer -- the disciple is then able to take the hand of the Lord and walk in
the footsteps of the Master.
Of the term Spiritual, Nelson's
Illustrated Bible Dictionary writes: “Of the spirit or non-material. The
word spiritual refers to non-material things, including a spiritual body (1 Cor.
15:44-46) and spiritual things as distinct from earthly goods (Rom. 15:27; 1
Cor. 9:11). But the most important use of the word is in reference to the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit gave the law (Rom. 7:14) and supplied Israel with water and
food (1 Cor. 10:3-4). The Christian's every blessing is from the Spirit (Eph.
1:3), as is his understanding of truth (1 Cor. 2:13-15; Col. 1:9). His songs
should be sung in the Spirit (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), and his ability to
understand Scripture correctly is given by the Spirit (Rev. 11:8). He is to be
so dominated by the Spirit that he can be called spiritual (1 Cor. 2:15; Gal.
6:1)”.
This
great spiritual truth which is confirmed in the words of Origen when he writes regarding
the mysteries of God:
“…others
again, which to the pure in soul and body exhibit the revelation of the Mystery,
which was kept in secret since the world began, but now is made manifest by the
scriptures of the prophets, and by the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
Origen then goes on to explain that the Christ will appear to, and teach,
everyone who will be His disciple and follow in His footsteps:
“…which
appearing is manifested to each one of those who are perfect, and which
enlightens the reason in the true knowledge of things”.
In these words Origen confirms the essence of Christian doctrine -- a
spiritual doctrine -- that even today, the Christ is the One and Only Teacher
for the genuine disciple of the Light.
The genuine Christian doctrine is
easy to confirm.
Jesus never
ordained a class of priests whose job it was to perform rituals and prayers on
behalf of the people.
The
religious principles that Jesus taught were purely spiritual -- i.e., his
disciples were to go forth and proclaim to the people that if they changed their
direction, and walked in The Way, they could enter into the Kingdom of God, and
be saved from the fate of death that this world holds.
The disciples and apostles were not to teach, as our religious
authorities teach today -- but rather, they were to lead the people to the One
Teacher -- the True Prophet -- that is the only Genuine Source of Knowledge for
the disciple of the Light.
In addition to the scriptures where
Jesus commands the disciples not to be called teacher, for there is only One
Teacher (Mt 23:8), this same Truth can be demonstrated using the first century
witness known as the Recognitions of Clement, where St. Clement quotes
the teachings of the Apostle Peter.
In
chapter 59, under the heading of The True Prophet, Clement writes:
“But I
would not have you think, that in saying this I take away the power of judging
concerning things; but I give counsel that no one walk through devious places,
and rush into errors without end. And therefore I advise not only wise men, but
indeed all men who have a desire of knowing what is advantageous to them, that
they seek after the true Prophet; for it is He alone who knoweth all things, and
who knoweth what and how every man is seeking. For He is within the mind of
every one of us, but in those who have no desire of the knowledge of God and His
righteousness, He is inoperative; but He works in those who seek after that
which is profitable to their souls, and kindles in them the light of knowledge.
Wherefore seek Him first of all; and if you do not find Him, expect not that you
shall learn anything from any other. But He is soon found by those who
diligently seek Him through love of the truth, and whose souls are not taken
possession of by wickedness. For He is present with those who desire Him in the
innocence of their spirits, who bear patiently, and draw sighs from the bottom
of their hearts through love of the truth; but He deserts malevolent minds,
because as a prophet He knows the thoughts of every one. And therefore let no
one think that he can find Him by his own wisdom, unless, as we have said, he
empty his mind of all wickedness, and conceive a pure and faithful desire to
know Him. For when any one has so prepared himself, He Himself as a prophet,
seeing a mind prepared for Him, of His own accord offers Himself to his
knowledge”.
What does Peter say to us in these
words? That the True Prophet “is within the mind of every one of us”.
This concept is Spiritual -- and is the foundation of the Living Church
that the Lord inaugurated.
Jesus
warned his followers not to go to a teacher or religious authority in this world
-- even when that teacher or authority says that he knows the Christ.
What is very clear in these words which are parallel and in harmony with
the Bible, is the followers of Jesus were not to learn from men -- who
themselves do not know -- and in true spiritual fashion, they were only to go to
the Source of all Knowledge, the True Prophet.
The Apostle Paul wrote that the
baptized believers at Corinth did not know the Gospel of God, and could not be
taught the Mysteries and the essence of true Christian teachings, because they
were too carnal to receive them.
This
great dilemma that Paul wrote about -- and has been continually ignored by the
majority of Christians throughout history -- was explained by Peter when his
disciple Clement wrote his warning to believers: “…and if you do not find
Him, expect not that you shall learn anything from any other”.
From a first century Christian
perspective, there is only one way that you can learn and know the truth, and
that is through your own dormant spiritual nature which can serve as the gateway
to the Lord.
“Expect not
that you shall learn anything”, says Peter, if you attempt to learn from
the doctrines of men -- even when these men are the leaders of your church,
synagogue, mosque, or temple.
Why?
Because Jesus himself commanded: “But you, do not be called 'Rabbi';
for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren” (Matt 23:8
NKJ). Therefore, whoever will
teach you -- except by example and the manifestation of the Light in their own
lives -- from the perspective of the New Covenant, is a disciple of the anti-christ.
Peter embodies the very essence of
the genuine teachings of The Way in the words: “But He is soon found by
those who diligently seek Him through love of the truth, and whose souls are not
taken possession of by wickedness. For He is present with those who desire Him
in the innocence of their spirits, who bear patiently, and draw sighs from the
bottom of their hearts through love of the truth”.
In this statement you will find the dividing line between the Genuine Christian and the philosophical Christian of the flesh -- i.e., the genuine Christians are those who are willing to embrace the Light, and learn only from the True Prophet which they manifest in their lives by only doing what is of the Light -- whereas, the Christians of the flesh calls upon the name of the Lord, but they adhere to the teachings of men, and live in accordance with the culture of this world. Once these words of Peter are realized in the life of the believer, only then is it comprehended that it is the desire for the Truth -- and the Truth alone -- that will turn you in the direction of The Way. It is this desire that must rule your hearts and minds in such an all encompassing manner, that the believer rejoices in the labors of clearing the rubble of this world out of our lives, and strives to make themselves the good ground that is the only consecrated environment which the Lord will recognize as being genuine. In this respect, the True Prophet can only be found by those who cultivate and prepare themselves -- physically, mentally and spiritually, for the coming of the Lord within them.
Thus,
the Son of God has promised to those who are truly his faithful disciples:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with
Me" (Rev 3:20
NKJ). The food which the Lord provides, is the Knowledge and the
Anointing of the Spirit -- which is the substance and fruit of the next stage of
birth that permits us to gain entrance into the Kingdom, and dwell in the
Presence of the Most High in the True Temple of the Paradise of our Heavenly
Father.
It is not that the congregation of believers today are not sincere in their desire to worship the Lord. The problem is seen in the reality that the modern Christian is greatly inhibited by the fact that the Roman Church of the fourth century threw away the Key of Knowledge that "...opens the door" which permits the Lord to enter within us, and enables them to understanding the manner in which man grows and evolves to perfection. Instead, we cling to the words of the Apostle when he proclaimed: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23 KJV). In perceiving only a very limited vision of man's reality, we erroneously conclude that man's natural state is sin, and he must be redeemed.
Because the sixth century Emperor Justinian forced a quasi-Darwinist
mindset upon the thinking of the church, we no longer understand that man's soul
is ever residing with God -- and our soul is in fact depicted as the older son
in the parable of the prodigal son.
In
the parable, the elder son who remains with the father is older, because he
represents our pre-existent self that has transcended all time as we understand
it today.
The
more pure and original vision of the church is clearly perceived in what
Origen and the first Christians were working to build -- which was in fact the very
essence and foundation of a Spiritual, or Mystical Church.
Those believers who purify the body in which they dwell, and seek the
teachings of the Living Christ, rather than clinging to the
“Milk”
of the Gospel, are those who mature enough to receive the knowledge of the
Kingdom.
In understanding the
differences between this pre-Nicean church, and what remains today, it is
important to understand that the very word knowledge was of a multidimensional
nature -- i.e., the word used to describe the knowledge gained as the vision of
the disciple pierces beyond the great divide between this world and the Kingdom,
in the Greek is called “gnosis” -- or gnosticism.
When the more spiritual disciples of the Apostle Paul said to the carnal
Gentile converts, that man is saved through knowledge, they were speaking of the
knowledge -- or gnosis -- that was given to them by the Anointing of the Spirit
-- a knowledge that the carnal mind cannot receive, because spiritual truths and
reality appear as “foolishness” to them.
What they said was true because one cannot be Anointed without Knowing,
and one cannot know without being Anointed.
Thus, spiritual knowledge and the Anointing of the Light are synonymous!
Now
the carnal believers who are unable to perceive the true vision of man's
spiritual reality focused on Paul's doctrine of faith, without comprehending
that the faith which Paul preached was not an end to itself -- but rather, a
beginning of The Way.
Because
many carnal believers were being misled by the manner in which they understood
what Paul wrote, James and other Hebrew Christians intervened, as seen in the
words: “What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has
no works? Can that faith save him? …Even so faith, if it has no works, is
dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, 'You have faith, and I have
works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my
works’” (James 2:14-18 NAS).
The
problem is explored in the words of the Barnes' Notes Commentary for James 2:26:
"...all history has shown, the statements of Paul on the subject of
justification are liable to great abuse. All the forms of Antinomianism have
grown out of such abuse, and are only perverted statements of his doctrine. It
has been said, that if Christ has freed us from the necessity of obeying the law
in order to justification; if he has fulfilled it in our stead, and borne its
penalty, then the law is no longer binding on those who are justified, and they
are at liberty to live as they please. It has been further said, that if we are
saved by faith alone, a man is safe the moment he believes, and good works are
therefore not necessary. It is possible that such views as these began to
prevail as early as the time of James, and, if so, it was proper that there
should be an authoritative apostolic statement to correct them, and to check
these growing abuses. If, therefore, James had, as it has been supposed he had,
any reference to the sentiments of Paul, it was not to correct his sentiments,
or to controvert them but it was to correct the abuses which began already to
flow from his doctrines, and to show that the alleged inferences did not
properly follow from the opinions which he held; or, in other words, to show
that the Christian religion required men to lead holy lives, and that the faith
by which it was acknowledged that the sinner must be justified, was a faith
which was productive of good works."
In
the teachings of the New Covenant, faith is the foundation -- and it is the
works of the spirit that opens the (mystical) gate between this realm and the
Kingdom that enlightens the mind of the disciple with the knowledge of
the Light.
In order to begin
to get a right sense of the reality that is being conveyed in these terms, we
must understand that in the same way that Spiritual Knowledge has nothing to do with doctrine
and the concepts of carnal men, neither does the term works have anything to do
with the rituals or religious observances which was practiced by the secular
Jews and the later Roman Church.
The
problem in the early church began to manifest when many of the Gentile converts
attempted to reinterpret the teachings of The Way as a means of justification
and redemption from sin -- whereby they could believe in Jesus and continue to
live a carnal lifestyle.
From
a gospel perspective, what these carnal believers were doing was embracing one
part of what Paul wrote, and ignoring the other parts. This is acknowledged by Barnes' Notes in the words:
“All
the forms of Antinomianism have grown out of such abuse, and are only perverted
statements of his doctrine. It has been said, that if Christ has freed us from
the necessity of obeying the law in order to justification; if he has fulfilled
it in our stead, and borne its penalty, then the law is no longer binding on
those who are justified, and they are at liberty to live as they please. It has
been further said, that if we are saved by faith alone, a man is safe the moment
he believes, and good works are therefore not necessary”.
Because
their perception of the gospel was fragmentary and incomplete, they naturally
ignored what they were unable to comprehend, and they were unable to perceive
the reality of what Paul was attempting to covey where he wrote:
“for if
you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you
are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being
led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom 8:13-14 NAS).
In the end, perhaps the ultimate example of a spiritually illegitimate
doctrine is seen to have emerged out of this carnal reinterpretation of the
gospel message as it became embodied in the doctrine of Original Sin -- which
doctrine was conceived by the Latin Church Father St. Augustine -- whereby all
men were born in sin, and incapable of doing anything good.
Those
believers -- both Jewish and Christian -- who understood the essence of what
Jesus conveyed in the parable of the prodigal son -- that the soul pre-existed
the body, and our indwelling spiritual nature which is the very source of our
being, remains with the Father in the Kingdom -- were able to move their
thinking beyond the carnal perception of the Word, and through the Power of the
Son of God, pierce the great divide
between this realm and the Kingdom, become Anointed by the Illumination of
the Holy Spirit, and embrace the Truth and the Light. Those believers who clung to manmade carnal doctrines
-- doctrines that envisioned man's reality from the perception of the body, and
not the spirit -- caused the believers to fall into error.
Over
the course of the first four centuries the conflict raged between the carnal
Christians, the spiritual Christians, and at times the original Jewish
Messianic believers who were often viewed as heretics by the majority of Gentile
converts.
The end of the
conflict came when the carnal Christians entered into a covenant and alliance
with the Roman Emperor Constantine, who then annihilated both the spiritual
Christians and the Jewish Messianic believers -- thereby making the very carnal
reinterpretation of the gospel message the winner of the controversy.
The
problem was that the carnal Christians were incapable of understanding the
Apostles words when he wrote: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in
sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live
any longer therein?” (Rom 6:1-2 KJV). The ideas they developed that man was genetically
incapable of not being a sinner, and that even after becoming a Christian
continued to sin, negated the words of Paul when he wrote:
“Know ye not,
that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom
ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
(Rom 6:16 KJV).
One of their
paramount errors was their failure to perceive the words of Paul in their true
spiritual sense -- i.e., when Paul spoke of death he was not indicating the
death of the body, but more appropriately, the severing of the natural man from
his spiritual nature.
Thus,
as sinners, and men of the flesh, the essence of New Covenant theology -- which
was the spiritual perfection of the believer -- was simply beyond their
comprehension.
The
political leaders of the church -- men such as Augustine -- waged great battles
with those of an opposing viewpoint such as Pelagius, who championed the cause
that “Man is able, if he likes, to live without sin and keep the
commandments of God, in as much as God gives him this ability”.
Before we become offended by the early Christian idea that man can live a
life free of sin, it is important for us to recognize in the words of Pelagius
that he did not say that man has the power to live without sin -- but rather,
“God
gives him [man] this ability”.
What believer today would disagree with this statement that if God so
chooses, He can give a man the power to be Spiritual and live without sin?
The
political leaders of the church could not even begin to envision the secret to
the controversy when Jesus said: “Every kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls” (Luke
11:17 NKJ).
It is not that
physical, or natural man had to become perfect -- but rather, that man only had
to break down the great wall of divide that separates his carnal self, from his
spiritual nature.
This
leaving behind the "elementary" teachings of the simple faith,
and moving on to maturity, is perhaps best presented to us in the portrayal of
the doctrine of faith in relation to sure
spiritual knowledge. Quoting Clement of Alexandria in Smith & Wace's Bible
dictionary:
“Faith is the
foundation; knowledge the superstructure, by knowledge faith is perfected, for
to know is more than to believe. Faith
is a summary knowledge of urgent truths; knowledge a sure demonstration of what
has been received through faith, being itself reared upon faith through the
teachings of the Lord. Thus the
[mature spiritual Christian] grasps the complete truth of all revelation from the beginning of the
world to the end, piercing to the depths of scripture, of which the believer
tastes the surface only. As a
consequence of this intelligent sympathy with the Divine Will, the [mature
spiritual Christian] becomes in perfect unity in himself, and as far as possible like God.
Definite outward observances cease to have any value for one whose being
is brought into abiding harmony with that which is eternal; he has no wants, no
passions; he rests in the contemplation of God, which is and will be his
unfailing blessedness.”
From
the perspective of the Old Testament symbolism, the plight of carnal man is
embodied in the reality of the unmarried and unfaithful woman. It is for this reason that James used the feminine
gender when he wrote: “Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of
the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world
maketh himself an enemy of God. Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain?
Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?” (James
4:4-5 ASV).
It is for this
same reason that the author of the Imitation of Christ used the feminine
gender when he wrote: “I WILL hear what the Lord God will speak in me.
Blessed is the soul who hears the Lord speaking within HER”.
Throughout
the New Testament the Lord is often called the Bridegroom.
Why?
In the spiritual
language and symbolism
of the scriptures, male and female are viewed as opposite polarities -- sometimes
within the same realm, other times the disciple is portrayed as female, while
his soul or spiritual nature which resides in another realm is portrayed as
male. Thus, it is for this reason that both the Old and New
Covenant theology is often viewed as being obsessed with the absolute purity of
the wife.
Why? So she will be a fit vessel for the husband -- i.e.,
which husband could be either the soul or spiritual nature of the disciple --
and is even used to portray the relationship between the Son of God and the
disciple.
It
is impossible to understand either the inner meaning of the scriptures, the
relationship between this physical world and the parallel spiritual realms, or
any other aspect of life and Creation, without comprehending the all pervading
force of male and female energies that interact and bring all things into
existence throughout all worlds and dimensions of Being.
What few people are cognizant of is the fact that all the secrets of
Creation can be understood as men and women seek out and explore the true depth
of their own relationship one with another.
In the same way that an unfaithful wife squanders away the vital Creative
Force that is indigenous to the male or dynamic power of Creation, so too do we
squander away the vital life-force that flows into us from our indwelling soul
and spiritual natures when we permit ourselves to become entangled in the
elemental things of this world.
Because
all that is manifest exists and has it’s being within the Two Great Powers of
Creation -- and these Two Great Powers move out into Creation and remain present
in every life-form that exists throughout every realm and dimension of Being,
once the Divine Pattern is fully understood, this knowledge can then be used to
unlock the Mysteries and Sacred Secrets of the Eternal-God.
What
this ultimately means is that when that condition exists when our consciousness -- our vital energies --
and our focus in life is projected into this world, we are the adulteress and
unfaithful wife who is the sinner and evil doer that must be redeemed.
Our sin -- and for that matter, the very nature of sin from a biblical
and spiritual perspective -- can only be truly understood when be begin to
perceive the very incomplete nature of our physical being.
When we are no longer the “house divided” that Jesus condemned
as a fatal flaw, and we become married to our inner spiritual nature by the
mystical refocusing of our consciousness and vital energies with the spouse of
our soul, we take on the attributes which are portrayed in scripture as the
virgin -- undefiled from the world -- who gives birth to the Child of the Light
-- and the Son of God is able to become manifest within us.
Because
the political leaders of the church embraced the carnal reinterpretation and
perception of the Word, the believers who adhered to the doctrines of the Church
of the Roman Empire became helplessly lost in their quest to walk in The Way.
The problem is that the Christian world continues to remain helplessly
lost because they no longer possess the knowledge of the Divine Patters of
Creation -- and neither do they understand the workings of the laws that control
this realm -- the laws that control the interaction between man’s physical,
soul and spiritual natures -- and especially the Royal Law that is spoken about
in the Epistle of James.
The
biblical concept that the flesh can do nothing good on its own, and is in need
of redemption, is the scriptural manifestation of the spiritual reality of the
“house divided”.
What we must begin to realize is that from a biblical perception,
spiritual sterility is a sin. In view of the fact that natural man is a feminine
polarity in
relation to his soul and spirit, the barren woman or the whore of this world is
viewed as a sinful creature.
In
the same way that a woman cannot conceive and give birth to a child without her
male counterpart, the whole concept of man's inherent sinful nature can only be
comprehended, when one perceives man as being in a state of incompletion.
Within
this web site you will find a number of in-depth presentations on the Genesis
account of the creation of man and the Divine Pattern and Blueprint of all
things as conveyed in the portrayal of Adam and Eve. You will learn
that in Hebrew Mysticism, the original name of Adam was written differently
because the primordial Adam was Adam-Eve as One. It was for this reason
that God did not simply create a helpmate for Adam, but more importantly brought
forth Adam's female-reflective nature, so as to permit the two that were
inherently One to interact in what would appear to be an external
reality. Ultimately, by interacting with what appeared to be
external, Adam would be able to overcome his own divided nature, and
re-establish his positive-dynamic-creative nature with his negative-reflective-magnetic
nature, and evolve to his true potential as the Creation of the Most
High. This Dynamic/Reflective twofold force of Creation which is the
very fabric of all that exists, is brought together by the Third Force of which
Christians call the Son of God. In view of the fact that Heaven and
Earth are positive/negative polarities that exist a parallel realms, it is for
this reason that Jesus said that no one comes to the Father but through the
Christ. Moreover, once the Divine Pattern of Creation is truly
realized, and the Key of Knowledge is obtained, then the disciple begins to
perceive the process of the second birth as the making of Heaven and Earth
One within himself by embracing the Pattern and Higher Reality of Christ
throughout their life. In order to be One, the two must move in the
total harmony of their being.
When
the disciple walks in The Way, this state of inner division is overcome -- and the feminine,
carnal nature, becomes merged and married to its inner soul and spiritual nature.
It is for this reason the Bible teaches that the wife must be in total
subjection to the husband -- or, in the mystical sense of the marriage, the
flesh to the spirit.
What I will demonstrate is that in recent times the Lord has called his congregation -- providing them with more pure scriptures and spiritual gifts for them to use in the endeavor to totally re-establish the teachings of The Way to their Original Form. Sadly, the congregations have rejected this Truth, even when the Lord Himself places it directly in their hands! Thus, the time has come for the genuine disciples of the Lord to arise, and become beacons of Light that dispel the darkness of this modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah in which we presently dwell.
In the historical/physical sense, a watcher was one who stood guard to warn the people of the presence of an enemy. In many ways the people to whom the Old Testament scriptures were originally written to, were very much as the Afghans are today. Marauding bands of ruthless tribes and warlords roamed the land in the manner of beasts and brute animals. Nomadic groups of barbarians lived off the spoils of the people they ravished and plundered -- killing the men, raping the women, and stealing whatever they could carry off. Thus, the job of watcher was to warn the people of impending doom at that hands of that beast-men and conquering armies who sought to defeat and enslave the people.
From a spiritual perspective it is written: "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him" (Luke 12:4-5 NIV). Thus, of far greater importance than physical life was the life of the soul -- wherein, from time to time God would Anoint a Spiritual Watcher whose job it was to warn the people of imminent doom because they had deviated from The Way of the Lord. Why was this important? Because whatever is of this world is temporal, and will pass from existence as the time of its manifestation draws to a close. Why? Because everything is this world is a form, pattern and animated symbol of man's higher spiritual reality. To have permanence, then, it is necessary that the temporal forms of this world must become transformed into this higher spiritual reality that is the Source of all that exists.
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