Divisive Doctrines Do Not Explain The True Love Of God
When one is rigorously honest with oneself, and one looks deeply into dogmatic doctrines, it is obvious to the heart and mind that they do not explain spiritual evolution or the love of God. For instance, the basis for the doctrine of "be saved or be damned" is one which is clearly man-made: one cannot truly follow the commandment of Jesus to unconditionally love God with heart, soul, mind and strength, if God ceases to love us for not accepting a metaphysical concept. Not only are we expected to accept that God ceases to love us because we have not accepted a metaphysical concept, but we are expected to accept that God has prepared an eternal hell for us because we have not accepted a metaphysical concept. This would be a conditional love from God for us, if this were so - but of course it is not so.
However, we cannot love God unconditionally if God's love for us is conditional, i.e. if there are conditions to God's love for us, for the simple reason that one cannot unconditionally love a Creator who is going to subject the majority of loving people to an eternal hell based upon the acceptance of an idea.
We are of Him, made of the same "substance", created in His Image ('tselem' Gen 1:27) which is Spirit ('theos pneuma' John 4:24), and therefore if God's love is conditional then so must ours be, and clearly we would not be able to carry out the commandment of Jesus to love God unconditionally - with all heart, soul, mind and strength.
However, there is some truth in the above doctrine in a spiritual sense in contradistinction to a literal sense, for when one turns oneself over to follow Jesus, and seeks to do God's Will through Him, then a deep decision has been made, according to degree, and the downward trend which is misdirected and unguided is altered in a drastic way accordingly. But there is so much more to achieve and to be done spiritually, in regard to the evolution of the soul: it is not instant "salvation" through acceptance of a metaphysical or supernatural concept which saves instantly and eternally; it is the motive behind the decision to follow the teachings and example of the Master Jesus, and the degree to which one frees oneself from the material chains which bind, which enables the soul to develop and progress.
In addition to the "be-saved-once-or-go-to-an-everlasting-hell-once-and-for-all-time" doctrine, it is sometimes heard from Fundamentalists that they have been "saved" i.e. they have received their eternal salvation, and yet they could still lose this salvation (according to them). This is a strange and paradoxical salvation indeed, a salvation which is total and eternal and yet which can be lost - a contradiction in terms. It is transparently clear that spiritual development (the evolution of the soul) is God's Will for the soul and not some kind of instant "salvation".
A Tiny Finite Physical World In An Immeasurable World Of Timeless Spirit
Many mistakes are made by not knowing about the World of Spirit and its present existence which coexists with our life in the flesh. As well as claiming a type of 'instant sainthood', there are some who erroneously claim that there is some void or a long sleep with death of the physical body, but these ideas come from the physical mind without any awareness of the reality of Spiritual Life, with its countless worlds and states of being through which each and every one of God's children must and will eventually pass.
There is no instant translation to the awful Realms of Holy Purity simply based on a belief, as those who say we are "saved by faith and not by works" do claim. Neither is it true that good works can only begin from the point of being "born again". They forget that "faith without works is dead" or misunderstand its meaning. In this context, the usual "born again" concept is misleading, although, of course, it is better to be "born again" (or whatever particular dogma a person is following to improve himself spiritually) than to become immersed and lost in the materialism of the world and have to go over all the unlearnt lessons when this life is over, which is then more difficult because there is no materialism to overcome and no physical body to control (and I am assuming here that those claiming to be "born again" do not immerse themselves in the materialism of the world).
In fact, a soul must be disconnected from the physical body by the severing of the spiritual chord (which is a "shimmering" silvery colour) - so symbolical of the umbilical chord of physical birth - and enter into the heavenly realms to really be born again - born into a Spiritual World..."If ever the silver chord be loosed...then the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:6,7).
"Born Again"? (John 3:1-21)
"But The 'Dead' Sleep"? (1 Cor. 15)
"Born again" is the traditionalist translators' transliteration of the New-Testament-times Greek words: "gennao" and "anothen".
The word: "born" is the English rendition/transliteration by traditionalist translators of the Greek word: "gennao", which can mean "to be born" or metaphorically "to engender, cause to arise"; which is from the word origin: "genos", which can mean: "offspring", "family", "stock".
The word: "again" is the English rendition/transliteration by the traditionalist translators from the Greek word: "anothen", which can mean: "from above", "from a higher place", and is derived from the root: "ano", which can mean: "up", "upwards", "above", "on high", "of the quarters of the heaven".
When a certain understanding of the heavenly spheres and the continuity of life after the demise of the physical body, are expounded within a spiritual philosophy given from the World of Spirit - such as the Greater World spiritual philosophy - one gains a more expanded understanding of spiritual life, in the sense of non-physical life and its interrelationship with physical life.
Thus, one can gain a better understanding of what Jesus was referring to when He said to Nicodemus - who was confused as to how one could enter the womb a second time (John 3:1-7): "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not understand, how then will you understand if I speak of heavenly things? (John 3:12)"
Many a Literalist will say that one is destined to hell unless one accepts their concept of salvation, which, they say, necessitates being "born again". Of course, great spiritual joy and a knowledge of God's love and His Spirit can come to a person while still in the flesh, but by dying and being born again into a Heavenly Sphere of Light one is free from the once valuable - but temporary - earthly casket and its many restrictions, and then existing in regions of spiritual beauty unknown to the earthly mind, true spiritual happiness is known.
In other words, dying to this material plane and being "born again" in a heavenly sphere is the full import of what Jesus was saying. This earth plane and the taking on of a physical body by the spirit, is for the gaining of experience and to play its part in the gaining of understanding and discrimination between good and evil, so that the freewill can be used in accordance with the power God wishes to bestow as the evolution of the soul progresses - and there is Immortality in front; the earth life is also taken on to gain gifts and spiritual power to enable a deeper and more effective work for God in the Spirit. That is where the real life and the real happiness exists. The restrictions of this physical earth plane cannot hold the true happiness that can only exist in the purer Spirit conditions, it just does not have the capacity to do so.
The Literalist does not see this because he or she thinks that his or her idea of salvation is the only reason for taking on an earth life. They have not understood the heavenly things that Jesus would have gladly taught them if only they could arise above material thinking.
It is true that when one receives an initial spiritual awakening through the power of the Holy Spirit, then one has a renewed spirit, but this is not salvation as the "Born Again" people claim (one must work out ones own salvation Phil.12-18), this is but one small step on the path to God. But when someone has tried their hardest to do what is right and follow the path of duty, and adhere to - and live by - the spiritual principles demonstrated and taught by Jesus the Christ for man to follow, then, undergoing the transition is perhaps the most symbolic and realistic meaning of the term: "being born again".
Those with a limited and restricted outlook of the love of God and His redemptive powers may exclaim something like the following: "But Jesus said that you must be born again. Even if you follow religious observances and no matter how well you lead your life, the single act of being 'born again' is the only reason why we are on this planet. If you are not 'born again' then you will go to hell"! This is a common misconception of the Fundamentalists, and is responsible for turning many seeking souls away from true Christianity. What the Fundamentalists are doing in this case is putting the acceptance and affirmation of a manmade dogmatic metaphysical concept in place of the truth that ritualistic convention and following religious rules is useless if the individual cannot renounce the things of the world which block out and suffocate the things of the Spirit.
It is not a question of accepting a one-time belief and being "born again" but rather actually following Christ and living the Christ Way. If the individual holds fast to things material and aspires to nothing else, then there is no room for, or desire for the sacrificial spirit, which is necessary to allow the Spirit freedom of expression, because the Spirit is neither material nor does it follow religious observances, and It is in Itself a Sacrificial Spirit. How can a sacrificial Spirit be free in one who cannot sacrifice material things? NB: This is a general observation and does not mean that all of those claiming the title of "born again" are materialistic, but it does mean that the Spirit within is either suffocated or released to a greater or lesser degree according to the efforts made to live the Christ principles; and claiming to be "born again" does not excuse one from having to make material sacrifices, nor does such a claim excuse one from having to right what is wrong when one passes into the next state of existence.
God sent His Son to show us the way, not to use this as an excuse for thinking one becomes a saint instantly by a magical transformation. A special blessing of the Holy Spirit is just that, a special blessing of the Holy Spirit; this is not the turning of a spiritless being into one with a spirit. The Spirit has always been within the soul; and the soul is used to acquire and assimilate the necessary experiences to be able to receive and live that life which God desires that soul to have, and this is not achieved instantly. The Kingdom of God is already within, and this does not enter at some stage during the earthly sojourn - it just becomes recognised by the individual with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Neither is it the case that the soul can become perfectly pure after what is claimed to be the "sanctification" upon earth alone, for true sanctification must continue after physical death. Neither is the process of purification limited to only those who claim to be "born again". Any soul living by the principles which were laid down so clearly by Christ can become purified, and this process takes aeons and aeons of time. After all, we are meant, by our Father God, to become like the children He wishes us to be like - and we were made in His Image - and He is God. Becoming fashioned unto the likeness of the Christ in His magnificence and glory (Phil.3:20,21), takes countless changes of condition (sanctification).
The supernatural experience which comes to many of those calling themselves "born again Christians", is one in which they make an incorrect judgement as to the Spirit. They assume that when they have that particular experience, the "Spirit of God" enters in, and establishes them as "born again" and "separated unto God", in contrast to those who do not have this particular experience. They experience an ecstasy which seems to them to be the only reason for being born on earth - to accept a belief in order that they can be "born again" and thus "saved". But all that is happening, is that those many souls who have passed into some of the countless spheres or conditions in operation for their future development and progress, desire to rise into higher planes of spiritual purity.
In order to do this, they must seek to help another out of altruism because this is the law of the Spirit - there is no progress without helping another. Thus, they come back to the earth plane in order to accompany those in the flesh and seek to guide their footsteps into the pathway which the spirit within knows is best in order to achieve the greatest spiritual gain while enchained in the earthly body. These souls uplift those in the earth body, they seek to encourage them, and they grapple with the lesser self of the one still in the body of flesh. They seek to impinge their thoughts upon those in the flesh, and cast what they can of the rays of power they have released according to the degree of their own development. But this guidance and companionship is also happening to others of every race and creed every where on the earth (and in other conditions more or less evolved), not just to those who name themselves: "Born Again Christians".
Sometimes this supernatural occurrence is overpowering and the physical mind can be so impressed with it that nothing else can possibly be the reason for living on earth except to experience it and be "saved". They can then become blinded to the reality of other truths which are of God, and then the denial of God's higher Truth as revealed by the Christ Mission and the gifts associated with it - the gifts of Spirit Communion - comes about. And here the universal warning about abusing the gifts of the Spirit is given again, for there are countless enemies of Christ in these conditions, and many come masquerading as a friend, many without concern for the well-being of the children of the earth. Not all those who are unseen are here with the best intentions. The enemies of Christ thrive on disunity and disruption, and the attitude of superiority with the desire for revenge opens up the channel for them to strike. Under such conditions, one may fail to notice that the enemy has slipped in to cause disharmony - a real sheep in wolves clothing.
In conclusion, being "born again", is not simply starting afresh with a new spiritual outlook - although this is certainly one aspect which can be ascribed to this saying; and it does not mean receiving a one-time instant salvation as the Fundamentalists claim - they see this earthly life as the only life before either an eternal heaven or hell, when in reality this earth life, as invaluable and spiritually priceless as it is, is only a very short period in an exceptionally long life.
Being "born again" - in its truest and highest sense - according to our life on Earth in relation to the Realms of the Spirit, means dying to the physical world and being born into the Bright Spheres of the Spiritual World; indeed one shall never see death who truly keeps Christ's words from the depths of their being: to love God and love ones neighbour. Again, without being restrictive, being "born again" is also applied to fallen souls rising from the dark or twilight planes after an age-long chastisement, and, after great pain and anguish, entering the Bright Spheres of everlasting life and happiness, having made the conscious decision - and acted upon it consistently - to be strong and seek Divine Truth and righteousness. And our Master Christ showed us how this is possible (1 Peter 3:18-20 & 4:6).
The Soul Exists In The Conditions Which Reflect Its State Of Health
The truth concerning the natural and spiritual act of being born into another sphere of existence (the transition) has eluded those who think in material terms. Jesus told them that they do not know the time when they shall be taken, and yet they try to make prophesies about such a time. They are thinking in physical terms and that is the mistake - the transition is a spiritual act; the spirit leaves the physical body for the last time; the spirit which continues in its existence in one or another sphere of being outside of earthly time, drops the earthly tabernacle which is of no use any more.
Thus, the soul enters into the condition for which it is fitted. If the soul is black through having lived a totally evil life, it will pass into black conditions having no colour, just horror and chaos. If the soul is healthy, it will pass into a healthy environment - "He who is holy, let him be holy still; he who is just, let him be just still; he who is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still" (Rev.22:11).
"There Is A Natural Body And There Is A Spiritual Body "
The Bible, we are told by the Literalists, must be believed as it is read. However, a number of these people seem to look at certain words which are absolutely clear, and then, oddly enough, change their plain meaning into something non-literal which fits into their particular dogma - a strange carry-on for a person claiming to be a Literalist! There is a clear statement which reads: "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1 Cor.15:44). This statement does not imply that there "will be a spiritual body", but categorically states that it already exists: "...and there is a spiritual body". This is perhaps difficult for those pedantic religionists who think only in material terms to understand. There is a physical body which co-exists with a spiritual body and the physical body must first die in order for the full release of the spiritual body: "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die (1 Cor.15:36)". "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body (1 Cor.15:44)."
Here and now, the spiritual body is affected every moment of every day; it changes according to thoughts, desires, motives and deeds. The spiritual body which co-exists with the physical body either becomes healthier on a momentary basis or less healthy in a spiritual sense, and will find itself, after physical death, in the environment which supports its state of spiritual health.
The Last Days Of The Individual
Thus, when the Christ is reported to have been speaking of there being two bodies in the same place - at the same time, and doing the same thing - He was referring to the physical body and the spiritual body, which coexist with each other. One will be taken (the spiritual body), and one shall be left behind, being fit now only to feed carrion birds (the physical body). How easily explained these so-called great mysteries become when the truth about the spiritual transition is understood.
These are the last days of the individual, and material goods are of no use at all at such a time so it is no use looking to them for comfort. The soul is already existing in the condition which reflects its state of spiritual health, and all such conditions coexist with each other. Indeed, "now is the time" that every action, thought and desire affects the state of health of the soul - even now.
Sleeping And The Day Of Judgement?
There are theologies which have been invented by people which teach that the "person" alive now on earth will go into a long sleep until a Final Resurrection and Day of Judgement, so-called. There may have been people in Biblical times who actually believed that there was a sleep at death, but these were in the minority. These theories are bolstered by the appearance of certain other phrases in the Bible such as: "Where a tree falls, there it lies". Also, the word "sleep" or "sleeping" may be referred to as a reason for upholding the "long sleep" dogma, but such references are nothing more than a colloquial term used to lessen the pangs and grief of the loss of a friend or loved one; as some might say: "may he have rest", or: "she fell asleep in peacefully". Jesus Himself tells us that when the rich man and the poor man died, they both went somewhere else. The great Teacher did not say: "The rich man went to sleep and the beggar went to sleep"; but, rather, He said that the rich man died and was buried (and with nothing more than a semicolon) he was in hell, fully conscious, and in possession of senses able to see, thirst and feel heat. Also, we hear Jesus tell us that the beggar died (and with no pause at all) was transported to Abraham's Bosom by angels; but although Lazarus was conscious, he had not yet attained the necessary spiritual strength and power to cross the gulf and enter the dark and dangerous conditions of the darkness in which the selfish rich man now found himself (Luke 16:19-31).
And with regard to judgement, this is to indicate that there is a reckoning, but the reality is that the judgement is by the higher self upon the life that was lived. Faced with the Light of Reality, anything which did not come up to the highest standard will have to be worked out before anything of peace can be known by the individual. The Spirit within, which is of God, desires with urgency the necessary lessons and experiences to gain the tools to do God's work in the Spirit, for there is nothing else that the Spirit wants to do but do God's work; and that means helping on the evolution of those who are more bound, for that is the law of the Spirit, ordained by God. These doctrines have been developed based on a misunderstanding of the true nature of the meaning of Hades, and the varied ideas concerning an Afterlife; as well as denying the truth to be found by patient and sincere investigation into the reality of Spirit Return.
Looking At Christ's "Second Coming" Or The "Return Of Jesus" With Spiritual Eyes
To begin with, it will be seen in the following explanations, that there are various viewpoints shown of one truth. This is because, naturally, while there is only one truth, that truth can be understood from different viewpoints; and that is how understanding truth has always been, it cannot be any other way because no mind is alike, no spiritual consciousness of one is the same as the spiritual consciousness of another.
There are those in the world today who misunderstand Jesus the Christ and turn Him from the pure Love that He is - all-Compassionate, all-Forgiving - into something else, something vengeful, something hateful, something desiring to pour pain on all beings who don't accept a particular religious concept. These people desire the return of Sweet Jesus with legions of angels in order that all those who are not like them in thought are expelled to an everlasting torture. This is so unlike Love and yet many people blindly hold this purely human and non-spiritual view. This is why the Holy Nature of the Gentle Stranger must be explained so that His Name is not preached in such an erroneous manner to innocent minds, thus adding to His sorrow.
Jesus was more concerned with the spiritual evolution of the people to whom He spoke than with their theories and dogmas. The Master spoke to those people in tones that ensured that if they had "ears to hear", they would not be complacent about trying to live a spiritual life. He also told them that there would be people who would try to guess or proclaim when He was going to return, but that they were not to pay any attention to such people claiming to be prophets or Messiahs (Mark 13:22).
Now, it is important to realise before continuing, that there are millions of misguided people today naming themselves Christians who assume that Christ was referring to the end of the world, our world, planet Earth. Hopefully this little discourse will explain where they have made their mistake.
But please bear in mind that Jesus the Christ stated in John 12:47: "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world" - ("hina sozo kosmos" ⇔ "in order to rescue from destruction the world"). It also says in 1 John 4:14 that: "...the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" ("soter kosmos" ⇔ "preserver of the world"). Christ had entered an evil world, far more evil than the human mind of today, accustomed to national and international laws for the protection of the innocent, imagines. Evil had an unshakeable hold on the world and it was going down further and further past the point of recovery. It was at that time that the Saviour came, the essential point in time, not only to save the souls of men and the humbler creations of which he was supposed to be caretaker, but to save the world itself! This beautiful and unbelievably loving promise of Christ is overlooked.
So, as may be understood, those end-of-the-world Christian soothsayers are making a grave mistake, and in the meantime the true Love of Christ is grossly misrepresented and His Mission stifled by them, the spreading of Divine Love - the Love of God - and the knowledge of it. The Love of Christ is not like they portray. When such foolishness is spoken no heed should be taken, but instead one should have faith and trust in Christ in whom there is no fear and carry on diligently, not listening to those who predict with their material minds things which they do not understand: "You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one" (John 8:15-16).
The spiritual view concerning the witnessing of Christ is not confined to one restricted answer, and will here be considered in general in a threefold essence.
1
Firstly, He said: "Where there are two or three gathered together in My Name, there am I among them" (Matt. 18:20). This indicates His conscious omnipresent Form, and the effect that the desire to see and know Him has. Indeed, He comes to them. Sometimes, He will appear to an individual in a personal manifestation of His Presence Form - a form recognisable by an individual as being Christ (for instance, actually seeing and 'meeting' Christ in a form not dissimilar to how He appeared when on earth in human form).
Similarly, His omnipresent form has never been absent from any child of God, it is only that the individual has built up many obstacles which prevent the closer contact with the ever-present and all-encompassing form of the Christ. When the Christ is recognised by degree in a person's life, tremendous feelings of love and bliss are experienced, and no words that that person can speak are able to describe the knowledge and experience of that conscious contact with the Christ. There is another aspect which must be mentioned here: It should be remembered that although the Christ is omnipresent, He is also all-conscious and all-Love, and therefore where an individual is in pain and is suffering, then Love naturally "draws closer" with unconditional compassion by increasing comforting, healing and instructive power.
Thus, it can also be said that when one desires to meet Christ with sincerity, then a Christ-Consciousness is gained because the Christ within, which is already united with the Christ without, is brought closer to the level of physical consciousness.
2
The second aspect involves the time when the individual who has tried to live a life which is good and who has followed the Law of Love by always seeking to serve his or her neighbour, discards the garment of flesh and passes over the border of physical life and the higher life. Then he or she is met by Christ soon after their transition into another condition or state. Indeed, this is the experience of many a good person, and this is what Jesus referred to when He said: "...There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom" (Matt.16:28).
Many religionists have assumed that this aspect of the "last days" means the actual return of Jesus at the end of the physical Earth to separate the sheep and goats, as it were; but Jesus made it clear to all that the type of return to which He was referring would occur before "this generation (Matt. 24:34)" (the generation to which He was speaking at that time) had passed away. A very telling statement, and a statement that does indeed let us know of the spiritual import Christ wished us to place upon these thoughts.
How this occurs is clearly understood by anyone who has a fundamental understanding of the physical world's relation to the Spiritual World. When the spiritual transition is understood, then spiritual interpretations of the "last days" bear full meaning. When the soul passes into a brighter world, the Christ manifests to that soul in a form which is recognisable to that soul. This is a welcome for them after having lived the short but difficult earth life for the sake of gaining the necessary progression to draw nearer to Love. He comes to them, so happy that they have weathered the storm for His sake, and that they have gained the victory over the plane of trial and temptation.
There is something else to be considered concerning the transition: Jesus, the Beginning and the End, claims that He "will reward every man according to his deeds". The meaning of this (Rev.22:11,12) is plain. This refers to an individual's death of the physical body and the state of the soul and what "rewards" it will receive according to time spent in a body of flesh. The spirit-body or soul-body is transported immediately to the condition to which it is suited. If it is a soul which is spiritually filthy, then to filthy conditions it goes: "He that is filthy, let him be filthy still"; similarly, if it is a just soul, then into conditions which suit a just soul it goes, and so on - changed but not changed. There is no option at the individual's "end times", the soul has worked its actions and deeds according to motive, and this has been creating consequences moment by moment and affecting the health and condition of the soul. All of the time, the universal creative laws brought into being by the Creative Mind and Loving Heart of the Christ of God, have been operating without fail, and the soul is rewarded according to its internal and external workings.
This, then, would also give a further spiritual explanation of the often misinterpreted passages found in writings attributed to Matthew, concerning the separating of the good from the bad. Paul also clarifies the point that the individual's soul receives its just recompense according to the deeds, actions, thoughts and motives while in the body of flesh: "...that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (2Cor.5:10)". So, all in all, there is perfect justice and a perfect morality in God's laws concerning the evolution and involution of His children. Freewill given, freewill never taken away, but the reaping and sowing of the individual according to the Law of Love. This then would be Christ's "judgement", or rather, the final judgement after a continuous process of judgements, or the consequences that the individual had brought to himself by either opposing Christ's Law of Love or working with Christ's Law of Love - working for or against perfect spiritual laws.
As has already been said, if the generation to whom Christ spoke was not going to pass until this happened to them (as it indeed did, and has happened to every generation before and since), then what is the point of the Literalist's end-of-the-world claim that Christ's "earthly return" is to separate the existing humans on Earth (the sheep and the goats), who only make up a fraction of humans who have, and will have, already passed over to receive their "judgements" in the correct spiritual way?
And so, these latter points considered, we see that many people pass over to be overwhelmed with a conscious meeting with the loving Personality of Christ; and in contradistinction to some who pass over into vile conditions of selfishness, fear and hatred of varying degrees of darkness and misery which these have caused themselves - they have put themselves there by opposing the Law of Love brought into being by Love for the raising up and spiritual purification of His children.
Not wishing to confuse the reader, but rather for the sake of the open-mindedness which is essential for spiritual development and preparation for the next state of being, a brief look at the literal "end-times" is both educational and revealing.
With further reference to the Literalists' notion of a "second coming" and therefore the so-called "Tribulation" which is preached by half a million people naming themselves Christians, it should be seriously noted that for centuries dogmas have arisen from things which do not really appear in the Bible; in this case it is a dogma concerning the 'second coming' which has arisen mainly because of the mistranslated word for "age", "aeon", "dispensation", "epoch" or "era" which appears in . In other words, the word "aion" has been mistranslated to mean things other than intended by the speaker or writer, sometimes becoming "evermore" and sometimes becoming "world" for instance.
The Rev. John Wesley Hanson D.D. explains in his book: "Aion - Aionios, Translated Everlasting - Eternal In The Holy Bible, Shown To Denote Limited Duration".
"The events here described took place in this world within thirty years of the time when Jesus spoke. They are now past. In Matt. xxiv:4, the disciples asked our Lord when the then existing age would end. The word (aion) is unfortunately translated world. Had he meant world he would have employed kosmos, which means world, as aion does not. After describing the particulars he announced that they would all be fulfilled, and the aion end in that generation, before some of his auditors should die. If he was correct the end came then. And this is demonstrated by a careful study of the entire discourse, running through Matthew xxiv and xxv. The disciples asked Jesus how they should know his coming and the end of the age. They did not inquire concerning the end of the actual world, as it is incorrectly translated, but age. This question Jesus answered by describing the signs so that they, his questioners, the disciples themselves, might perceive the approach of the end of the Jewish dispensation (aion). He speaks fifteen times in the discourse of his speedy coming, (Matt. xxiv:3, 27, 30, 37, 39, 42, 46, 48, 50, and xxv:6, 10, 13, 19, 27, 31). He addresses those who shall be alive at his coming. Matt. xxiv:6. "Ye shall hear of wars, etc." 20. "Pray that your flight be not in the winter." 33, 34. "So likewise when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."
"Campbell, Clarke, Wakefield, and Newton (Com. in loc.) translate the phrase, end of the world (sunteleia tou aionos) "conclusion of the age," "end of this dispensation." The question was, then, what shall indicate thy second coming and the end of the Mosaic economy (aion)? "When shall all these things be fulfilled?" Mark xiii:1, 34. He spoke of the temple (Luke xxi:5, 7,) saying one stone should not be left on another, and the question of his disciples was, how shall we know when this is to take place? The answer is, "Ye shall hear of wars." xxiv:6. "Ye shall see the abomination of desolation." 15. "Pray that your flight be not in winter." 20. The adverbs "Then" and "When" connect all the events related in the two chapters in one unbroken series. And what infallible token did he give that these events would occur "then?" Matt. xxiv:34. "Verily I say unto you this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." What things? The "son of man coming in his glory in the clouds," and the end of the existing aion, or age. Mark phrases it: "This generation shall not pass till all these things be done." See Luke xxi:25, 32. This whole account is a parable describing the end of the Jewish aion, age, or economy, signalized by the destruction of Jerusalem, and the establishment if the new aion, world, or age to come, that is the Christian dispensation. Now on the authority of Jesus himself the aion then existing ended within a generation, namely, about A.D. 70. Hence those who were sent away into aionion punishment, or the punishment of that aion, were sent into a condition corresponding in duration to the meaning of the word aion, i.e., age-lasting. A punishment cannot be endless, when defined by an adjective derived from a noun describing an event, the end of which is distinctly stated to have come".
Soothsaying Christians misrepresent the Love of Christ and misunderstand His words. Historical records show that the events He spoke of have already happened: The destruction of Jerusalem.
Sometimes a believer in the 'End Times' can be heard saying that a large proportion of people believe in the 'Biblically-backed Tribulation' and therefore 'it must be true'. However, this is an absurd method of deduction to 'prove' the literalising and misinterpretation of various texts in the Bible. Just consider, perhaps, the twentieth century Japanese nation and how it believed their arrogant Emperor to be a living god; or consider, perhaps, the twentieth century German nation and how it mindlessly followed the propaganda spouted from the minds of Hitler and his underlings. Millions of people believing in something does not make that something true!
Now, let us consider these end times, so named, in another way again - a way of individual internal application. The literalists have instilled fear into God's children for centuries because they have been interpreting these events in a literal way, a way which applies to the physical world. However, this is an un-spiritual interpretation.
In truth, as far as God is concerned, He is much more concerned with the state of an individual's spiritual development, his or her ethical development and the actual state of health of the soul.
In fact, the end times apply to the internal state of the individual, each one individually, not a final tribulation for those who are alive on earth at some future time, but as applied to each one when they come to physically die. The very beginnning of Revelations states that the time is imminent (eggus), referring to the imminent physical death of each one. This is what God is concerned with and why the warnings are so severe - a blackened soul is something that nobody desires except perhaps others with blackened souls.
Thus, when the Christ is reported to have been speaking of there being two bodies in the same place - at the same time, and doing the same thing - He was referring to the physical body and the spiritual body of one individual, which coexist with each other. One will be taken (the spiritual body), and one shall be left behind, being fit now only to feed carrion birds (the physical body): "Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together" (Luke 17:34-37). How easily explained these so-called great mysteries become when the truth about the spiritual transition is understood.
These are the last days of the individual, and material goods are of no use at all at such a time so it is no use looking to them for comfort. The soul is already existing in the condition which reflects its state of spiritual health, and all such conditions coexist with each other. Indeed, "now is the time" that every action, thought and desire affects the state of health of the soul - even now.
This is the moment that Paul was really talking about to the Corinthians when unfolding a "mystery" that "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:51,52)" and that "the last trumpet call" is in fact the spiritual transition for the individual when his earthly life is finally ended, not at the end of the world.
This then, is how Jesus could say: "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled (Matt. 24:34)". All of the things Jesus spoke of regarding destruction would be witnessed by those standing there in the flesh - that generation to whom Christ was talking, the generation living at the time Jesus the Christ walked the earth in the flesh. And while these things did clearly happen by A.D. 70 (the preterist view), it is much more important to God that the individual - every individual who lives and dies - is following the Law of Love: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets".
There is also another point to consider concerning the subject of the coming of Christ. There is a wonderful spiritual phenomenon which can occur in individuals. This is the spiritual gift of Divine Union, and is a relatively rare occurrence, where the individual soul is powerfully enlivened by the Holy Spirit as if there were a truly fierce flame of love burning in the soul. When the soul responds to the love of the flame, the flame burns brighter and brighter and gets so hot that the soul cannot go near at that time. Every time this happens, the individual soul feels that it just like the first time the Flame of Love lovingly burned, except that it is more powerful every time. The love of the soul for the Beloved at these times is beyond description for unless a soul has experienced it, then a description of the sweetness and power of that love is beyond conscious understanding. It is a meeting and union with Love, the Source of Love, the Source of Life. It is a meeting with a Personality, the Personality Who is Love; and Christ is Love, Pure Love. Pure Love, the Personality of Pure Love, is only Pure Love, and there exists no place for anything but love. Love is always giving and giving, and what is given is only love and nothing else; such lower human emotions as anger and revenge simply do not exist in Love. This is the Christ. Therefore, this is another legitimate form of the coming of Christ.
Note: This gift is not that claimed by the 'charismatics', so-called; their claim is limited solely to the acceptance of the fact that Jesus was a 'blood-sacrifice' to remove the consequences of their sins and make them instantly perfect, as it were. But the aforementioned gift of Divine union occurred for many centuries before the Crucifixion and appears to be witnessed in many Old Testament characters such as David, Job, Solomon among others; and so the gift of Divine union is not to be confused with the claim of the Fundamentalist 'charismatic'. Indeed, forms of Divine union have been occurring throughout history in people who have never encountered any Biblical theology such as those named by man as 'saints' from the yogic traditions of the East, and also this spiritual phenomenon can be found manifesting in 'ordinary' people today; in some cases, the word 'Christ' may be given a different name but it is the one and same perfect and pure Personality of Love which was Divinity made manifest in the Man Jesus of Galilee. It should also be noted that the work of Divine union upon each individual soul that experiences such wonderful favour, might have varying intensity and frequency of occurrence accordingly. Also, there can occur, more rarely, an external (physical) manifestation of the inner spiritual Divine union which is peculiar to Christendom and followers of the Cross. This physical manifestation caused as a result of union of Spirit with soul (or 'Love' with the soul of a 'Child of Love') has been known as "stigmata" and has been recorded and witnessed in members of Christendom throughout the ages. Indeed, Paul also seems to have experienced the physical manifestation of this spiritual phenomenon, 'stigmata': ("…I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" Gal.6:17). Furthermore, profound descriptions of subjective experiences of this Divine phenomenon are available, such as those by John of the Cross, but it should also be noted that these are subjective descriptions and while enlightening, the further Truth that has been made available to mankind by decree of Christ through the Christ Mission and the Greater World concerning life beyond the Veil in the Heavenly Spheres, was not available to such spiritual people and therefore certain limitations of knowledge concerning the aspect of life after death are apparent.
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The third aspect deals with His actual return in something of His spiritual Glory in its manifested state where He shall be seen by all. This will only be when the spiritual vibrations of the earth have been purified enough by the thoughts, actions and deeds of man as he follows the way God has laid down for him to follow. This wonderful event shall only happen when there are enough people who desire with all their heart to see and know Him for Himself, quite simply, out of the love in their hearts: "...Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Luke 13:35).
This happening is dependent upon man himself, and secular time has little or no part to play with regard to this supremely joyous and awesome event. In essence, this is not to do with dogma or doctrine; this is to do with real love, this is to do with human beings having hearts which are full of unconditional love, and therefore would not only welcome but yearn passionately to be with the Source of Love. Love shall not be as anyone expects but appear in form hitherto unimagined. But, before this happens, as the earth conditions become more spiritualised as time goes on, man shall witness many spiritual events, such as the more frequent appearances of the Bright Ones from the Christ Realms. Man shall work with those in the Spirit in a spirit of true co-operation, and thus further purify the conditions of the earth plane. Then, Christ shall come in a greater form that has hitherto been possible, so "that in the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ" (the Grand Consummation - Eph.1:10).
Many of the theologies in existence erroneously assume that Jesus will return to punish those who have failed to follow their dogma (whatever it might be). This does not portray the true Nature of Christ, and this interpretation, due to the human revenge aspect it erroneously attributes to Christ, does not help the portrayal of the real love of Christ for the world which He had come to save and, as He said, He had not come to judge. Some 'fanatical' people will call upon their concept of Jesus and pray that He will come with an army of angels and destroy anyone who disagrees with them; perhaps difficult to visualise but true sadly. But this is the opposite to what shall actually happen. The error is in misunderstanding spiritual mechanics. "Judgement" is at physical death, and is by the greater self within upon the lesser self. This is not to be confused with that time when Christ shall manifest Himself to all of humanity.
There are also those who claim to prophesy the secular time that Jesus shall return to bless humanity, but their error is found to be that they are thinking with the mind of the body. They are trying to work out something which shall occur as a spiritual incident. They claim to be spiritual but try to judge time according to the ways of the earth. They have been looking at spiritual things in a physical way because as their minds have been trying to work on the material level, during its course it has been gathering up the furniture and still more furniture as they go. The things which are of the Spirit are blocked in the measure that the material or physical dominates the mind; the mind of the body crowds out the things of the which are of God and the Fount of Wisdom which would make the knowledge of the Spirit clear.
They are trying to be complicated with their physical thinking but the way into knowledge is to have the attitude of a little child when it comes to the things of God. Jesus said that there would be people proclaiming that the time of the Second Coming is this and that (much in the same way that people make weather forecasts by reading physical signs with the physical mind, as it were), and He said not to pay any attention to them. It is essential that man strongly desires the coming of the Kingdom of Love to the Earth but this should be with an attitude of patience and it should not preoccupy the heart and mind to the extent that the present, with it's many duties and responsibilities, is neglected; and yet desire to see Love should be the deepest desire as it comes from the Divine contained within.
But (to paraphrase a Spirit Messenger) Christ must wait until man arises to a sense of responsibility, when wars will cease, when diseases affecting continents will begin to die down, when the disenchantment that wrecks life loses its power, then peace will dwell amongst men and women because love of Christ will be in their hearts and it will dominate their minds.
As the dark Veil (caused by the dense vibrations of selfishness) which separates the earth from the purer realms of the World of Spirit is dissipated by the gift of Spirit-Communion, Christ and His Glory shall be forever present amongst man to reassure, guide and bless for ever. The Veil shall be removed as God intended it should be before man abused freewill, and this little Earth will be so completely spiritualised that it will have become a small part of Heaven. The Gracious One has promised through Spirit Communion with Joel: "I shall pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions (Joel 2:28)". Thus, Christ will have destroyed "the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory (Isaiah 25:7,8)". Finally, Christ "shall see the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied (Isaiah 53:11)".
Born Again?
Those with a limited and restricted outlook of the love of God and His redemptive powers may exclaim something like the following: "But Jesus said that you must be born again. Even if you follow religious observances and no matter how well you lead your life, the single act of being 'born again' is the only reason why we are on this planet. If you are not 'born again' then you will go to hell!" This is a common misconception of the Fundamentalists, and is responsible for turning many seeking souls away from true Christianity. What the Fundamentalists are doing in this case is putting the acceptance and affirmation of a manmade dogmatic metaphysical concept in place of the truth that ritualistic convention and following religious rules is useless if the individual cannot renounce the things of the world which block out and suffocate the things of the Spirit.
It is not a question of accepting a one-time belief and being 'born again' but rather actually following Christ and living the Christ Way. If the individual holds fast to things material and aspires to nothing else, then there is no room for, or desire for the sacrificial spirit, which is necessary to allow the Spirit freedom of expression, because the Spirit is neither material nor does it follow religious observances, and It is in Itself a Sacrificial Spirit. How can a sacrificial Spirit be free in one who cannot sacrifice material things? NB: this is a general observation and does not mean that all of those claiming the title of "born-again" are materialistic, but it does mean that the Spirit within is either suffocated or released to a greater or lesser degree according to the efforts made to live the Christ principles; and claiming to be "born again" does not excuse one from having to make material sacrifices, nor does such a claim excuse one from having to right what is wrong when one passes into the next state of existence.
God sent His Son to show us the way, not to use this as an excuse for thinking one becomes a saint instantly by a magical transformation. A special blessing of the Holy Spirit is just that, a special blessing of the Holy Spirit; this is not the turning of a spiritless being into one with a spirit. The Spirit has always been within the soul; and the soul is used to acquire and assimilate the necessary experiences to be able to receive and live that life which God desires that soul to have, and this is not achieved instantly. The Kingdom of God is already within, and this does not enter at some stage during the earthly sojourn - it just becomes recognised by the individual with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Neither is it the case that the soul can become perfectly pure after what is claimed to be the "sanctification" which begins at the moment of being "born again". Neither is the process of purification limited to only those who claim to be "born again". Any soul living by the principles which were laid down so clearly by Christ can become purified, and this process takes aeons and aeons of time. After all, we are meant, by our Father God, to become like the children He wishes us to be like - and we were made in His Image - and He is God. Becoming fashioned unto the likeness of the Christ in His magnificence and glory (Phil.3:20,21), takes countless changes of condition.
The supernatural experience which comes to many of those calling themselves "born again Christians", is one in which they make an incorrect judgement as to the Spirit. They assume that when they have that particular experience, the "Spirit of God" enters in, and establishes them as "born again" and "separated unto God", in contrast to those who do not have this particular experience. They experience an ecstasy which seems to them to be the only reason for being born on earth - to accept a belief in order that they can be "born again" and thus "saved". But all that is happening, is that those many souls who have passed into some of the countless spheres or conditions in operation for their future development and progress, desire to rise into higher planes of spiritual purity.
In order to do this, they must seek to help another because this is the law of the Spirit - there is no progress without helping another. Thus, they come back to the earth plane in order to accompany those in the flesh and seek to guide their footsteps into the pathway which the spirit within knows is best in order to achieve the greatest spiritual gain while enchained in the earthly body. These souls uplift those in the earth body, they seek to encourage them, and they grapple with the lesser self of the one still in the body of flesh. They seek to impinge their thoughts upon those in the flesh, and cast what they can of the rays of power they have released according to the degree of their own development. But this guidance and companionship is also happening to others of every race and creed every where on the earth (and in other conditions more or less evolved), not just to those who name themselves: "Born Again Christians".
Sometimes this supernatural occurrence is overpowering and the physical mind can be so impressed with it that nothing else can possibly be the reason for living on earth except to experience it and be "saved". They can then become blinded to the reality of other truths which are of God, and then the denial of God's higher Truth as revealed by the Christ Mission and the gifts associated with it - the gifts of Spirit Communion - comes about. And here the universal warning about abusing the gifts of the Spirit is given again, for there are countless enemies of Christ in these conditions, and many come masquerading as a friend, many without concern for the well-being of the children of the earth. Not all those who are unseen are here with the best intentions. The enemies of Christ thrive on disunity and disruption, and the attitude of superiority with the desire for revenge opens up the channel for them to strike. Under such conditions, one may fail to notice that the enemy has slipped in to cause disharmony - a real sheep in wolves clothing.
Being "born again", is not simply starting afresh with a new spiritual outlook - although this is certainly one aspect which can be ascribed to this saying; but being "born again" in its truest sense according to our life on earth in relation to the realms of the Spirit, means dying to the physical world and being born into the Spiritual World. Again, without being restrictive, being "born again" is also applied to fallen souls rising from the dark or twilight planes, and entering the Bright Spheres of everlasting life and happiness, having made the conscious decision to be strong and seek Divine Truth and righteousness (1 Peter 3:18-20 & 4:6).
A Hypothetical Possibility Which Blasphemes Christ's Redemptive Powers
The Fundamentalist thinks that acceptance of a metaphysical belief replaces genuinely following the way laid down by Christ for man to follow - the way of sacrifice, compassion, duty, kindness, forgiveness and hardship. However, it is totally unacceptable to any one with decent morals - and to any one who has been sufficiently conscientious enough to apply their mind to this most pertinent subject - that the Divine Being could be attributed with the capability of thinking up such a scheme - a scheme shown as immoral by the following principle (which is a simplistic example of how many theologies are misleading):..
...Consider a woman, widowed, with half a dozen children, who must work two jobs to make ends meet. She is honest, hardworking, loving, kind, and always has time for other people. So, through overwork or otherwise, she becomes ill and quickly goes down hill physically and meets the end of her time on earth.
Also consider a no-good robber who has spent a life of shirking work, stealing whenever possible, selling drugs for gain, totally disregarding the effects of his actions upon others, and using violence to get what he wants. One day this conceited man gets run over, and on the drive to the hospital he expires. But during his last five minutes of life a pastor who has boarded the ambulance asks him if he accepts Jesus as his Saviour, and, realising his death is imminent and feeling scared as to his future, makes the affirmation and embraces what he has been told by the pastor about being "saved" if he believes it with his heart.
So, is the selfish robber, whose character is spiritually undeveloped, now fit to reside with the saints and martyrs in Paradise? Whereas, in complete contrast, the good widow is fit to spend eternity in hell (or, according to some theories, have to wait there in "punishment" until such a time as she realises the "errors" of her ways, and if she never makes the declaration she is simply "annihilated" at some time)?
Is the kind-hearted and compassionate mother (not having had time to even think about making the aforementioned assertion of instant sainthood and salvation through an affirmation of a metaphysical concept) a true candidate for unimaginable anguish and torment as an inhabitant of the hells, while the often wicked-minded and self-interested fellow goes to reside in the so-called uniform and single world (as the Literalists erroneously claim) in which reside the Apostles and disciples?
I think not, and anyone who could hold such a belief needs to seriously consider "what spirit they are of" (as Jesus said to His followers when He rebuked them for demanding a horrific end for those people who refused their preaching).
People who could sustain such a belief as the "be saved or be damned" theology, should consider what type of God they believe in, and how much that concept of a God measures up to the beautiful character of Jesus the Christ, Who they claim to follow and seek to imitate, and at the same time assert that Jesus is Divine as part of the Three in One: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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