This article is a part of a series of articles focusing on the teachings of Jesus as presented throughout the Gospel of Luke. This article (as well as the subsequent and previous articles of the same topic) is available on the website on a dedicated webpage. Luke 5:36-39 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. Here we find Jesus telling a parable. He is discussing the absurdness of repairing an old garment with a new garment. Why rip the new one to repair an old one? Why not just wear the new one? He makes a similar point regarding wine. It is important to note that the word “bottles” here is not the same as we think of it now. They had wineskins in those times rather than bottles. These were essentially pouches of animal skin/leather that were made to hold wine. Then, wine was left in the wineskins to ferment and become wine rather than just grape juice. After the wine had fermented in a wineskin, the wineskin could not be used again as it would be brittle and stretched. If they were reused, the wineskin would likely burst and ruin both the container and the wine within it. Basically, Jesus was again using an absurd idea to convey a message. No one would risk losing the wine they were attempting to make by placing it in an improper container. Next, he states that no man desires new wine after having old wine. New wine is simply fresh grape juice without alcohol. New wine is wine that has just been squeezed from the grapes and not been fermented yet while old wine has undergone fermentation and contains alcohol. Basically, Jesus is saying that the old wine is better than the new. This is still typically true. Almost all quality alcohol is aged. What does all of this mean? What is the point of these seemingly simple parables? When viewed with an esoteric eye, the meaning becomes clear. These parables are relatable to the process of overcoming oneself to become a new person. You cannot overcome your old ways and your old self by simply patching in new ideas and new pieces. You have to become totally new lest the old perverts the new. You cannot place a new version of yourself in an old container or you risk losing both the new version and the old container and being left with nothing. The last parable can be seen as describing our resistant attitude towards change. The old wine is already fermented and ready while the new wine takes time. How much easier is it to settle for old wine instead of making new and being patient with the process involved? The same can be said of personal growth. It is easy just to keep doing the same thing instead of toiling and creating something new. These concepts are common among esoteric and occult philosophy. The concept of doing away with the old self and becoming a new person through Initiation, Illumination, Enlightenment, or whatever other term you choose is common among almost all spiritual thinkers and systems. This process is often painful and we resist it. We are so often satisfied with the old wine and do not want to make any new wine. We like our old garments so we choose to patch them up rather than replacing them and in the process we just give rise to further destruction of our old garment as well as the new. We even like to try and incorporate new ideas into old habits. We place new wine in old wineskins. We continue our same behaviors and dwell in the same states of mind while trying to incorporate new ideas and justify new information with our old ways. Jesus understood the necessity of a new garment, a new wineskin, and for making new wine altogether.
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This article will be the beginning of a series of articles focusing on the teachings of Jesus as presented throughout the Gospel of Luke. This article (as well as the subsequent articles of the same topics) will be made available on the website on a dedicated webpage in time. To begin, we are not attempting to discuss the historical accuracy and validity of the Gospel of Luke. Such matters are not the concern of we who are not interested in dogma and religion. The interest and topic of examination here is the message of Jesus as presented in this Gospel. Knowing that the Gospels were not written while Jesus walked the earth and that they have been translated and edited many times, it must be understood that these documents cannot be seen as verbatim or perfect accounts. However, if we examine the teachings of Jesus as they were written and handed down we can still obtain a relatively clear picture of his overall message. This message differs greatly from what religion has attempted to assert. The message of Jesus is a message of self-empowerment and self-mastery. The message of Jesus is one of personal divinity and occult knowledge. Luke 4:1-13 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. This scripture is a story of Jesus being tempted by ‘the devil’ while he spent time in the wilderness (assumedly to meditate on the revolutionary tasks he was about to begin). Here, Jesus has reappeared after 18 years of silence in the historical records between ages 12 and 30. He has been baptized by John the Baptist and has retreated alone into the wilderness. At face value, it is a simple story of Jesus displaying dominance over the devil. However, this devil we understand to be a symbolic representation. Jesus, having great knowledge and therefore power, had to struggle with the same thoughts that any one of us would have if we possessed such knowledge and power. This struggle is highlighted in the temptations that ‘the devil’ offered to him. First, we find Jesus fasting and not eating anything. This may have been literal as a means of self-discipline and willpower building but it could also be entirely symbolic of self-discipline without intending a literal fast. Whatever the case, we find this devil tempting Jesus to set aside his self-discipline and turn a stone into bread so that he may eat. Jesus responds by saying that man cannot live by bread alone but by “every word of God.” Understood esoterically, this means that we must not live a purely material existence focused only on sustaining our physical needs but that we must also seek knowledge of a higher source. Self-discipline is most certainly part of that “word of God” and any true spiritual seeker knows the importance of the same. Next, we find ‘the devil’ taking Jesus up on a high mountain and showing him all the kingdoms of the world in what must have been a vision as it is said to have occurred in only “a moment of time”. What god would allow any devil to lead him up a mountain to begin with? Are we to believe that Jesus literally followed the devil up a mountain? Or are we to believe that Jesus was overcome by visions from the devil for a moment? The idea that Jesus is THE GOD embodied in flesh seems unlikely at best due to this observation. Would THE GOD be led by THE DEVIL or be overcome by any visions from him? This is only more evidence that Jesus was a man that was struggling with his own inner devil just as we all do. Continuing now, Jesus is on the high mountain and he sees a vision of all the kingdoms on earth. The devil then offers to give Jesus power over all of it if he just worships him. This is all symbolic of the inner struggle Jesus was having in regards to the next stage of his life. With the knowledge he possessed, he knew that he could either help fix the world or he could become very powerful within it. What Jesus said in response to this temptation is very revealing. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” This was Jesus acknowledging the flawed logic in serving a temporary master – the mortal, human life. No amount of earthly power or wealth matters upon death. Jesus, citing old Hebrew law, highlighted that one should only serve the higher, true and immortal reality. Serving anything earthly or mortal is inevitably futile and worthless upon death. Finally, we find that the devil brings Jesus to a high point on the temple in Jerusalem. Again, would THE GOD as imagined by religion be led by THE DEVIL and placed on a high point by him? Would the Divine Creator really allow himself to be willed around like that? Doubtful at best. The story continues to say that the devil tempted Jesus to jump from the high place of the temple to have angels catch and save him. Jesus responds very simply with, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” This is clearly Jesus asserting his dominance over the devil by claiming his place as God over that devil. Of course, this can be taken literally or it can be taken as symbolic of Jesus claiming dominion over his own mind rather than being led by his temptations and mortal human nature. This temptation to jump from the high place can even be interpreted to be Jesus contemplating suicide. I know, I know…..that is quite a claim. Let me make it clear that this is simply a possibility that I have toyed with in my mind and I do not claim this to be factual. I am providing discourse on this possibility simply as a possibility. Pressing forward, Jesus had just spent 40 days alone in the wilderness fighting his inner devil and mortal temptations for power and wealth. Those with Knowledge of Self are often tempted with suicide because we seek the experience of the immortal afterlife prematurely knowing it to be far greater. The pain of this temporary world and the finite nature of our human life often presses us to want to just move on and not ‘waste time’ here on Earth. However, nothing can be more lacking in self-discipline than suicide. Perhaps Jesus was tempted by his devil to jump and be carried away from his mortality and just skip the hardship that he knew was to come. Jesus, realizing that this was not a real option for him, simply commanded his devil not to tempt him with such thoughts. After all the temptation, we read that this devil departed from Jesus “for a season”. This seems to be further indication that Jesus went in to the wilderness to tame his devil, increase his self-discipline, and meditate on what he was about to do. Upon successfully completing his self-imposed training, his devil departed from him for a long period of time. This is a common theme of esoteric doctrine. Subjecting oneself to strenuous temptation and adhering to strict self-discipline decreases future temptations and makes self-discipline easier with time. This theme is not isolated to the occult as almost anyone would agree that self-discipline becomes easier over time and the more it is practiced the less the temptations are to violate it. If the story is interpreted in this manner rather than literally, it not only makes more sense but it satisfies some inconsistencies within the story such as the supposed Creator God being led by and influenced by the supposed Devil. It is much more relatable, logical, and sensible to believe that Jesus went to the wilderness to meditate, practice self-discipline, and prepare himself for the journey he was about to embark upon not as a God but as a man aware of his own connection with The All. Many in the New Age spiritual communities dislike when Jesus is brought up. They despise his name. They doubt his existence. They even accuse him of being responsible for the death machine known as Christianity. This resentment is based off of misunderstandings and blatant manipulation of fact. Even most Christians are unaware of the true story of Jesus. Jesus was not how he is typically presented. Jesus was a rebel, a thorn in the government's side, a bruise on the heel of the religious establishment of his time, hope for the common man, seditious, and he possessed great Knowledge of Self. He challenged the status quo and the ruling class. He stood up against ignorance and lies. He went to the strongholds of his time and exposed the religious institutions for all the world to see. For all of this and more, he was murdered. The story most know of Jesus is just a half told tale. The purpose of this article is to very briefly examine the story of Jesus without the religious dogma and twisting of the facts. Jesus was born to regular people in a regular society. He was obviously a deep thinker and an intellectual because at a young age we can find stories of him interacting with religious leaders and doctors. In Luke 2:41-52, we find a story of a 12 year old Jesus sitting with such people at the Temple of Jerusalem listening intently to their words and questioning them as well. His understanding of the content amazed all who witnessed it. After this event revealing his intelligence and understanding, Jesus' story gets put on hold until he reemerges at 30 years old. For 18 years of his life, there is seemingly no written record. If a bit of Hebrew culture and law is understood, one can see some significance of his return to the spotlight at 30 years old. When Jesus was 12 at the temple, he would have been considered a child. However, 13 is the age of the bar mitzvah in Jewish culture. Once his bar mitzvah was complete, Jesus would have been considered an adult. On the other end of this silence in Jesus' record, you can find him at age 30. What is significant about this age in Hebrew culture? Well, 30 is the age of readiness for priesthood. However, Jesus was not a Levite. Levites are descendants of the Tribe of Levi and were charged with political and religious duties. Without turning this in to an examination of old Hebrew law and culture, suffice it to say that being a Levite offered distinct socio-political advantages. One could not be a priest without being of the Tribe of Levi. So then, what could possibly spark this intense desire to change the world around him within Jesus at the age of 30? It seems plausible that Jesus wanted to be a priest and was possibly angered and upset that he would not be allowed to pursue that path since he was not a Levite. Perhaps this sparked a desire within Jesus. As for his 18 years that are missing from written history, it is likely that Jesus developed his plan over this time. He likely spent this 18 years simply being a local carpenter and studying. Evidence of this can be found in Matthew 13:55 which says, "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?" This scripture is indicative that Jesus was locally known to at least some degree. What happened during this 18 years is less important than what followed. At the end of this unknown 18 years, we find Jesus emerging to be baptized by John the Baptist. After his legendary baptism, Jesus heads into the wilderness. It is written that he was tempted by the devil for 40 days and that he did not eat. Matthew 4 begins by saying, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." This scripture when taken at face value is simply a story of Jesus being tempted by the devil. However, when this scripture is viewed through an esoteric lens it becomes much more clear. Jesus went into the wilderness to meditate and be in deep thought about the plan he had been working on for the last 18 years. Can you imagine creating an 18 year plan to essentially overthrow the religious institutions and government? Can you imagine what it must feel like to be at the beginning of that plan and having to decide whether or not to go through with it? Surely you can see how this is a difficult position to be in. Jesus, having immense Knowledge of Self, went in to the wilderness to prepare himself for what was to come. During this time, he was tempted by thoughts of material gain, fame, fortune, and power. He knew that the knowledge he possessed would allow him to either become a powerful member of the ruling class or to try and overthrow that ruling class and expose this Knowledge of Self for all to see. This is what Jesus went into the wilderness to struggle with. The devil that Jesus was tempted by was the same devil you and I are tempted by - ourselves. The next order of business that Jesus began to tackle was spreading the word. He began speaking out against the religious dogma and political corruption of his time. The Romans controlled Israel and the political/religious Hebrews (Levites/priests) ran the place for them. Jesus began to speak out against them which was a dangerous move in those times. He traveled around spreading the truths that he had learned and educating the masses. He taught basic morality and dignity. He challenged people to be kind to one another and to help one another overcome. He encouraged people to be charitable out of their heart rather than for glory. He taught about the Higher Reality and even about the third eye as demonstrated in Matthew 6:22, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." He taught that we should not be full of worry and judgment. In Matthew 7 we find him speaking out against the false prophets (the priests and rulers) saying, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." The more we follow Jesus, the clearer it becomes. Jesus was trying to start a revolution both spiritually and politically. For this, he was killed. For his desire to liberate and enlighten others, he was destroyed. Jesus, however, was not ignorant to the fact that he was in danger. He predicted his own demise more than once. Surely a man as wise as Jesus was well aware that he was creating turmoil among powerful men. He knew that there were only two options for his future. He knew that it was either all or nothing. However, this does not indicate that he came with the intent to die or that he was predetermined to be the sacrificial lamb that Christianity reports him to be today. Actually, Jesus says quite the opposite. In Matthew 26, we find Jesus after his arrest standing before the council that wanted to kill him for his sedition. "Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Here we see the council seeking someone to lie against Jesus so that they could produce charges against him. After the bogus charges are brought before him, Jesus said nothing because he knew that it was futile. They wanted to kill him and he knew that there was no way to convince them otherwise. Finally, he responds by saying, "Thou hast said" which means he was simply saying, "you are the ones who said that, not me." Jesus sticks to this story even once he is in front of the Roman governor known as Pontius Pilate. "And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly." We see here again Jesus indicating that he did not claim any kingship over the Jews as he tells Pontius Pilate the same thing he said before the Hebrew council, "Thou sayest" again meaning, "you are the one saying that." In fact, if you read the Bible stories with occult understanding, you can plainly see that Jesus never claimed to be special by birth and he never claimed to be anything that each and every one of us can become. He simply recognized his own Divinity and advocated that the rest of us do the same. While this surely upset the leaders of his time as it was counterproductive to keeping a population under control, the main issue they had with Jesus was most likely his nature to speak out against the priesthood and their wicked ways. To clarify exactly Jesus did to earn the hatred of the establishment of his time, imagine today if a man stood on the steps of the American Congress and began to preach against them. Imagine if a man stood there in front of crowds as well as Senators and began accusing them of criminal behavior and demanding revolution. You can imagine how quickly that man would be arrested and likely charged with some sort of extreme crime that carries extreme sentencing. After Pilate talked with Jesus and saw that he was being falsely accused, he tried to reason with the Hebrews as he realized Jesus was an innocent man. "Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." This scripture shows that the Roman government was well aware of the innocence of Jesus and that Pontius Pilate was not happy about what was happening so he washed his hands of the situation realizing that the Hebrews wanted this man dead out of their own greedy desires rather than justice. We all know how things proceeded next. Jesus was crucified. He was tortured and murdered by the Roman and Hebrew governments. What happens next is even more evil than Jesus' murder. The Romans soon realized that they had killed an innocent man. Surely the public was upset as Jesus had became rather famous. Once news of his murder spread, the people were sure to be enraged and upset. The Romans killed a great man who had done nothing other than help people and speak out against corruption both spiritually and politically. The Roman Empire was a great empire. They were very good at maintaining control. So then how were they to control this situation before it spiraled out of hand and all of Israel became angry with them? Their solution to this social situation has survived to this day and with great success. The Roman solution to appeasing the Israelite public for killing Jesus became Christianity. Essentially, the Romans crucified and innocent man and then used his status as a martyr to create a religion from which they could control the public even more. Have you ever heard of Roman Catholicism? The Holy Roman Empire? These two institutions became (and still are) some of the most powerful forces humanity has ever seen.
The very existence of Christianity is a mockery of Jesus. Again, the Romans literally killed an innocent man and then made him into a religion to prevent backlash from that killing. Christianity is simply a mixture of the teachings of Jesus in their most basic and simple form, Roman mythology, Hebrew law, and a whole host of other religious movements that eventually became absorbed by Christianity. Christianity is blatantly against the teachings of Jesus and the Knowledge of Self that he personified. What else can it be called be a mockery? It is time that the spiritual communities begin to take a fresh look at Jesus and what he stood for. Separate Jesus from Christianity and review his words alone. Of course, much of what Jesus taught was omitted from the Bible. Many of his words were altered, changed, or just made up. It is fairly easy, however, to see what it is that Jesus really stood for so picking out the additions and alterations becomes rather easy. We must look at Jesus as a wise man no different than Hermes Trismegistus, Rumi, The Buddha, Thoth, or whoever else you choose to look up to spiritually. Everyone knows what it is like to have someone try and use guilt to coerce them in to doing something and bending their will. It is likely that each of us have had someone in our lives that has consistently used this tactic to try and manipulate us. However, we are about to discuss a much more powerful and more deeply rooted guilt that Western culture has placed upon almost the entire world. We are going to be discussing the guilt that stems from the idea that we are damned, imperfect, flawed, sinful, and even downright evil according to some Western thought. This idea is so stained into our culture that most go through life without ever considering another option. This is especially true for those of us who are spiritual seekers. The idea that we are sinners and in need of a savior stems from Christian dominated culture. However, one should understand that the true message of Jesus and of much of the Bible is very different and very uplifting. We will revisit this inconsistency between Christianity and the teachings of the Bible later in the article. Continuing, the Christian governments and religious institutions may have begun innocently enough. However, we would have to be foolish not to see that governments and leaders have exploited the success of Christianity for their own benefit. Would it not benefit a King to have the clergy instruct the peasants to pay their taxes “for God”? Would it not be of obvious benefit for the clergy to ask the same thing for themselves in the way of tithes? How then can you convince the people that they actually need to give their money to you? You have to offer a service. People do not pay for nothing. You have to convince them that what you are offering is important and that they need it. First, the Church offers eternal life. This, of course, attracts a large crowd. However, what is required to keep the people coming back for more once they learn of this eternal life? How do you ensure that they return to pay their tithes and listen to the clergy again and again? This is where the guilt comes in. In order to convince people that they needed the services the church has to offer, you have to convince them that they are naturally flawed and sinful. If you convince people that they are lost, badly damaged, and in need help because they simply lack the ability to help themselves then they will, of course, seek the help you have convinced them they need. You must convince them that their very existence is painful, evil, and destructive. You must make them feel like they are worthless and pitiful. You must make them feel guilty for even being alive. This is precisely what Christianity, in conjunction with governments, has done over the centuries. Christianity took parables, anecdotes, symbolic tales, and misunderstood ideas from the Bible as well as many religions around the world in order to create the perfect control mechanism that operated on guilt. Over the centuries, this idea of original sin and the imperfection of humanity took root and grew deep. The guilt of being born evil as well as the fear of being damned for eternity created perfect conditions for control. It is important to remember that in the early days of Christianity, the common people could not typically read. Often, they were not even permitted to learn how to read. Even for the ones who could read their native language, the Bible was often not permitted to be translated. Mass production did not exist and neither did printing presses. The Bible was a document that the common man simply was ignorant of with no way to overcome that ignorance. This ignorance provided the controllers with even more control. Once they had the people feeling good and guilty about their own existence, they hit them with the fear of Hell. Then, once the fear really set in, they told them that this one book had all the answers. Since the vast majority could not read the Bible, they were more than willing to listen to the clergy and controllers tell them exactly what God’s Will was. They listened intently as they were instructed on how to purify the evil they were born with and how to escape their flawed nature. All of this was made possible by the greatest guilt trip ever attempted. Now, this mentality has been so heavily solidified in Western culture that even the non-religious or anti-Christians often hold it. This guilt is still leveraged by governments and religious organizations. We are expected to believe that we are not good enough and that there is simply no possible way that we can rely on ourselves. We NEED church. We NEED the government’s help. We NEED to do what we are told because if we don’t we are messing the whole thing up and we should feel guilty. We come in to this world and by the time we are old enough to talk we have already started to feel like we have to prove our worth to the world and overcome this guilt. What does the Bible really have to say about the matter? Sure, there are scriptures that can be used to justify the idea of being born into a sinful nature. I would like to remind the reader at this point of the literacy issues of our ancestors. When Christianity was up and coming, most of humanity could not read the Bible nor the texts from which it was derived. How easy then would it be to simply make the Bible say whatever it needs to say in order to justify the doctrine of the church? Further, much of the Bible is symbolism. While the interpretation of this symbolism may seem hard to find, the truth is actually the contrary. The symbolism employed in much of both the Old and New Testaments is not new or particular to Christianity. The symbolism is well understood and can been seen in thousands of other texts both of antiquity and more modern times. Back to the topic at hand, what does the Bible really say about our nature?
The truth is that Jesus was never attempting to promote himself as THE God. Jesus was attempting to be an example for the whole world and that is exactly what he did. We find again and again Jesus revealing his knowledge of Self and imploring the rest of us to do the same.
John 14:20 On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. For those familiar with occult doctrine and knowledge of Self, the symbolism within these scriptures is unmistakable and easily deciphered. Even more evidence can be found within the story of Jesus’s crucifixion. Jesus was crucified in place of Barabbas. What does Barabbas mean in the native tongue? It literally means ‘son of the father’. Is it not strange that Jesus claimed that exact title many, many times? To me, this symbolizes the interchangeability between Jesus and Barabbas. They hold the same titles because Barabbas is just as divine as Jesus. It is the final symbol attempting to set in stone the idea that we are all the same as Jesus and that we are all Divine. This is drastically different from the image of ourselves that Christianity and Western culture wants us to adopt. There is a distinct difference in a call to recognize your own divinity to save yourself and a call to accept your flawed nature and allow some other divinity to save you. One concept breeds self-sufficiency and confidence while the other breeds a victim mentality and a need for outside support. Which of those models is better for crowd control and manipulation? Once someone accepts that they and they alone are responsible for their own salvation, they begin to dislike things that negatively affect their efforts. They begin to resist what culture and rulers think is best for them and prefer to figure out the best route for themselves, by themselves. They begin to question the world around them and demand evidence rather than being led with blindfolds on. They begin to want to experience the Divine for themselves rather than be told about it from a platform on Sunday mornings. For these reasons (among others) the controllers want us to feel helpless, in need, pathetic, damaged, flawed, and guilty for being that way. They want this guilt to drive us right into their arms so that they can instill fear and create faithful servants who do not ask questions but simply rely on faith in some higher power or governing body. Reject this nonsensical way of life. Do not view yourself as weak and in need of a savior but look for the savior within yourself. Recognize that “ye are gods” and that this mortality is but a condition of material existence. Experience the Divine for yourself. Acquire knowledge for yourself. Do not be a victim but rather, be the Kings and Queens of your own lives. “If then you do not make yourself equal to God, you cannot apprehend God; for like is known by like. Leap clear of all that is corporeal, and make yourself grown to a like expanse with that greatness which is beyond all measure; rise above all time and become eternal; then you will apprehend God. Think that for you too nothing is impossible; deem that you too are immortal, and that you are able to grasp all things in your thought, to know every craft and science; find your home in the haunts of every living creature; make yourself higher than all heights and lower than all depths; bring together in yourself all opposites of quality, heat and cold, dryness and fluidity; think that you are everywhere at once, on land, at sea, in heaven; think that you are not yet begotten, that you are in the womb, that you are young, that you are old, that you have died, that you are in the world beyond the grave; grasp in your thought all of this at once, all times and places, all substances and qualities and magnitudes together; then you can apprehend God. |
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