In Genesis chapter fifteen we read about a strange event that occurs between God and Abraham. The mythological imagery stirs the imagination: God appears in great darkness, followed by a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passes between Abraham’s sacrifice. The true meaning of the symbolism will never be preached from a traditional church pulpit because it deals with the divine physiology of man, and the implications of deep meditation, the ego, and spiritual initiation. So let’s break down this mystical mystery.
First, a short summary:
Abraham is deeply concerned. He yearns for an heir in his old age. God tells him to look up at the dazzling night sky; he promises that his offspring will rival the number of stars that he sees, and that they will inherit the land from the river in Egypt to the great River Euphrates. Abraham then makes an animal sacrifice. As he patiently waits in silence, driving away the birds that want to eat his sacrifice, he eventually falls into a deep sleep. The Lord gives him a great vision of what happens to his offspring in Egypt, and their subsequent deliverance by Moses. Then God personally appears out of great darkness in the form of the smoking furnace and a burning lamp.
When I was young, this story always fascinated me – the imagery is so out of the ordinary. What does it mean?
Let’s start with Genesis 15:7:
“And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.”
The word land in the above scripture has nothing to do with a physical location. Note that. I’ll prove it scripturally in a moment.
“And he [Abraham] said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” (Gen. 15: 8).
Odd question. Abraham’s already in the land, living there with a small army, his servants, his family. But Abraham doesn’t seem to care about this; he wants to be assured that his future progeny is there. That’s his proof. What’s the significance?
Apostle Paul Explains the Significance
Abraham doesn’t get a land deed. Remember, it’s not a physical place we’re talking about here. So God is about to give Abraham a vision of his future. The Apostle Paul clarifies what this land deal is all about, as well as what’s really going on with his future progeny. So let’s briefly jump to the New Testament. I’ll quote the NIV version:
“These things are to be taken figuratively. The women [Hagar and Sarah] represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mt. Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother” (Gal. 4:24-26).
Paul clarifies that the physical city isn’t important. He tells us the real focus which is on the spiritual lesson, the Jerusalem above. The first mistake Christians make is to not really listen to Paul here. These things are to be taken figuratively, not literally. But tradition has so entrenched the mind that most Christians read over this passage and completely miss that Paul is about to unveil part of the myth. No, God isn’t really going to give Abraham one progeny of slaves, and another that’s free. It’s all about what goes on in the mind, and Paul is telling us to pay attention to what the symbolism means. I have bolded the word above in Galatians 4:26 because the land which God figuratively gives Abraham is about the Jerusalem that is above, in your mind / brain.
Abraham is known as the “father” of many nations, and specifically the Hebrew people, also called Israelites and sometimes Jews. When the Israelite camp was set up in the wilderness, Judah always camped on the “right” side. The tabernacle is also symbolic of the human brain and mind. Paul tells us in the New Testament that the Jew is not one outwardly (a nationality or ethnic race), but is one inwardly, and circumcision is not of the flesh, but of the heart / spirit (Romans 2:29). The word “inwardly” here is code for mind / heart. In other words, Paul is saying we are not to think of Jew as someone who is a particular race of people, but rather someone who has consecrated one’s self to spiritual pursuits, such as meditation, where in the inner light comes in, always from the east / right side. The purpose of meditation is to shut down the intellect (symbolized on the west / left side). Judah camped on the east / right side / rising sun. It’s also interesting to note that the tribe of Judah has 186,400 people in it, which is the speed of light in miles per second. Coincidence? You decide.
Back to Abraham
The reason I broke away from Genesis 15 is to show you that the importance of God’s answer in the vision to Abraham is not of a literal seed inheriting the land, but rather many generations of people who would seek to follow God (the true Jew). This will all come together in a moment.
Now for God’s reply Abraham’s question:
“And he [God] said unto him, take me a heifer of three years old, a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle dove and a young pigeon (Gen. 15:9).
According to Gaskell’s Dictionary of Scripture and Myth, all animal sacrifices, to which God is asking of Abraham here, is symbolic “…of the devitalising and offering up of the lower desires and affections for the sake of making place in the soul for the higher qualities of goodness, love, and truth.”
God never asked the ancient Israelites to offer up literal animal sacrifices. This was always a man-made practice invented by man, and has no bearing on the spiritual lesson Genesis 15 is trying to impart.
So what Abraham is doing here by sacrificing animals symbolizes a man that is the father of the spiritual Jew, one who is willing to sacrifice his own lower desire nature for a higher spiritual purpose.
Now for the interesting part. The next few verses state:
“And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him (Gen. 15:12).
The Hebrew word for “deep sleep” here is also translated “a trance.” A trance is defined by a state of consciousness in the absence of external stimuli. Symbolically, Abraham was in a deep state of meditation, which is where we hear and experience God. Besides the Hebrew word translated as trance, we also have the scriptures telling us “a great darkness” fell upon him. Where is God experienced?
More Evidence of Meditation
Many scriptures talk about God dwelling in deep darkness, which also symbolizes the absence of all external stimuli. Let’s look at some scriptures:
“He makes darkness his secret place…” (Psalm 18:11).
“He made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters and thick clouds of the sky” (2 Sam. 22:12).
“Then Solomon said, “The Lord hath said he will dwell in thick darkness” (1 Kings 8:12).
“…and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:21).
“…and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness (Deut. 4:11-12).
“ Rejoice not over me, oh my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8)
What is it about God dwelling and appearing to humanity in the darkness? The scripture said he is also not a man, but spirit and light! So God is a spiritual light which dwells in deep darkness…Hmm.
When one meditates, he enters the darkness. The point of going within, where Jesus said the Kingdom of God dwells, is to retreat from the outside world, the world of external stimuli – darkness.
When the Bible speaks of God being light, it isn’t speaking of light that we normally experience from the sun or a light bulb. In Genesis chapter one the sun and stars weren’t created until day four although God said let there be light on day one. And remember, in the new Jerusalem of Revelation there’s no need for the sun or moon, because He is the light.
In ancient literature, “darkness” referred to the highest level of God, known as the unmanifest, absolute, and unknowable. And from this absolute comes the light of pure awareness, and cannot be described but only experienced, many times in deep meditation, which happens through the pineal gland (for more on how God met Jacob at Peniel / Pineal gland, see my article HERE).
So now that we see what’s going on with Abraham’s experience, let’s look at the smoking furnace and the burning lamp.
Further Evidence Abraham is in Deep Meditation in the New Jerusalem from Above
What’s this imagery of the smoking furnace and burning lamp all about? Why would God’s presence appear in such a way, and move in the midst of Abraham’s sacrifice. Remember what the sacrifice truly represents? It is Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice the lower desire nature (ego) for the things of God. So here we have this imagery of Abraham in a deep meditative trance, going into the darkness in the absence of external stimuli, going within himself, and here comes the smoking furnace and burning lamp.
The smoking furnace and burning lamp is symbolic of the light of God that happens in deep meditation. It is the light of God that every Old Testament hero such as Moses experienced when going into the deep darkness of meditation. A furnace burns. The smoking furnace symbolizes God’s light burning up the impurities, or lower desires of Abraham’s ego. The burning lamp is the light of God. If you want the physiology correlation of the human brain that relates to the smoking furnace and burning lamp you can study the third ventricle of the brain and see how the pineal gland is connected electrically to the fornix (smoking furnace). The pineal gland is known as the third eye in ancient cultures. It regulates light in the brain and converts serotonin into melatonin. By the way, serotonin has been studied extensively and many scholarly articles have been written about the way serotonin affects consciousness. What’s really going on physically with hormones and endocrine glands translates to a psychological experience. It’s all about kundalini, meditation, and our ego folks.
So let’s see how the Lord responds to Abraham as he is in this deep meditative trance:
“And he said unto Abram; know of a surety that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also that nation shall I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance…but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again” (Gen. 15:13-16).
We have more than a few terms to discuss above, and a few of the terms will reinforce each other, further showing it’s all about the journey within, not a literal one.
We know that the land God called Abraham’s descendants out of was Egypt. According to Gaskell, Egypt symbolizes this:
“From the point of view of the Greeks and Hebrews, Egypt is a symbol of the lower mental plane with its knowledge of the things of the world, and the objects of desire.”
The true Jew, as Paul explains to us, sacrifices his or her desire for the things of God, which means spending time with him and going into meditation. More sacrificing the ego talk, right? Another important term that is not a coincidence is that God will call them out of Egypt in the fourth generation. Why?
In an article entitled, The Special attributes of the Third and Fourth generations, found Here, the author states:
“The Creator’s image is formed on the fourth level, Malchut. The third generation is Zeir Anpin, a state of smallness, where the ego is erased and then fully corrected in the fourth generation.”
The above statement comes from mystical wisdom of the Kabbalah. And as you can see, the fourth generation is no coincidence here, and the Bible is full of mystical terms to be decoded. The Israelites who made it into the Promised land, only Joshua and Caleb, represents this fourth generation, where the ego has been put in proper check and sacrificed for a higher divine purpose. The fourth generation is the one that God promised Abraham would return to this land / Jerusalem from above. Thus they may enter where Abraham already is in deep meditation. Are you seeing how all this is put together here?
God said the Abraham’s progeny would be a “stranger” in the land. And it was forty years. We are all symbolic “strangers,” and we must all wander 40 years (symbolically of course). We are all spiritual beings acting out as “strangers” because of the ego as we live in this “(and) arena of life. What qualifies us as scriptural strangers is when we embark upon the same journey of deliverance that Abraham’s progeny did. We are all of Abraham’s seed and he is the father of us all when we choose to become a Jew (spiritual seekers / crucifying the ego). Just as Jesus and the Israelites were called out of Egypt, so must we. Notice how Abraham’s seed wandered for forty years in the desert. Forty is a significant number as well.
The early church father and theologian Augustine once said:
“…Certain it is, however, that in the number forty a certain perfection in good works is signified, which good works are most of all practiced by a kind of abstinence from unlawful lusts of the world, that is, but fasting in the general sense.”
Augustine is waxing eloquent here in allegory. By the way, forget what seminary schools, pastors, and preaches have taught you about the early church fathers. It wasn’t just Origen who used Platonic thinking through the scriptures. Almost ALL of the earliest church fathers interpreted scripture allegorically. I found this out in some deep historical studies, but you have to look at their original writings, not what is written about them. Now that’s an eye opener! At some point in the third and fourth century that art of allegorical interpretation was lost, and many church fathers began to switch to more literal interpretations! Why? Pure anti-semitism for one thing! And guess what? Beginning in the late second and early third century, much of the New Testament forged. Think about it.
Also, think about how many times 40 is used in scripture: 40 years in the wilderness, 40 years of service to the Philistines, Jesus was 40 days in the desert, Moses was 40 days on Mt. Sinai, ELijah was 40 days in hiding, and 40 days the deluge fell with 40 more days of Noah kept in the ark, and I could go on. Coincidence? Most definitely not.
Wrapping Up
Okay, so we’ve skipped around some and covered quite a bit. Let’s recall the important points about Abraham’s so called experience with God:
- Abraham makes a sacrifice symbolic of his decision to sacrifice the lower ego.
- Abraham goes into a deep trance, into himself, into deep darkness where God dwells.
- God (light) appears and is symbolized as the smoking furnace and burning lamp.
- God shows Abraham about his future progeny.
- The Apostle Paul tells us it’s all meant to be seen figuratively, as one big allegorical story.
- Paul also tells us that the “land” God promises him to inherit is really about the Jerusalem above, in the mind and brain.
- God shows Abraham a vision where his progeny wonders around for forty years trying to get rid of the ego so they can symbolically enter this “land” or New Jerusalem they’ve been promised.
- You know the rest. We are all admonished to enter into the New Jerusalem which is above. How do we do this? Only through the process of meditation, going within, where one truly meets God. Why do you think Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, the place of the skull? Because inside the skull is the brain / mind.
If you feel inclined, please share this with anyone you think might benefit so many can finally begin understanding the Old Testament and not repeat the mistake that Paul said many would do:
“Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand” (2 Corinthians 3:15).
That veil represents the fact that they can’t see the spiritual meaning because sometimes they are too focused on the literal, surface interpretation.
A Final Thought
I’ve said this before. And I’ve had many discussions with readers and contributors to this blog about literalism and the Bible. I have no problem with anyone believing the Bible is meant to be taken literally. You can choose to do with Paul’s sayings showing us it is not literal however you want. But the true problems arise when literal interpretations veil the spiritual meaning, and then we miss it. So one person can take the Bible literally, still see the spiritual benefit, and then love his fellow man. Well and good. But then there are others who focus just on the literal, and then build doctrine around it. For example, you must dunk your body in water (be baptized) as part of the salvation plan. What?! I have to get wet to be saved? How does getting the body wet literally wash away a sin. Maybe on a psychological level it might temporarily relieve some guilt, but at some point the subconscious is going to bring up your ego issues again. Dunking my body in water isn’t going to renew the mind as Paul said we should do, but guess what? Meditation can. And when one goes deep enough, psychological pains and hurts in the subconscious are actually dealt with, not by our doing, but by the power of God. We saw this in the story of Abraham as an answer to getting to the New Jerusalem. In the future, I will address more on how in my articles.
Until then, blessings!
Another great article! Thanks so much.
Shawn…
My pleasure!
Amazing! The more we share this the more the world will heal.
Kathy…
Unfortunately most aren’t ready yet, but yes, that would be great. I find that I am still learning so much as well, and I look forward to continuing sharing on this site what keeps coming up. Blessings.
I always enjoy your articles. They give a fresh perspective to the bible, which we all can use. I presented The Garden of Eden to my women’s bible class. It took a little explaining, but they understood it, maybe not accepted it. I think you were right on target!
I get tired of hearing the same old thing at church
Elizabeth…
Glad you had a chance to present some new info to your Bible study class. It’s fun to get a group together and look deeper into this stuff. Maybe they’ll be ready to open their mind more to it. You’ll know if they are.
Thank you Josh – I needed to hear this. Keep up your great work. You’re a blessing! I’m compelled to read scripture now through a different lense 🙂
Jonathan…
It’s great to be able to look deeper, past the literal level and discover the meat that’s in there – the spiritual meat. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks Josh very inspiring…. Im still out here trying to reverse my thinking because I was always taught in the church I came from the bible was literal…..This makes so much more sense
Machelle…
Be patient. It takes time. I went through the same process. The ego likes to hold on to what it thinks it knows. I’m still learning new things each week. But the process is a great journey.
Machelle, The transition from literal to the allegorical understanding is pictured as Moses, in a state of fear, reached down and took ahold of the serpents tail. It was an act of his will which went against everything he knew. Fear dominated his mind, but he went ahead because something in him understood it was right. When he did pick it up, it became his rod of authority in everything he did spiritually. So this is something we all must go through initially. The rod of aaron pictures our inner tabernacle within our bodies. When lifted up we go from the earth into the heavenly places within. All is well as you enter the New Jerusalem.
Dear Josh. Thank you for this website and all your efforts. Have you read: A Course In Miracles (ACIM)?
It is a unified thought system, given by Jesus Christ to Helen Schucman in 1967 and distributed by The Foundation for Inner Peace, and gives God’s Plan for Salvation for the world. Jesus says everyone will learn the course. It abolishes all reasons for guilt, sin and fear, leaving the student in a happy state that can be equated with Heaven. The end result is Perfect Peace and wholly without fear of any kind and leaves the student to Trust in the Love of God.
It is easy to read and understand, and takes away the complicated and tedious process of trying to read the bible allegorically. It is definately for the avid spiritual seeker and will bring total peace of mind to the diligent student. Yes, it requires you to give up your lower ego nature and desires and be vigilant only for God and His Kingdom, which is the underlying truth and reality of our existence here.
God is Love and only Love, and He will prove it to anyone that wishes to experience this truth, the truth that will set you free. Only Love and Light is… there never was any darkness, only the ego judgments says so. God (which is identified with the Christ and Self, being One) is the Cause, Means and End. It says trusting in God’s Love will settle every problem and a happy outcome to all things is sure. In the end it leaves you in a happy state, in perfect peace and joy, fearless and worry free, it gives salvation now and tells you the hell you think you made is not real. Only your own thoughts causes your fears and worries and darkness, in truth there is no darkness.
It says that All things work together for Good and only Good can come to us. It also says you can not but be in the right place at the right time. All of Life is perfectly planned for your salvation and only what is in your best interest comes to you. Peace and Joy is our inheritance now. The body is recognized as merely a communication device for the Holy Spirit, the Teacher of God. The lower mind or lower nature must make way for the higher mind to be free to be used by God for spiritual purposes.
Accepting Jesus’ nature is our salvation, being fearless, defenseless, harmless, loving, trusting, peaceful and joyous, knowing God’s Will be done, which is also really ours in truth. Meditation can show you God’s Will but that is also a long process. ACIM says God’s Will for you is Perfect Happiness, Perfect Peace and wholly without fear now. It states clearly that we are sustained by the Love of God, we are surrounded by the Love of God, we are protected by the Love of God and that fear can never be justified and was made by the ego.
God did not create fear? Love cannot be feared, and there is no fear in love. God is only Love and not fear, or to be feared ever. It is to your own detrement if you fear, it makes you unhappy and you are not at peace. ACIM is a system of mind training, to salvage the mind, and allows you to “see” the Real World of God that underlies our human story. It is the truth that will set you free at last. This world of perception is not real and is the cause of all your fears and worries. Let it go. Only God’s Love is real. This is your salvation.
Dawie…
Thanks for the thought-filled comment. I am familiar with a Course in Miracles, but have still never read it. Many of my readers have pointed it out to me, and I have been meaning to read it for awhile. One of these days I am going to pick it up. The premise sounds very interesting.
I’ll make a few points here based on your comment. I definitely believe consciousness is evolving and will continue to do so, even if we don’t make a lot of effort. However, to experience the symbolic resurrection, which it talks about in the Old and New Testament, one has to go into meditation and enter the right side of the brain, which allows the Holy Spirit to make profound changes within us. I’ll write more articles on this in the future.
Blessings my friend.
The beauty of “A Course in Miracles” is it gives one tools of how to forgive. It has 365 lessons, for us to ponder (and apply) one day at a time. Because it was channelled by Jesus, there are many references to what he really meant in the bible and not what present day people believe about the bible. I love your site because your interpretations are exactly what I believe. I am thrilled your interpretation of the bible is now being seen as the spiritual text it was intended to be. (Internal thoughts, we are all one and how to communicate with God). I truly believe that ACIM is the modern day bible.
Great article. Very, very clear and detailed explanation of the non-materialistic, deeper meaning concealed in the literal text. Some new things I learned here, that the light in Genesis on the first day was a spiritual light that dwells in darkness (meditation, trance within). The New Jerusalem is spiritual, not physical, where there is spiritual light.
Thanks, Robert.
When the scripture says “a deep sleep fell upon Abraham”, it is conventionally thought of as a very, very rare event that was brought upon him by an overpowering higher power, not a normal dream. Your interpretation is that this event is symbolic of enlightenment that occurs in the depths of a self-induced, routine meditation. I’m not sure I buy that. But I do believe that some form of enlightenment occurs in the depths of meditation.
Hi Robert. Thanks for the input. Yes, I am aware of that interpretation. Keep in mind though it’s not that he reaches state of enlightenment, it is simply that the story symbolizes the meditation process and the teaching of reaching God through it.
There is no question of the symbolism in the trance. What is not clear is whether the trance was brought externally upon Abraham from a higher power or whether Abraham entered into the trance of his own volition through practicing meditation. There are no substantial clues to indicate Abraham happened to be meditating at the time he fell into this trance. The strong language ” a deep sleep FELL UPON him” in the English translation heavily suggests that it was an external act.
Perhaps, Robert. But remember, the real issue for you to resolve is whether or not the story is literal or allegory. Even in the Garden of Eden, which I believe you think is allegory, is told as if external agents affected the entire thing. If this story is an allegory as well, wouldn’t it still be written as if an outside agent did it? Just something to chew on.
Good response.
Hi Josh,
A great article with a completely different interpretation than in previous articles. I think that it is a good thing to show that different interpretations are possible instead of reverting to the either .. or. Sometimes that can be a bit of a challenge.
In this case you interpret the deep sleep that Abraham falls into as a deep trance of meditation, which you explain beautifully with the workings of the brain. Trance is here your translation of the Hebrew word ‘tardema’, which means deep sleep. In this sense of meditation it means becoming awake to a spiritual light.
In my article The Significance of the Biblical Shepherd however I wrote:
“We find the office of the shepherd again in the story of the three Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham’s original name, Abram—Av Ram (Lofty Father)—shows his high consciousness and the fact that he had not yet fully incarnated. Only later did he descend into this physical body when he too fell into a ‘deep sleep’ (Gen. 15:12) just like Adam, and around the same time his name was changed to Abraham, which means Father of the Many.”
I had connected the word ‘tardema’ in this case with the ‘tardema’ into which God put Adam in order to separate the male and female sides of Man, in short, in order to enter duality and incarnation. That is why I also connected this deep sleep of Abraham with incarnation, the more so since he descended from Ur, which is the same word as the Hebrew word for light, which is ‘or’.
You yourself commented on this with: …. “it really resonated with me. I had never connected the fact that both Abraham and Adam went into a deep sleep before a change in consciousness. I went back and referenced the scripture. I noticed the theme of involution and evolution (as you stated in your article later on) through the fact that when Abraham went to sleep, the sun went down. The sun represents the higher self and usually raising of the spiritual ego (through the EAST in the Bible), which is the ascent. In this instance it represents involution. It is interesting that you mention Abraham as not being incarnated before, but the going down of the sun reveals this fact subtly. …”
So on one side ‘tardema’ is interpreted as a trance = meditation. As rising up into a spiritual light.
On the other it is the descent of incarnation into the world of duality and matter.
The thing to do now is not: start searching for which one is true but looking for a way to combine the two as two sides of one truth. As everything is one after all, even if things seem separate for a while in this world which of course is only an illusion. Maybe these two different sides are like the ‘nachash’ and the ‘mashiach’ which on first sight also could not possibly be connected but proved to be different part of the cycle of involution and evolution..
Anny…
Good points here. And yes, even the ancient Jews interpreted their scriptures on four levels. I think as I have matured over the years and have connected different scriptures, I am learning that all the major stories tell the same thing on multiple levels, always connecting a few themes: higher consciousness, somewhere along the line the process of involution and evolution, and the higher self and meditation.
Josh, As usual, your words flow from the depths within the Holy or Holies and from the hidden manna. In this deep place of transcendental stillness, the New Jerusalem descends into the understanding of the Christ mind in us and we see the free Jerusalem above. John, in a meditative state, sees a door open (within his mind) and an angel appears and takes him to a high mountain (Pineal/Pituitary/Holy of Holies). He sees the New Jerusalem (prepared Bride) descending upon the mountain (his understanding). The New Jerusalem has 12 gates. (12 tribes representing all mankind). Jesus and those in Him enter one gate, the tribe of Judah’s gate which is also the Priests gate.) That leaves 11 other gates to enter. As I entered one day and stood in the street of gold (divine mind) Iooked around the inner city and saw, from within, the eleven other gates. I saw orange clad Buddhist monks entering one gate, I saw sufi mystics entering another gate, I saw men and women from all nations and tongues entering other gates. All of them with a pearl within their beings as the constant irritation of life and ego had created this pearl and opened them to the gate they entered. As all of them came to the throne within their mind, there was one God, it was them, and they understood the Christ for the first time in the union and oneness is the mystery of the Christ on the throne. Here in the middle of the city there is not competitive religions, no separate gods, nothing but eternal unfettered, unquestioned, simple love between humans. The allegorical mysteries of 12 tribes comes clear and we see the Jerusalem above being the place all men must come first within themselves and then the earth is seen full of His glory. We reign as Kings and Priests on this earth as One. Josh, thanks for releasing your gift and call as your words flow in a simple and wonderful way. To me the entire Bible is nothing but a road map to meditation and coming to the New Jerusalem to be taught. Micah….and in the last days many shall come to the mountain of the house of the Lord. There he shall teach them His ways and they shall walk in His paths…and shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks….This is the fulfillment of this prophecy..to come into the city in meditation…thanks again!! PS I love the readers comments…so good to know one is not alone in this transcendental walk…
Thanks Steve for this beautiful comment.
I do so agree with you. Of course there is only one God, the One manifesting Itself as All-that-Is.. All those different gods that religions declare to be the only true God are nothing but idols, created by themselves to serve them and their interests..
I love how you use the image ot the inner city with twelve gates, the twelve ‘tribes’ each entering through one of them. I call it unity in diversity.
Steven, as Anny said, what a great comment!
Shalom Brother Josh! Getting past the flesh/ego is “fighting the giants in the land”. When we allow (drop the ego) God to step in and dwell in us, it’s a victory for sure. Your spirit of understanding is refreshing (I’m new to your site) and confirms my long journey “searching for truth” under every cover of doctrine, religion and philosophy for the past 40+ years (I’m over 65 now). My lifetime journey back to oneness with The Creator. In addition to making the leap from the physical plane to the spiritual plane, supporting words are found in the books removed from the scriptures by fearful man. Adam and Eve, Enoch, Jasher, Jubilees, Testaments of Patriachs, Abraham, Baruch 1&2, Erza… and on and on and on. One can not help but read these books with spiritual eyes. I can understand why man is so fearful of them. They fill in the blanks, add depth and unveil mysteries. Truly meat on the Master’s table. And as a caution, it’s a journey and not a sprint.. expect the Holy Spirit to show up along the way as your personal guide. Peaks and valleys but always growing and maturing in the Spirit of God. And yes, I do read the bible, love God with all that’s in me, believe His yachiyd (beloved Son) showed us unconditional love by shedding His ego and blood at the cross. I see Him in all I do. Much love to you on your journey!
Lucille…
I very much appreciate the comment. Thanks for letting me know you were here, and yes, those other books reveal so much that people have been afraid of. Blessings!
Josh, this is a very intriguing article. You absolutely nail the concept of baptism having nothing to do with water. And of course, meditation is a critical concept to understand, because it is where God speaks to us. We are the church (Heb. 3:6; 1 Tim. 3:15), and when we go into the church (within ourselves) we go there to meet our head (Christ). When the woman (man, the bride) goes into the church, she (man, the bride) is to be silent and be in subjection to her husband (Christ, the bridegroom).
This is what is meant by biblical marriage. Christ is the bridegroom, man is the bride, and man and Christ are to become one — not two, but one (Matt. 19:5-6; Eph. 5:31). And this corroborates your contention about meditation and going within perfectly. And this is the meaning of “Christ IN YOU, the hope of glory.” And this is further evidenced in Scripture by “the Kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU.”
Thanks for this article.
Thanks for commenting, Paul.
Joshua, congratulations for one more excellent addition to this treasure vault that is SoS. I also thank for each comment adding up a different layer of comprehension, they’re all beautiful jewels in this treasure chest. I like when you say “And when one goes deep enough, psychological pains and hurts in the subconscious are actually dealt with, not by our doing, but by the power of God.” and I’d like to say that I’m an evidence for this. Meditation has become one of the moments in my day that I most look forward to, and it has helped me deal with a lot of internal issues. And the “funny” thing is that it’s not our doing, but truly is God’s doing. When you see it, BAM!, you discover a solution for a long-time running unresolved issue or trauma and you don’t know how you got there, so it truly is our Creator helping those who dare to go within, because as you must know, it’s not always an easy and comfortable thing to do. There are a lot of meditation related posts here, but I do look forward to how you’re gonna address and further elaborate this theme in future articles.
Blessings!
Vinícius Otaviano
PS: I don’t see in the comment section an option that lets us track should we receive any replies! It would be great if this was possible.
Vincius…
I do need to add a plug-in for that function. Thank you for reminding me. I’ll do some research at some put and add that functionality. And thanks for the comment. And thank you for sharing how meditation has helped with your experience. I believe that the more these experiences are shared the more people who are seeking spiritual things will also come to see how important the practice is.
Very interesting. I enjoyed that, but what exactly is mediation? That is kind of a rhetorical question because meditating for me is staying in the now, keeping my mind quiet and then comes the thoughts of God, but I have never been to the point of being caught up, so to speak like John in the book of Revelation, or like Paul caught up to the third heaven
BTW, all of the bible to me is allegory, symbolism, metaphors and parables.
I also believe each person in the Bible symbolizes a part of us, or rather within us. I don’t mean like multiple personalities, lol, but what they represent.
John…
Meditation is also being in the now. It’s simply about changing brain wave frequencies, and there are many types of meditation that do this. I prefer a type of Zazen meditation with controlled breathing. As far as being caught up like Paul is talking about, you have to be a long term practitioner. For most this takes years of practice before altered states of consciousness occur, even lifetimes.
I would like to find the sources of those church fathers from the 2nd and 3rd century but I’m having a hard time getting results. All I see is translations starting from from the years 1300 and up.
DO you still have the links to those guys?
Can you give some direction on meditation for an absolute beginner?
This was an awesome read to come upon, thanks for the enlightment…….you search and you shall find, keep up the good work!!!