The title of this post may cause some eyebrow raising, but it’s a subject that really needs to be addressed with common sense and esoteric truth. Traditional Christians—some of the kindest and best people on earth whom I call my friends—have been immersed in the doctrines and dogma of man for centuries, and blood sacrifice has been one of those doctrines that has kept them from understanding the deeper truths of the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. Please remember, it is not my intention to offend anyone. Ever. But some of what I write here will no doubt ruffle some feathers. Nonetheless, it needs to be said.
From the beginning of this post, I am going to be blunt: The blood sacrifice of a literal human on a literal cross that was meant to take away all your sins through faith should not be interpreted literally. This is not to say that what is written in the Bible isn’t true. It most definitely is. Just not in the way it has been taught in traditional Christianity. You need to throw all of your preconceived notions of man-made doctrine out of the window if you want to understand the spiritual truths the Bible is trying to teach you through its stories, and the literal story of Jesus dying on a cross for your sins is one of the most IMPORTANT STORIES of them all. It’s a wonderful story that teaches a marvelous spiritual message, but not the way mainstream Christian theologians have presented it. They have taken a grand theme of the human conscious experience, and in a sense, murdered it.
I am seeing more and more articles pop up on the internet, such as HERE, challenging the traditional Christian view that Jesus’ blood atones for sins. It’s almost as if a mini spiritual revelation is happening around this hot topic. And while it is good to see (because the Bible clearly doesn’t teach that Jesus’ literal blood atones for sins, both literally and non-literally), these writers, bloggers, and YouTubers are falling short of a much bigger spiritual revelation. It’s as they are peeking through the blinds of beginning to leave man-made dogma and doctrine behind, but they’re not quite willing to pull the blinds up altogether by realizing it’s all symbolic of a much grander and more enlightening revelation of mankind’s salvation and what it actually is. And the Bible has been teaching this all along!
What’s truly encouraging though, is that some of these people in authority now teaching that Jesus’ blood doesn’t atone for sins have seminary training and theological degrees. And they’re beginning to think for themselves! They are slowly but surely leaving behind doctrine and dogma, which kills the spiritual life of a person instead of empowering it. This article will be quite long, probably the longest one out of many hundreds on this site, but I believe it will also be quite comprehensive.
I want to begin this post with something I have discussed before, but it’s crucial. In the first half of our article, we’re going to be discussing key points in the scripture and showing how they do not add up with man’s doctrine. Then we’ll interpret it all esoterically, to see how all contradictions are resolved and make complete sense, both intellectually and spiritually.
Did Jesus’ Blood sacrifice Atone for Sin Once and For All?
This question is usually answered by mainstream Christianity from the book of Hebrews. Below is the proof text:
“By the which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOREVER, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:10-12).
According the mainstream Christian doctrine, that one sacrifice was completed, and the messiah sat down at the “right hand of God,” signifying both power and authority in a task well completed that was laid before him.
A reader once asked the question on billygraham.org:
“Why don’t we still do animal sacrifices?”
One staff member replied:
“…Jesus Christ came for ONE reason: to become the FINAL and COMPLETE sacrifice for our sins. When he died on the cross, all our sins were transferred to Him, and he died in our place. NO FURTHER SACRIFICE IS NEEDED…”
I think everyone can agree that the above answer from a mainstream Christian perspective is the norm. This point was argued from Hebrews 10:10-14 as we have already quoted. Please take note where a large portion of mainstream Christian doctrine affirms, “NO FURTHER SACRIFICE IS NEEDED.”
To be fair, since that was a short Q & A, let’s provide the complete context on this mainstream Christian doctrine. It’s usually further asserted that the blood sacrifices of animals never took away sins in the first place. They only served to cover up sins until the allotted time when Jesus Christ would offer himself up and take away sin once and for all. No other sacrifice was necessary, but only faith in Jesus Christ and his atoning work. Employ that faith, and all our sins are transferred to Him. Yes, faith includes right action after the initial belief, but that faith and belief in his atoning work is the foundation. Thus Jesus’ sacrifice sealed the deal and blood sacrifice could finally be done away with forever, right?
WRONG.
Well, at least according to scripture. It should bother those who believe in this doctrine that blood sacrifices will be reinstated during the future Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ established on earth, or alternatively known by some as His thousand-year reign.
This is not debated in mainstream Christianity, and all Christian scholars agree that many Old Testament passages clearly indicate this will happen. Furthermore, I find it interesting that so many Christians have never pondered the ramifications of such an event. But it’s there. Let’s just have a look at a few of the scriptures.
“Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, everyone that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: THEIR BURNT OFFERINGS AND THEIR SACRIFICES SHALL BE ACCEPTED UPON MINE ALTAR; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people” (Isaiah 56:6-8).
There are many terms above we could break down symbolically to show that blood sacrifices and even a literal altar are not what is meant here, but in sticking with our mainstream doctrine we have to consider this literal since that is where their argument is. Patience, we will see the truth of this later!
For now, let’s look at more scripture.
“And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left of all nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the king, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles…Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: AND ALL THEY THAT SACRIFICE SHALL COME AND TAKE OF THEM…” (Zechariah 14:16-21).
Yep. In a future time, according with mainstream Christian doctrine, all Christians will be involved with the antiquated practice of animal blood sacrifice! Most Christians that are introduced to these scriptures at first find it strange that not only will blood sacrifices and a temple be reinstated, but also that the feast days must be adhered to. So much for Paul’s words in Galatians!
Let’s look at a few more before we get into the scripture that will really present a big problem for mainstream Christian doctrine.
“In those days, and at that time, will I cause a branch of righteousness to grow up into David [Jesus Christ] and he shall execute judgement and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah BE SAVED, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely…NEITHER SHALL THE PRIEST THE LEVITES WANT A MAN BEFORE ME TO OFFER BURNT OFFERINGS, AND TO KINDLE MEAT OFFERINGS, AND TO DO SACRIFICES CONTINUALLY” (Jeremiah 33:15-18).
The above scripture is referring to a righteous man that will be performing sacrifices continually. Basically that means EVERYDAY!
Our next scriptures reveal that this man is no other than Jesus Christ himself (according the mainstream Christian doctrine). They come to us from Ezekiel, and cover all of the verses in chapters 40-43, and specifically 43:18-46. I am not going to quote three entire chapters here for the sake of length, but I advise you to go look for yourself. The person doing the sacrificing is undeniably Jesus Christ, unless you suddenly switch your doctrinal belief system to a Jewish interpretation.
So let us reason together here to see what all this really means. How do we reconcile Jesus putting an end to all sacrifice, and yet, in the future Millennial Kingdom, Jesus is the messiah that is doing them again?
Most Christian theologians only have one answer. They teach that blood sacrifice will be reinstated again during this thousand-year reign as being MEMORIAL in nature.
Um…
Say what?!
So basically what they’re trying to tell us is, the very man that made it possible to forget blood sacrifices in the first place, because he became the ultimate sacrifice, is going to start killing and sacrificing animals himself again for 1,000 years, EVERYDAY—and just to remind everyone!
I’m sorry, and I don’t mean to be rude, but that would have to be one of the most contradictory and nonsensical lines of reasoning I’ve ever heard scripturally. That one actually takes the cake! There is absolutely no scriptural foundation for this and it is simply contrived out of thin air. The image on the left is what we common get as Jesus as the ultimate shepherd, which loves all God’s creation. And yet we are told through mainstream doctrine that he will be killing animals as a memorial?!
But wait. That’s not all. The plot thickens and it gets even more nonsensical.
Let’s look at some other scriptures which seem to be against blood sacrifice, even in the Old Testament, and then we’re going to tie it all back into the scriptures above.
Does God Even Want Blood Sacrifice?
There seem to be many contradictions throughout the Bible about God wanting blood sacrifice in the first place. Let’s go through some of the scriptures.
“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? Saith the Lord: I am full of burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts: and I delight not in the in the blood of bullocks or of lambs, or of he goats” (Isaiah 1:11).
Does this mean God no longer takes delight in blood sacrifices because he is tired of them, or that he doesn’t take delight in them period? If we say he no longer takes delight in them because they are overdone and man’s heart still doesn’t change (as theologians will argue), then it would seem that the entire system was a waste in the first place. Either way you look at it, the effects of blood sacrifice on the human conscience could never be enough to really effect anything! Then why make it a requirement in the first place?! If you say, “to fully understand the importance of the future coming of Jesus’ work on the cross,” (as the argument goes), then why reinstate it during the millennial reign!? If that purpose was for a memorial, then the memorial only serves to remind everyone again of SOMETHING THAT NEVER WORKED IN THE FIRST PLACE! Why would an eternal, omniscient God need blood to cover up your sins? None of this doctrine holds up against common sense and even other scripture.
The most common argument I get against such is that God is God, and He can do whatever he desires. We must only have faith, even when it makes no sense. But wait: doesn’t God ask us to reason with him (Isaiah 1:18) from time to time, because we are created with a brain by his design, to think, even if it means going outside of doctrine?
Let’s face it; either way you look at it, God was sick of the sacrifices, so why would he want them to ever become the focal point of a thousand-year reign that is supposed to signify peace and perfection on earth, especially when His Son’s final act abolished such a need? Okay, point made and no need to badger it further, because scripture is clear:
To drive a main point home, the Psalmist actually answers our question earlier: God never desired blood sacrifice. Ever!
“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it; thou delightest not in burnt offerings” (Psalm 51:17).
Most theologians try to dodge this issue by stating we must put this Psalm in context. Okay, so let’s do that.
This is a Psalm from David, and was written after the sin of adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah to sexually have Uriah’s wife. This is crucial to understand. In a literal interpretation, David had committed the greatest sin of all: murder! Just to get the woman that he desired from his lower nature by appearance from a rooftop. She was bathing naked, and he made decisions based on the perception of sight. Not only did he commit the worst sin, he did it out of pure lust! And to top it all off, the lineage of Jesus Christ comes from this sin.
Sidenote: This fact of lineage will make sense later on in this post when viewed esoterically.
Something else to consider important here: The scripture tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart! Here is a man that created the biggest sin one can commit out of pure lust, but something within him made him a man after God’s own heart. Hmm. What does all this really mean?
David asks God to forgive him, not by offering any BLOOD sacrifice, which he admits God NEVER desired! A man after God’s own heart must have understood after that it was never about blood sacrifice. Even in a literal interpretation here, we can see a pertinent esoteric truth beginning to build a case.
Let’s look at some more scripture:
“It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
We can better sum up the above scripture by saying:
It is impossible for the law to take away sin.
Why?
It is because, as the Apostle Paul alludes to in many of his scriptures, that the conscience within the consciousness of man, needs to be cleansed, that of our lower nature. It needs to be sacrificed for the higher nature. This can only be done in one place and one place only: the mind. And more importantly, a renewing of the mind, which is the joining of the lower mind to the higher, where the bridegroom says come.
Remember, Jesus was sacrificed at Golgotha, which means the “place of the skull,” or what’s between the ears: the battle of sacrifice is in the mind!
Literal blood from an animal, or even the faith in someone else who has given their life for us, cannot do this. It is something that we need to accomplish in ourselves through righteous choice and action. More on this later as we delve into the New Testament for some eye opening revelation that drives this point home.
Why did God never demand blood sacrifice?
From this point in the article we’re going to start bringing in esoteric themes. Slowly, but in a way that will open up the grander picture of man’s relationship to God, we will see that a literal interpretation is not only foolish, but spiritually dead.
Let’s turn to the book of Hosea, which shows us a dramatic change in God’s nature: Hosea is the first prophet to show us a moral side to God’s nature that’s not based on an eye for an eye, or tooth for a tooth, or one of the greatest lower human nature desires: vengeance.
Hosea is writing during an important time in Israel’s history. They had utterly abandoned God through sin, as David did with Bathsheba, and instead of the law being put forth, we see mercy, and the greater love of God’s nature in an esoteric sense. This is significant as even Christian scholars have mentioned. Hosea states:
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6).
Wait! Did God want mercy all along! Yes. Mercy. Always. Period.
We can even see this in an earlier period through scripture. Remember we discussed Isaiah Chapter 1? If we return to our former scripture, where God said, “To what purpose is your sacrifice to me?” We can clearly see that what comes later is what’s important. Later Isaiah states:
“When you come to appear before me, who hath required this [blood sacrifice and burnt offerings] at your hand, to tread my courts…learn to do well; seek judgement, relieved the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:11-17).
It’s as if God is saying, “Who is it that interpreted my LAW incorrectly in the first place!? Did your lower human nature miss it completely? My entire message!?
God’s seemingly harsh law, with all its detailed observances, was all symbolic of man’s development. All it has ever been about was the underdog, the one who is on the outside looking in, and wanting acceptance into the spiritual life but doesn’t understand how to go about it because of the confusion of doctrine. Which is man’s plight in the first place! We are to look after the widow, the orphan, and all who are oppressed. This is what the law, including blood sacrifice is really about.
The entire purpose in all of scripture for the law, which is universal to mankind, is only the beginning of raising of man’s consciousness. And it’s all spiritual:
“For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin” (Romans 7:14).
And Paul also said, which shows us that those in position and authority are supposed to interpret scripture in another way in truth:
“Who hath also made us better ministers of the New Testament: not of the letter [literal interpretation], but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor. 3:6).
Paul’s entire argument here rest in the fact that the spiritual truth is misrepresented by a literal interpretation of the law. Remember, Paul never read any of the New Testament and was writing his letters AFTER it had been complied. Even Christian scholars are in agreeance with this. So why would we assume anything otherwise? Paul is directly giving us the keys to interpret the Old Testament by saying it’s all spiritual, and not to be interpreted literally.
In short the LAW could never complete the journey of the human soul. Jesus states:
“But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice…” (Matthew 9:12-13).
Wow! Jesus slams the entire system set up in the Old Testament, when interpreted literally! Remember Jesus completely fulfilled the law, meaning that in Him is all the REAL MEANING of the Old Testament Law and the prophets! He is not really slamming it, except through the literal interpretation. But the spiritual meaning is clear: what you have read literally, is the death of the spirit, because it was never meant that way.
What is Jesus really saying above? Jesus is stating that those who need help are always the underdogs. Those with a disadvantage. Those that are oppressed. Those on the outside always seeming to look in, as Isaiah already said all along. And those that learn to look within instead, are those that will be blessed and truly inherit God’s kingdom. Consider what he states below:
Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thine soul, and with all thine MIND. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-38).
Notice how God states that the first commandment is to love thy God with all thy MIND. In other words, it’s all about the mind.
And why is the second command “like unto it,” the first commandment. Because it’s equivalent. If you love your neighbor, you love God, for GOD IS WITHIN MAN.
How do we have proof of this, according to scripture? Paul makes this crystal clear:
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Gal. 5:14).
Do you realize that Paul LITERALLY just left out the first commandment in favor of the second one! But esoterically he has just included them both: if you love your neighbor as YOURSELF, you have fulfilled all the law, just as Jesus did! The implications from Paul’s statement there are huge! Many of the great thinkers and theologians from history have tried to reconcile Paul’s statement with Jesus’ of the two greatest commandments. Do a Google history search. But Paul did not say this without pondering the truth. And remember, Paul never met Jesus, nor every directly heard his teachings. But he understands what Jesus did about the law: it’s all spiritual and can be summed up by loving thy neighbor. I will explain further below, using scripture.
To love your neighbor as yourself is to love God in reality, because God is in your neighbor!
Jesus shows us this in many places, but the scripture below is perhaps the most telling…
“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us…” (John 17:21).
The above scripture should not be discounted as esoteric mumbo jumbo. THINK! Not only is Jesus in the Father, and He in Him, but so also are YOU in THEM! All of this lead us to the undeniable conclusion that the entire law is spiritual, in the sense that it is non-literal!
God never has nor ever will give two rats about blood sacrifice. That’s a man-made doctrine. In fact, everything you read in your Bible from a theological point of view is man-made. The one simple message that you always need to take away from reading your Bible is, no matter if it is talking about blood sacrifice, burnt offerings, feast days, or not eating a certain kind of food: God is the center of it all, both through Jesus’ sacrifice and our life as well! And it is ultimately about the unifying nature of LOVE, through the transformation that happens in the mind.
So what is the Importance of Blood Sacrifice Anyway? Why’s it in the Bible? And what does it have to do with Jesus?
Most Christians refer to Leviticus 17:11 when they hold to the theory that only blood can make atonement for sin, and ultimately Jesus’ blood. That verse states:
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it unto you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).
If anyone reads this literally, they have already failed in understanding the entire spiritual message of the Bible. Blood is not needed to make atonement, or if you want to get technical, to COVER up sin.
Blood signifies one thing in scripture and only one thing: it is symbolic of the DIVINE LIFE in manifestation of the flesh. This means that Jesus’ account in the New Testament is life in a divine manifestation, just as YOURS is. He is no different than you. You are both divine! And his life is symbolic of your life, and what you must do and sacrifice to raise the conscious experience. Scripture teaches that we are to follow Christ’s example and become like him in every way. You are to become a Christ. This is what the entire New Testament teaches over and over, and any theologian that tells you differently has completely misunderstood the central message of all of the New Testament! How anyone can read all the words of the apostle Paul and disagree with this is utterly beyond me.
The Altar Where the Blood Sacrifice Takes Place is Symbolic of the Mind
In the Old Testament the altar where blood sacrifices HAD TO BE PLACED is symbolic of that which takes place in the mind where we choose the higher nature over the lower nature. Yes, blood sacrifices have literally taken place throughout history, in many cultures, but the spiritual writers of scripture only used this imagery as metaphor. An all merciful, eternal, and loving God would never require literal blood on a literal altar to cover up a sin. Man did this because it had an effect upon the psyche. But this effect was not great enough to permanently change one’s heart, as it should be obvious to you and me as well as any Old Testament writer.
Blood, as symbolic of a divine manifestation, means that in your fleshly life you have the ability to become a Christ. Why? Because in this divine manifestation which is physical reality, you have the chance to renew your mind, being deeply immersed in matter (duality). It is the realm of opposites. For example you cannot appreciate the fact that darkness defines light unless you KNOW or experience both. I once had a staunch Christian admit something to me that the never could before. In past discussions, they would only declare that light was the only truth, because of the literal words of the Bible. But then they took a painting class, and began working with light and darkness with everything to oil and water colors. After that experience they admitted, through the experience of their own paintings, that darkness does indeed in fact define the light, and you cannot appreciate one without the other. In other words, both are equally important, which esoterically explains the scriptures in the Old Testament which state that God dwells in the secret of deep darkness (1 Kings 8:12). And through the Eastern symbol of Yin and Yang, we come to understand the scripture, man is made in the image of God, both male and female (Gen. 1:27). It’s all about polar opposites in physical duality, for the development of conscience within the consciousness of man and God. More scripture:
As Paul states:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your BODIES [as Jesus did] a LIVING sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
First of all, it’s about the entire body, not just the blood (as Hebrews 10:10-14 already told us), and it is a LIVING sacrifice, your life, as you LIVE it. Second, Paul continues with the most important part about the mind:
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your MIND…” (Romans 12:2).
The entire point about the law, including blood sacrifice upon an altar (the mind) was about the moral nature of man beginning his ascension upwards, and it culminates with our natures becoming like Christ as we sacrifice completely the lower nature for the higher, yielding up the higher emotions of love and truth.
Paul further states:
“Know ye not that your bodies are the temple of the living God! (1 Cor. 3”16).
In other words, you must work out salvation in the flesh! The here and now!
In the Gospel of Thomas, which was purposely left out of doctrine for political and military reasons, it basically sates that if you do not receive the resurrection in this life you have received nothing!
Hopefully we now know why it is said that Jesus’ blood was spilled on the altar of heaven. Of course Jesus’ literal blood was not spilled on a literal altar in heaven! How could it have been? The altar in the heavens is symbolic of the higher mind, where the cleansing blood (symbolic of the divine manifestation of life) had its perfect work.
Now to wrap all this up. I am going to quote a very important scripture which has been misinterpreted for ages:
How We Know that Jesus’ Life is Symbolic of YOUR Life
There is a very important scripture in Hebrews that many in mainstream Christian doctrine have never really ponder deeply, but it is very telling. The writer states:
“Though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered…” (Hebrews 5:8).
Stop and think about this for a moment. God himself had to learn obedience through the things he suffered! Just like you! Throughout history this verse has caused many a problem for theologians. Why did God have to suffer also to learn as WE do? Because while he was yet fully divine, he was yet fully human. The only possible way this could be so for a God is if YOU are a God as well, and divine just as Christ! You just might not recognize it yet because you’re suffering isn’t complete!
Note how the beginning of the verse states “Though he were a son…”
You’re a Son too! And the fullness of the Godhead also can dwell bodily in YOU. Jesus addressed this indirectly with the Pharisees:
“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because thou, being a MAN, MAKEST THYSELF GOD. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou Blasphemest; Because I said, I am the son of God. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father IS IN ME, and I IN HIM” (John 10:34-38).
Haven’t we already seen through scripture earlier that Jesus prays our realization that WE are also in Him and the Father?
We are little gods, with a small “g” until we realize obedience through suffering and can make the assertion of the big G once the mind is transformed and renewed to realize that God was in us all along, and the veil of separation through the ego has been severed!
To sacrifice an animal on the altar really has this meaning—to sacrifice an animal is to place your base animal desires and passions on the place of worship by giving it up for the higher self. Sacrificing animals in and of itself means nothing except to realize the lower nature in the human psyche. This is symbolic of the conscience, and that place of consciousness where you sacrifice the lower nature for the higher nature. The blood signifies the divine life that goes through this process, in the experience of duality after the fall. Blood, or the manifestation of divine life in physical duality is the only place where this can happen.
And there’s more that brings us to a deep esoteric revelation:
First off, in a literal interpretation, blood sacrifices could only atone for one type of sin: an UNINTENTIONAL one. Yes, you read that correctly. Blood sacrifice, when read literally, only atoned for man’s sin when he wasn’t even aware of it.
“And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him: and it shall be forgiven him. Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. But the soul that doing ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people” (Numbers 15:24-30).
There are more scriptures in the Old Testament that make this statement, and for the sake of length we are not going to quote all of them. But the fact that blood atoned for unintentional sins is important to take note of. An intentional sin, akin to the New Testament’s blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, is not forgiven in this life, nor as Jesus taught us in the New Testament, in the next life.
Most of the things we do wrong in this life are unintentional, meaning that we are not aware of the true spiritual consequences. We are all unaware of the depths of the conscious experience.
The ones we know are wrong are unforgiveable, much like blaspheming the Holy Spirit, which is unforgivable in this life or the next. Why is this so? Because when we willing reject the truth, consciousness cannot evolve and we willingly sacrifice conscious spiritual growth to remain in the lower nature. In the next life it is not forgiven because we return as the same level of conscious growth (reincarnation) as we did when we left this life. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to reject the operation of the higher Self in the lower nature. It is unforgivable because when you reject this, you remain stagnant.
As Paul also states in Hebrews:
“For if we sin WILLFULLY after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins…” (Hebrews 10:26).
In an esoteric sense, there is never a sacrifice for willful sin. The fiery indignation that Paul speaks of as a result is hell, which is a symbol for the lower nature, in which the person will remain in. It is the absence of life IN God and Christ, and it is to remain in suffering, emotionally and mentally.
So why would blood sacrifice only cover up an unintentional sin? It is symbolic in meaning. It was able to cover up a sin because it was unintentional, and when we do something unintentional, we truly feel guilty. When we do something that is intentional, we cannot feel guilty for it, at least for a time, and we purposely choose not to sacrifice the lower nature, but to abide in it. Notice in the Old Testament that there IS NO BLOOD SACRIFICE FOR INTENTIONAL SINS!
Many Christian theologians have argued against this by using other scriptures saying that intentional sins are included also. And while there does seem to be some passages that MAY include this, it’s no conclusive. But the argument is meaningless in the first place because blood sacrifice is SPIRITUAL message, not a LITERAL one. Thus the centuries of debate between rabbis and Christian theologians on this point is moot as both are not seeing the bigger picture.
The Ultimate Meaning of Blood Sacrifice
There can be no doubt that the Bible teaches blood covers the sin, literally. But is this the spiritual interpretation?
The spiritual interpretation is, only the life that is in YOUR blood. You are God manifest in the flesh!
In conclusion I want to leave you with an interpretation that Paul Young and I discussed long ago.
He who denies that Christ came in the flesh is antichrist. Of course! Anyone that denies that the divine manifestation of God comes in FLESH has an antichrist spirit! Meaning, not that anyone who denies a literal Jesus came in the flesh to be a blood sacrifice for your sins, but that anyone who denies that Christ comes WITHIN YOU has the spirit (conscious thought) of antichrist. Meaning you are wrong about what Christ represents.
The next verse, as Paul has shared in his Youtube channel confirms this:
1 John 4:3:
“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof it is already in the world.”
Many theologians interpret this to mean that anyone denying that the man Jesus from history came in the flesh as God is antichrist. This is partially correct. What it really says is that any man denying that Jesus Christ comes in YOUR flesh has a spirit of antichrist, because it’s saying you are not to become a Christ. How can we say this definitively?! The next verse makes this crystal clear.
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is IN YOU, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
When the Christ is birthed in you, through travail, as Paul states, your mind is renewed. And you come into the knowledge and power that Christ is IN YOU, as you are also meant to be a Christ.
Remember, elsewhere Paul teaches in the New Testament that salvation is required not from the blood sacrifice of Christ, but of the renewing of your mind IN Christ Jesus. And how is this accomplished?
The God in you has to revealed, not by flesh and blood, but by the Spirit of God in you! Peter represents the ego in man, as he denied Christ three times. But Jesus pointed to Peter’s inward soul when he asked, but who do YOU say I AM? In other words, look within YOURSELF for the answer, Peter, whom I will build my church. We already saw what the true church represented in my post in which wives had to submit to their husbands in everything.
You see, it’s all about the mind, which brings a spiritual interpretation of greater understanding to faith. Faith is simply the things hoped for which are not yet manifested, but assured of. That faith should be pertaining to the Christ nature which resides within you. To deny this is the spirit of antichrist, which is a mind belief.
Conclusion: Blood Sacrifice of Jesus, Animals, and the Esoteric Meaning
Our conclusion is clear: the blood sacrifice of animals on an altar is symbolic in nature: meaning that the lower nature of the conscious experience must sacrifice itself for the higher nature on the altar of the mind. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament declare that the law is spiritual, and must be interpreted as such if we are to understand the overall spiritual message: That God is in man, and we must realize that potential through sacrifice of the lower nature. While the traditional message of Christianity is similar in nature and meaning, it cannot be viewed as literal. To do such greatly diminishes the spiritual message, which is much bigger than a traditional Christian interpretation. Namely, that you have the full power to manifest God fully in the flesh, if you symbolically do what Christ did. In opposition, the traditional Christian message states that we must have utter faith in someone else, wherein we turn over the power and potential within consciousness to make someone else accountable for our sins. But in reality, it is all up to us, which is the real debate in the New Testament about faith vs. works. It requires both from an esoteric sense, and neither is correct in isolation, but both are correct.
Contrary to Christian belief that an esoteric interpretation is about pride and ego, to say that we are God (which Jesus already declared), the real meaning is the sacrifice of said terms. We always place ourselves on the altar of God’s saving grace, which means that we realize there is a part of us that is antithetical to the nature of God as explained in scripture. Our lower nature, or the Cain within us, needs to be transformed into the Abel in us, and furthermore the second Adam of scripture. This can only happen through the complete denial of the self through the lower ego, which is the most humble act any human can realize. Because it is not about the “I,” but about the “I” in conjunction with the “all,” or to LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THEYSELF.
For any Christian to state that pride comes before a fall, the tables must be turned to say that simple faith in something can make a new creature in Christ. THAT is more prideful than the esoteric interpretation. It puts the idea forth that one can simply believe one thing, and become another, through BELIEF alone. But as is proved in the physical experience, action always follows belief. It is those who are truly transformed in the mind that present action, and action also provides reinforcement in the mind.
Please don’t misunderstand. I have great respect for the Gospels of Jesus Christ, and every one of Jesus’ doings in these stories. But there are such deep revelations in those stories that doctrine and dogma hold us back from understanding about the nature of the self, and that our ultimate calling is to love ourselves and others.
Blessings!
Well done Josh.
This ‘tunnel vision’ of man’s spirituality is rooted in a Newtonian “man as a machine” perspective; we’re not cosmic wonder beings, but merely a bunch of separate parts/organs…like gears in a machine. Both individually and collectively. As such, we are told we must ‘work correctly’ and that means…you guessed it…output from labor…good little workers. Keep your eye on the task not the cosmos.
The guy reading poetry on his work break will be the first laid off.
Sadly, scripture is pushed through the same meat grinder and the product is both Hellenistic and Newtonian …a worldview that subtly encourages all sorts of evils; slavery, patriarchy, even humanism as the strongest and most powerful are lauded as ideal…and the prophets are killed or exiled. Jesus saw this clearly.
Jesus said: ‘Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man’
In other words, the religious systems are using man like a crude tool or animal because they fear human potential….and they love power over others. So both animals and man are sacrificed….only the methods differ Josh. Why? Because it clearly serves the powers that be: the military industrial capital complex…aka “Rome” or “The World” “The Beast” ….it’s what the prophets railed against!
Man sets up various systems in order to enslave other humans to gain power in this world. But the
blindness to truth is intentional. That’s why no amount of reason can bring about real change. Change comes individually through awakening to a higher plane of perspective and wonder and, yes Love. 🙂
Thank you for your comments, Louie…
I love that scripture by Jesus, the Sabbath was made for man. So telling! That could be a blog post in itself.
WOW Josh, this is already a book in itself.
At the start you already show God is ready the accept our broken heart. Jesus chases the money changers out of the temple. No tit for tat, no merchandising ( paying for forgivenes ). If blood stands for yang, as ‘in action for Life’ and one put his/her intent on the altar of God, that’s a nice offering.. If every cell in our body has its own mind and we direct those minds towards the higher standards, conscious or not, that is a nice action. I believe ying in us must be prepared to receive the yang spirit. A bit reverse from your idea, but the end result is the same, becoming androgynous, whole again.
Josh, amazing article, thank you. I am still working on the bloody doorposts, so every mention of blood catches my attention 😉
Leo…
Lol, I guess it is a really long post. And I had to cut out so much more material when editing…it could have easily gone 10,000 words. Thank you for the comments.
. A bit reverse from your idea, but the end result is the same, becoming androgynous, whole again.
Leo…A BIG TIME AFFIRMATIVE ON THIS STATEMENT! THANK YOU!
Josh….You did a great job on this one again. I’m disabled, .MD and MS so typing and putting thoughts on the computer is difficult to say the least so with everyone post you send, it enriches me deeply. Never stop.
Love
Cindy…
Thank you for sharing your personal journey. Personally, I feel that your dedication to higher consciousness is commendable. I will certainly keep writing! Many blessings!
On the subject of money changers please read Anny’s blog titled Hidden Symbols part 2.
Comparing the two (her explanation there and my comment here) than i believe Anny’s post represents the better meaning ! (assigning value of good vs bad creates the binary world, which results in excessive suffering).
About the blood on the doorposts : i may have answered it myself :).
Rereading my comment here about blood being symbolic for yang : If blood of the lamb represents an action (yang) of Christ awareness to the doorposts (ying) of the lower body then that attention will protect that ‘house’ (body).
CF Traditional Chinese : tan dian, the first power center.
Well written. Thank you!
Thanks, Gerard.
Hi Josh,
First of all thanks for this important new article with which I wholeheartedly agree. It certainly is a very long article, maybe your longest but not the longest! That ‘honour’ goes to Mike Doss. I copied both your articles on a Word document (his of course years ago) as somehow it is easier for me to read it this way. Your article needed 16 A4 pages and his 30!
As you will understand your title is not as challenging to me as to many others who are confronted with this idea for the first time. I have written about this in many of my own articles and comments as well, as in An esoteric interpretation of the crucifixion of Jesus among others, which readers may find in the archives if they are interested.
For me the answer to your question is obvious: No, of course not. God is Love and a loving God would not want such a sacrifice at all, let alone need it. There is no need for salvation as this world is not a real world but a world of illusion, or a virtual reality in which we can gain conscious awareness through all the experiences we go through and the lessons we learn. In which we eventually learn what Love really is. It is a world which was created especially for this purpose and in which largely we all create our own version by our intentions, attitudes, words and actions.
I myself was just as shocked however by the doctrine you shared about the need for a blood sacrifice as many others may be about your interpretation of the crucifixion of Jesus. This is not a general doctrine of all Christian churches though but only of fundamentalist ones, I guess. I had never even heard of it! I do remember that Jesus took the punishment for all our sins upon himself, which was needed for our salvation, but the emphasis was on the cross, not on a blood sacrifice. Blood sacrifices belonged to the past and not much attention was paid to them. This period of 1000 years was not the subject of any teaching at all, if I remember correctly. And if mentioned at all, the need of blood sacrifices during this period did not come up in our church.
However, I do remember that I myself addressed the subject of a burnt offering once, I do not remember when or in what context, but the Hebrew term for this offering does not mention this term, or blood sacrifice, at all. The Hebrew term is ‘leha’alot olot’, which mentions the word ‘al’, upwards (El Al) twice. It means: to lift (him/It) up, or: as you say, to raise your consciousness. In the literal sense of course this was symbolised by the rising smoke.
You often write that all Bible texts should be taken symbolically but when you quote this text: “When you come to appear before me, who hath required this [blood sacrifice and burnt offerings] at your hand, to tread my courts…learn to do well; seek judgement, relieved the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:11-17).”, I think this is one of texts which can, and should, be taken absolutely literally too. Which even literal-minded churches neglected as well.
When you quote: “Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thine soul, and with all thine MIND. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-38).
Notice how God states that the first commandment is to love thy God with all thy MIND. In other words, it’s all about the mind.”, I would like to point out that the mind is mentioned at third and last place in the row. Heart and soul are first and second, and therefore the most important in my view. But of course I know that you are more ‘mind’ oriented than I am; I am all about the heart = Love. However that does not detract anything from what you write about the mind and of course in this case heart and mind meet each other in it, which is beautiful.
And finally, you write: “To sacrifice an animal on the altar really has this meaning—to sacrifice an animal is to place your base animal desires and passions on the place of worship by giving it up for the higher self. Sacrificing animals in and of itself means nothing except to realize the lower nature in the human psyche. This is symbolic of the conscience, and that place of consciousness where you sacrifice the lower nature for the higher nature.” This is beautiful. And so right but I never saw before that animal sacrifice could be interpreted in this way. Thank you!
Thanks Anny. It would seem that the churches in Europe put a lot less emphasis on certain things that they do here in America, maybe blood sacrifice as one of them.
I will also admit that many Christian theologians argue the “Prince” in the Ezekiel Millennial Temple is not Christ simply because the Prince does offer a sacrifice for the people and himself, but I think it is a moot point. Reasons why I won’t go into the arguments here as they would also take up an entire post.
Point well taken on the heart, soul and mind. For me, it’s not really that I place more emphasis on the mind, I Just believe all three of these aspects are one. Mind in ancient scripture isn’t really the same thing we consider it today, just by talking about the brain or thinking self.
Thanks for the comments!
Josh, You write: “I will also admit that many Christian theologians argue the “Prince” in the Ezekiel Millennial Temple is not Christ simply because the Prince does offer a sacrifice for the people and himself, but I think it is a moot point. Reasons why I won’t go into the arguments here as they would also take up an entire post.”
Again I have not the slightest idea what you are aiming at. Texts like these were not read often in our church, if at all, and were certainly not a building stone for a doctrine. I know that I personally read the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelations but I did not really try to understand the texts that did not appeal to me.
I believe that it may be a good thing when people ‘know’ the Bible so well that they literally know chapter and verse but it also opens the possibility to start using Bible texts for their own advantage in order to prove that they are right about any given subject or theory. That also happened in our church sometimes, with people who definitely had a better memory than I, but it often resulted in hot heads and cold hearts. It probably also led to the fact that constantly people left their own church and started a new one because some minister had developped a new doctrine which taught ‘the real Truth’. Which led to religious wars all through the centuries.
Agreed, Anny. Sometimes we go too much into it based on doctrine, even when it means researching the original meanings. The bigger picture must be sought. which transcends the intellect and all it’s petty details.
The fact that whether these verses refer to Christ or not is such a moot point in the bigger picture, so no worries. I only mention it because some are at the point of breaking through those details intellectually, and will transcend the religious banter back and forth to see the bigger picture.
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Odilia.
The Bible was written by mystics, for mystics. I used to have so much disdain for the Bible, but love it now because it is a hieroglyph of my soul. Thanks again for another great article. Yes, there was a lot to read and loved it and I know there are a ton more scripture to write about. Peace and Love brother.
“…it is a hieroglyph for the soul.” What a great way of expressing a deep spiritual truth. Thanks Donald!
Thanks Donald !!!!!
I like that too !
I whole heartily agree with everything you have written. I came to the same thought process many years ago however to be able to put it down on paper and have it explained so clearly to others is another matter. I think you are truly gifted in this field and I hope you can inspire others to understand the true significance of all this.
Kris…
Thank you for the encouragement to keep writing. I will always do my best to explain the Bible as it was meant to be, not based on just what I have read into the text, but in line with many esoterics that have came before me. Of course I will always diverge when I feel necessary, but I can honestly say that everything I have researched comes to agreement, which further makes me believe in the overall esoteric interpretation based off centuries of analyization. It’s so great to see my own interpretation line up with the great interpretations of the past esoterically, which leads me to believe intuition is so alive. It’s a confirmation of the utmost importance to say the least.
Hi Josh
You write:
“From the beginning of this post, I am going to be blunt: The blood sacrifice of a literal human on a literal cross that was meant to take away all your sins through faith should not be interpreted literally. This is not to say that what is written in the Bible isn’t true. It most definitely is. Just not in the way it has been taught in traditional Christianity. You need to throw all of your preconceived notions of man-made doctrine out of the window if you want to understand the spiritual truths the Bible is trying to teach you through its stories, and the literal story of Jesus dying on a cross for your sins is one of the most IMPORTANT STORIES of them all. It’s a wonderful story that teaches a marvelous spiritual message, but not the way mainstream Christian theologians have presented it. They have taken a grand theme of the human conscious experience, and in a sense, murdered it.”
Well said, Josh, and thank you for this huge piece of esoteric evaluation of biblical blood sacrifices. As usual, with great skill and mastery, you have broken down and simplified the above scriptures as to leave no doubt whatever regards their intended non-literal meanings. I know firsthand the amount of time and effort an article of this length and depth requires, particularly editing and rereading, not to mention understanding! It’s all here !
Well done, Josh, for this super article !
Raymond…
Thanks for your comment. It does take quite a bit of effort which some seem to gloss over without a thought, except to argue a detailed point when in the end makes no difference when compared to the greatest commandments. To put it simply, many would rather get bogged down in the details, when all we have to do is look at what Jesus really represented. It’s so obvious when we remove the doctrinal blinders!
Blessings, my friend.
Hey Josh,
I’m new to your site but really appreciate what I’ve read so far. I’ve watched Bill Donahue, Santos Bonacci, Jordan Maxwell and the like for years now. Your post are well written and thought out, and stir my yearnings to write more on these subjects. I’m curious if you have heard of Paramahamsa Yogananda and read any of his work on esoteric Christianity or of Dan Winter and heard him talk about conscioussness, matter, hydrogen, and the science of bliss (union of heart rhythm with pineal/pituitary).
Keep up the good work brother.
Steven
Steven…
Thank you for your comment. I am vaguely familiar with Paramshamsa Yoganananda, but I know Bill Donahue’s work well. Never heard of Dan Winter.
I enjoy doing this and wish I had time to write much more, but I will always do my best to get continued content up when I can.
Joshua,
Your words have reassured me that yes, intuition (Spirit of truth) can be trusted. My intuition, even as a child told me that God could be served, but never trusted if He actually desired blood sacrifice, and especially from the life of His own Son. How could I honestly love and draw near to someone I didn’t trust? My hunger to unlock the truth of scripture that would help me love God and others like Jesus commanded, led me to literally be spit out of the church as I started being openly honest about the questions I had. It was painful and lonely, but eventually I began the process of sifting through the doctrines and dogma I was taught to fear and revere. “Come let us reason together” was an invitation to keep digging but to start fresh by trying to erase the meaning of every scripture that was spoon fed to me. I also immersed myself in the red letters and noticed Jesus’ theme of forgiveness, and that was the first time I began to question how God could forgive sin before the sacrifice of Jesus, yet it had been there all along. Thank you for this article. I appreciate your mind, because as you suggest in the article, belief and trust in Jesus to take away my sins did nothing to transform me. And I have come to the same conclusion that the traditional message of Christianity and its version of the cross greatly diminishes the spiritual message of the Bible. I personally don’t know anyone with my background in Christianity who believe what you just wrote, which is something I’ve believed for a few years now. I accidentally get myself in trouble regularly when I have spiritual conversations with Christians, so it’s nice to not only read the articles you present, but somehow feel a part of the conversation when I read the comments.
Debi…
I understand where you are coming from. Most Christians are not willing to even confront what doesn’t make sense to themselves, no fault of their own of course. I was once there. But like you, I kept digging and began questioning over and over what I knew to be a bigger truth. Thanks for your kind words.
Just found my bloody post again
If you do not possess the True Seed, you must adopt a method in order to take hold of it. Once you possess it, the Original Root returns. Then you should hasten to strengthen it and fortify it, to seal it and store it; you will have to “bathe” and “nourish warmly,” to avoid the dangers and ponder the perils, in order to protect the wholeness of that Original Root. Otherwise, you will suffer again from its loss. If you are able to do this, you will have “a body outside your body” and your Spirit will pervade throughout. — Liu Yiming, Cultivating the Tao
Btw. blood sacrifices are still done in some communities and for good reason. In that local tradition an animal is choosen and all dark aspects of the local people is cast upon that beast. It is been chased around the village and afterwards killed and offered to the local spiritworld.
There is more to be found in discussions in Jungian groups on Facebook.
Leo, traditions like these have been important to the human psyche throughout history.
Seeing it through the filter of the teachings of Advaita Vedanta reveals much more. The character Jesus is crucified between two thieves. The crucifixion of the ego and the death of the body (the root thought I-Am-the-body) are accomplished simultaneously. When the root thought subsides in Pure Consciousness, the two thieves Desire and Fear (duality) also die.
The Gospel of Philip gives the following:
“It is not possible for anyone to see anything of the things that actually exist unless he becomes like them. This is not the way with man in the world: he sees the sun without being a sun; and he sees the heaven and the earth and all other things, but he is not these things. This is quite in keeping with the truth. But you saw something of that place, and you became those things. You saw the Spirit, you became spirit. You saw Christ, you became Christ. You saw the Father, you shall become Father. So in this place you see everything and do not see yourself, but in that place you do see yourself – and what you see you shall become.”
In other words, All is One; All is Self; All is Consciousness.
Though deciphering the spiritual message of the Bible is very revealing as a post mortem examination, one must wonder why both literalists and interpreters still cling to the book, when presently we have available much clearer pointers to the Direct Path of the gnostics from others, such as Sri Ramana Maharshi, Michael James (“Happiness and the Art of Being”), Rupert Spira, Sri Atmananda (“Atma Darshan”) and many others.
Every thing points to something else. Question everything.
Jack…
A very insightful comment. Thank you for the additional words and thoughts!
Right on, Joshua!
I’ve read a majority of the articles here, and whereas I’ve noticed a lot of discussion that correlates biblical scripture and Eastern spiritual concepts, I haven’t seen that much here that relates Biblical scripture to nonduality and Self-enquiry. While I see nonduality and Self Enquiry more clearly in the Nag Hammadi Library, I do see it in the Bible.
I wondered how some Advaita might add to the discussion.
The finger is pointing to the Moon. If you only look at the finger, you will never see the Moon, to which the finger is only pointing.
How can the eye see itself without a mirror?
Hi Jack,
When checking the latest articles for any new comments that might have come in in the last few weeks I noticed yours and it interested me. I am very interested in hearing different approaches coming from other traditions which deal with the same material we are dealing with on the blog. So if you can share something about Advaita (nonduality if I remember correctly) in simple terms, then I would love it if you would do so. However, as an addition to and not instead of, if you understand what I mean. I love to read about different approaches, standing side by side, and without a claim to superiority because one approach might be the best for one person and another for someone else. And aspects of one approach might be a useful addition and help for another but only when they are not in competition.
You write: “I haven’t seen that much here that relates Biblical scripture to nonduality and Self-enquiry.” Well, maybe not in these same words but I often mention that my essential points are unity in diversity and unconditional love. The numerical value of both words in Hebrew, echad and ahava, is thirteen, which number is the phase of transformation for the Mayas. Unity in diversity is the opposite of duality and separation, and as such nonduality in my view. As far as Self-enquiry is concerned, I for one may not have mentioned that concept by any name but it is certainly an essential part of the process of the crucifixion of the ego that I but also others are writing about. You could not even begin without it. When terms from one tradition are not literally mentioned in the tradition of another, it does not necessarily mean that those concepts are not there.
Then you write: “The finger is pointing to the Moon. If you only look at the finger, you will never see the Moon, to which the finger is only pointing.” That is very true but it is a truth that we in all traditions have to remain aware of because in all traditions the possibility is always there that we will lose sight of it. I kind of felt that you were referring to one tradition only and that I do not like, but I might be mistaken of course. Let us just all keep aware of that danger, regardless from what tradition we come or to which we belong.
Hi Anny. I am rereading NOS (new old stock) on SOS. Jack may not have noticed but i just read your comment.
I have been watching some interviews on youtube.lately about advaita. Patrick Kicken is interviewing knowledgable people about that subject.. i believe he calls this serie ‘alles over niets’ (all about nothing).
In one interview he let Jan van den Oever talk. Amazing insight (imo). In short : without duality non-duality cannot be known (my words, not his, but i know you like to have the substance not the finger to it. Little joke :).
Anyway i believe it to be very much in line with your ideas.
I mailed Patrick Kicken to find a transcript of the interview. If available i will try to translate what Jan says. In short (my idea) after this interview Jan no longer advocates advaita per se. He makes some very worthwhile comments about ‘perceiving truth’.
Hi Joshua,
I’ve been searching for answers diligently for the past couple of years. Your posts have fed my soul with what I’ve been hungry for. I need to make an effort into making time for meditation and allow for the true work to begin. The age old question I have, was there a literal Christ known as Jesus who walked among his children?
Thank you,
Ken
It’s the wrong question. Who is the searcher? To whom does the question arise? Who is the meditator?
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Where?
“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)
Go within! How?
“Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10)
It’s the wrong question. The question is for the worldly and points outward. The question is only a thought. What is your direct experience? Do you see a physical person Jesus Christ walking in your midst at the present moment? Do you see a past in front of you at the present moment, or is that past only a thought? All thoughts veil Reality.
The Bible is a riddle of riddles that points to the truth. It’s a mystery, as long as thought (ego) veils the truth.
Jesus (salvation) is the finger pointing to the Moon. The Moon is the Mind. Stop looking at the finger, and look at the Moon.
Who is the searcher? To whom does the question arise? Who is the meditator? I am. Hold onto the ‘I’, and the mystery is revealed in Silence.
“Names given to the worldly are very deceptive, for they divert our thoughts from what is correct to what is incorrect. Thus one who hears the word “God” does not perceive what is correct, but perceives what is incorrect. So also with “the Father” and “the Son” and “the Holy Spirit” and “life” and “light” and “resurrection” and “the Church (Ekklesia)” and all the rest – people do not perceive what is correct but they perceive what is incorrect, unless they have come to know what is correct. The names which are heard are in the world […] deceive.” (Gospel of Philip, Nag Hammadi Library)
The Riddle
The four gospels contain various contradictions, which indicates that none of it should be taken literally and that it is another parable.
Before the crucifixion, Pilate offered to release one of the condemned. Pilate suggested that the people choose Jesus bar Joseph (son of increase) of Nazareth (the guarded one), who Pilate repeatedly found innocent and was very reluctant to condemn. The people chose to free Barabbas (SON OF THE FATHER) – Aha! Some translations of Matthew identify Barrabas as Jesus Barabbas (the savior, son of the father) – Aha!
John tells us that Jesus (the savior) carried his cross all the way to Golgotha (place of the skull), but the synoptic gospels report that Simon (one who hears) the Cyrene was given the task of carrying the cross of the savior. The Dead Sea Scrolls also disagree on exactly what happened. One text has Jesus saying that he changed form, escaping death by possessing another body, but other texts have Jesus referring to being raised from the dead. Was Simon (the one who hears) crucified in his stead? Or does the role of the one who hears point to something else? He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Perhaps the one who hears will understand that which the savior is actually teaching us.
Matthew, Mark and John have Jesus giving up the ghost immediately after being given “vinegar”, after hanging on the cross for only three hours, when it usually took one to three days (an average of 12 hours) for crucifixion to lead to death. What was this vinegar? The meanings of words aren’t necessarily the same today as in the past. The consumption of vinegar that immediately preceded his giving up the ghost is pointing to something.
Whereas today vinegar refers to diluted acetic acid, biblical resources identify vinegar as sour wine*. Why did Jesus give up the ghost immediately after being given this sour wine? This sour wine points to the wine and gall that was offered to the condemned as a mercy to dull the pain of crucifixion. Matthew, Mark and John tell us that Jesus refused the drink prior to the crucifixion. The mixture of wine and gall is a powerful opiate. The story tells us that Jesus was drugged and presumed dead. When Pontius (belonging to the sea) Pilate (armed with a spear) questioned the early death, the side of Jesus was pierced with a spear, and blood flowed! Think about the medical evidence. If blood flowed, the blood had not settled to the lower extremities.
John gives us more medical evidence, telling us that after the body of Jesus was entombed, Nicodemus (victory of the people) brought ointment and spices and wrapped the body in cloth imbued with the ointment. What was the main property of the prepared ointment? It was purgative and would have purged the opiate and revived the body.
There are other contradictions between the gospels, but this is enough to lead to some serious scrutinizing of what church doctrine and dogma would have us believe.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
All words point to something. Look closely at the words – names of people, places and things.
Jesus is often quoted as referring to himself as the Son of Man. Son of Man simply means mankind. Jesus represents mankind. The story of Jesus IS Our Story.
* Refer to “An Affair at Golgotha” for sources, as well as a complete exposition of the current claims.
* Simon (one who hears) OF Cyrene (a wall; coldness; the floor)
What could that mean? A wall is a divider, a separator. Another meaning for Nazareth is the separated. Hmm…
** That should have been “An Affair ON Golgatha”.
I might have made other minor errors. I wrote it mostly from memory.