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Who is Jesus? And who is Christ? Could there be a Difference?

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Jesus ChristThe questions in the title to this article must be asked separately, and then collaborated, for a true answer. Do that, and with time, all of the New Testament will be unveiled.

That’s a bold statement. I know. But perhaps we can make some headway to the above statements with a few simple explanations that need not ever be deep nor hard to understand. We only have to think like the writers who wrote both the New and Old Testaments. And that means going nonliteral. Only then will all the locked doors of contradictions be opened. [Read more…] about Who is Jesus? And who is Christ? Could there be a Difference?

Prophecy, what is it?

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prophoceyProphecy is a subject that I have never written an article about yet, neither on this blog nor anywhere else. Nor have I thought about it much. At most I addressed it in a few lines in a comment, as a reaction on someone else’s views. It somehow did not speak to me but recently I read a comment on this blog that gave some information about a prophecy of Ezekiel which really gave me food for thought. It also made me realize that there are different kinds of prophecy and wonder what it is all about. Some of these I will address in this article but not all of them as that would go beyond the scope of this article. [Read more…] about Prophecy, what is it?

Transforming the Serpent Ego

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transformed egoIn the last article, part one of this series, we discussed the opening of Genesis chapter 3. We set the stage for how the Bible explains man’s development on the physical plane. We must remember that it is not a literal account, but a spiritual one.

If you remember from the last post, eyes are a symbol for mental perception. When Eve ate the fruit and then gave it to Adam to eat, it is symbolic of the conscious being born and developed fully functioning on the physical plane. Adam and Eve’s eyes being opened mean that mental perception (consciousness) in man came into being. [Read more…] about Transforming the Serpent Ego

Genesis Chapter 3: The Allegory of the Serpent Ego

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serpent on a treeDid God, as an outside agent, create man? Or is there scriptural evidence suggesting that man is an integral part of who God is? In other words, are God and man somehow eternally linked? Are they ONE?

A recent discussion with a friend inspired this upcoming series. I am going to concentrate on Genesis chapter three to provide our answer. I will also use other Old and New Testament scriptures, but I believe Genesis chapter three will be one of the best places to start because the symbolism is obvious. Talking snakes, magical fruit, naked men and women who do not realize they are naked (until they eat the magical fruit!), physical paradise, and omnipotent beings walking through gardens are all contrary to our everyday realities. [Read more…] about Genesis Chapter 3: The Allegory of the Serpent Ego

Lazarus the beggar and the rich man: Understanding Soul Growth and Meaning of Hell

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Lazarus and the rich manAs promised, this post will unveil the esoteric meaning of the beggar Lazarus who died an ended up in Abraham’s bosom, while the rich man died and ended up in what appears to be a description of eternal torment, i.e., hell. Of course the Bible never describes a literal hell in the traditional Christian sense (see part one of this series for more information). The same holds true for the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. [Read more…] about Lazarus the beggar and the rich man: Understanding Soul Growth and Meaning of Hell

Hell: The Fallen Doctrine

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hellWe are all familiar with the concept of the Christian hell: A fiery place of eternal torment where the rich man begged for a drop of water to cool his tongue. Such imagery makes us think that hell is a terrible place. But does the Bible really teach that hell is place of everlasting punishment for those who have rejected God’s ways?

Even the question itself would be ridiculous if you read the Bible without contemporary Christian influence. [Read more…] about Hell: The Fallen Doctrine

The Bible Does Not Condemn Homosexuality: Romans 1:21-23 Proves It

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homosexuality and the bibleI have had many requests for a post on the topic of homosexuality and the Bible. Most have been from people asking for an esoteric perspective. I got the impression that these requests were from straight persons trying to understand how this lifestyle fits in from a spiritual standpoint. Since I am a straight married man myself, I’ve never had a real interest to go into the subject. But I am finally giving in to a recent e-mail asking me to specifically address the topic. [Read more…] about The Bible Does Not Condemn Homosexuality: Romans 1:21-23 Proves It

The Great Controversy: Irenaeus and the Development of the Orthodox Church Part 6

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Bishop_Irenaeus_(Ćirić)This post will cover Irenaeus and Valentinus, and the seeds of Orthodoxy that were beginning to develop in the second century. If you have been keeping up with the first five parts of this series, then you already know that the earliest Christianity had very different beliefs than today’s Orthodoxy. The earliest Christians relied heavily on Jewish tradition. They followed a strict moral code, subjugating their lives to God through a consecrated lifestyle. They believed that the man Jesus completely fulfilled the Law of God and this earned him a great honor. To the earliest Christians, Jesus was savior because he showed mankind the way to the Kingdom of God through obedience and by the teaching of esoteric wisdom (the science of the soul). [Read more…] about The Great Controversy: Irenaeus and the Development of the Orthodox Church Part 6

Valentinus, the Bridal Chamber, and Meditation: Part 5 of the Development of the Orthodox Church

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Gnostic EnlightenmentTo finish our study and truly begin to understand how the Orthodox Church developed, we need to take a close look at Valentinus, who will play a large part of in verbal war of doctrine with Irenaeus and Orthodoxy. I will discuss the life and beliefs of Valentinus first, followed by Irenaeus, and then the exchange between the two as documented by later church fathers such as Tertullian. [Read more…] about Valentinus, the Bridal Chamber, and Meditation: Part 5 of the Development of the Orthodox Church

The Didache, Clement, Hermes and Marcion: Development of the Modern Church Part 4

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Fragmento_filemonThis post will continue our series on the development of Christian Orthodoxy and the Orthodox Church. In part three I said I would get to Valentinus and Irenaeus, but that will have to wait for part five. There is too much important information I couldn’t leave out, which we will discuss here first. We’ll be covering the late first century to the mid second century with just a few—albeit very important—events in our attempt to understand the broader movement and developments of Christianity.

It is important that you realize history is always written by the victor. [Read more…] about The Didache, Clement, Hermes and Marcion: Development of the Modern Church Part 4

The Development of Christianity: Part 3

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gospel of markIn the first two posts of this series we laid some important groundwork about Paul and Gnosticism. Today I’m going to lay a little more groundwork about the synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of Thomas. This is all necessary before we get into the meat of how Orthodox Christianity and the Early Church formed.

Let’s do a brief recap. [Read more…] about The Development of Christianity: Part 3

How Modern Christianity Developed Part 2

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mythical christIn part one of this series, I spoke about the Jesus that Paul preached. I gave five or six reasons and presented more than a few scriptures to justify that Paul’s Jesus was in fact a mythical Christ that served as a model for deeper revelation. Today’s post will continue unveiling some of Paul’s sayings that point to Gnostic principles. This is important ground work and hopefully it will open many doors of understanding for us when we get into how and why the institutionalized church developed (It’s not all about Constantine). [Read more…] about How Modern Christianity Developed Part 2

A Working Timeline for How Modern Christianity Strayed From Its Origins: Part 1

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Gnostic PaulSince it’s the Holiday season and I’m now off work for a few weeks, I’ve been thinking about the Early Church. I’ve been trying to piece together how early Christianity morphed to provide the framework for today’s Christianity. I’ve wrote about Gnostics and true early Christianity before, but I thought it would be fun to dig in and provide the larger picture for how Christianity started and progressed to what it is today. Of course I’m no scholar, and I’m sure there are a lot of things I will get wrong. But I hope I can provide an interesting timeline with some reasonable evidence to point to a working theory. [Read more…] about A Working Timeline for How Modern Christianity Strayed From Its Origins: Part 1