Evil = disorder

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was the knowledge of being like Yahweh: able to surpass natural laws. Yahweh said that he makes peace and evil. It is not written that he creates good and evil, but rather it is peace and evil. 

To have peace, is "to be free from disorder", and evil is "overreaching bounds". When man became like the god of this world, he became unruly and uncontrollable. With the ability to manipulate his environment, ego ran amuck, and Eden was supplanted with suffering.

Judaism is the first monotheistic religion: the first culture where it was only the elders who administered the rites; only the priests handled the supernatural. Sorcerers became outlawed in society, and the Holy Book shows numerous prohibitions against magic.

Then Jesus began his ministry and forgave occult practices, as exemplified through Simon Magus. Jesus called his people "sheep", and this was not just referring to his followers, but also to those who rejected their birthright. Sheep are generally not egotistical; they follow other sheep, even if it leads to their demise. They also herd together, as they are generally defenceless animals, and there is strength in numbers. In being united with the Shepherd we have his peace where we may be gods without anarchy.

Jesus is called the "logos", which means "order" by definition, and has been so for hundreds of years before it became known as the Word (Christ incarnate). Now, the Shepherd has protected us from disarray: we are offered peace and rest. He said that we are gods, though we die as humans do. Since Jesus came to bring eternal life, we are being given the opportunity to have eaten from the Tree and yet still live. He is "the way", whereby we may obtain our godhood, and still have peace.

We have been offered a loophole: Jesus is the door which we pass through by way of the narrow gate; narrow, because there is a strict method which we must follow, in order to produce the fruits that is achieved by balancing humility and eminence. We may now access God within, without having to leave our father, Abraham.

With the law now being in our hearts, we may see beyond what is written on stone, and observe the boundless, while still maintaining the discipline of our patriarchs.

Christ, the Water Bearer

We must walk before we may run. We were made gods, independent and immortal, but when we tried to access our divinity before it was our time, our power was revoked. Even Jesus said no, when his time had not yet come. (John 2.4) Our dis-ease of greed, pride, and lust were born, and we became reliant on a sort of redemption.

We now experience death (John 10.34 and Psalm 82.6-7). Jesus reminded us of our nature, and in announcing that the kingdom of God is within us, gave us his blessing to pursue our divinity. (Luke 17.21) Whether deserved or not, and it is most certainly not, God is allowing for us to return to our godhood - unity with him.

Christ said that he was to be lifted up, just as the saving bronze snake by Moses was lifted in the desert (John 3.14 and Numbers 21.8-9). Now it is time to imitate as children do (Matthew 18.3), and raise the snake within. 

The ancient teaching of the kundalini: the sleeping serpent coiled in the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine, which means "holy" in Latin because it was used in sacrifice, is returning to us. In death, which we experience by being cut off from God, and so denied of our life force, it was believed that we went to sleep; there was no afterlife. Jesus taught us that not only is there an afterlife, but that we will never again experience death: When Jesus died and was resurrected, he prepared us for salvation.

This snake is our energy that is God's which is given to us, and in turn becomes our own divinity. When awakened from its slumber, made dormant upon our misunderstanding of what sin is, we return to our divine state. The yogis claim that the Church will fall with the passing of the Age of Pisces, the Fish, which is Christ's symbol, when we move into the house of Aquarius, symbolized by the Sacrum, which holds the water of life that the Water Bearer provides. But it is Jesus who brings the living water. (John 4.10-4) Christ said that we must be reborn of Spirit and of water (John 3.5), and that he will return to save us through the cleansing waters of baptism in the form of the Water Bearer.

There are numerous verses in the Bible where it would appear that the Trinity is false, and are used in argument against Christianity. But the passages that define Christ's relationship to the Father are an explanation of how we too are to be united with God. Verses such as "The Father is in me, and I in the Father" (John 10.38), "Glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you." (John 17.1), and "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God." (John 8.42), can show a placement of the serpent, when we read them in the context of recognizing the kingdom within. While the Jews were waiting for the Temple to be rebuilt, Jesus told them that rather it was the body that was the Temple. Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit dwells within us now.

Yesterday (02/10/13) also marked the Year of the Snake in the Chinese lunar year. The Chinese zodiacs further include Wu Xing, which are elements used to describe a phase that is connected to that year, and range from interaction between the body as a collective, relationships with others, and the state of worldly affairs. This year, the Phase is Water, and represents the low point of matter, where it's dying or hiding. It could appear that the Church is dying in this new age of rebellion and apostasy, but in reality it is just hidden, waiting for a Revelation, which the last book in the New Testament is about: the end, and what is to come to light. In the new age, information will be free and flowing, and there will be no more secrets.

With the serpent playing a core role in our union with the divine throughout the ages, and the Age of Aquarius being correlated to that, it is possible that the Water Bearer will be Christ's new form.

Suffering is a gift from God

The Lord did not create us to suffer, but rather to tend to others, as shown when Jesus said the last will be first, and that he had come to serve. (Matthew 20.27-8) We know that Jesus is the Messiah, because he fulfilled  the prophecies in Isaiah, including what is written about he who will proclaim the good news: the injured wounds' will be bound, and the captives will be set free. (Isaiah 61:1) Jesus told us that if we do not love our neighbour, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 22.36) Paul reiterates Christ's purpose to alleviate other's pain, when he says that we will fulfill the law of Christ when we carry each other's burdens. (Galatians 6.2)

It is in our pain that we grow sympathetic, and so then become a ready vessel to be filled with the Spirit, in which we may alleviate the suffering of others. Hardship is natural, and is therefore good.

But to be depressed, wrapped in a spell of perpetual suffering, is not normal: it is a defect of character which causes resistance to recover from the initial shock of the distress, where we then forfeit our purpose. It is the inability to be grateful for what we do not suffer for, though it is in gratitude whilst suffering that we may receive God's grace, for this prepares us a way through which to serve.

To refuse inspiration is the opposite of service, and is contradictory to our instincts. But more seriously, it is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: the rejection of God's healing love, and this is the one unforgivable sin. (Mark 3.28-9)

When we are victimized, we are not being helpful; instead we are denying life itself, which is the Lord's gift to us. This transgression against God's will, which is to serve in his excellence, is poison to us for it is in our composition to build from hardship, and then to help others, and it is in our compassion where we may enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 22.36-39)

On Hell

Hell has been thought to be a place of fire and brimstone, because of the verse where Jesus says that the wheat will be separated from the tares during the harvest, and the bad will be thrown into the fire.

This has been misused fire itself, and has caused much pain between brethren, even though Christ came to comfort us. I assert that those substantially different, purgatory is also a fire, and can feel like our understanding of hell. Yet we all experience purgatory: it is the trials that hurt us deeply, but then we rise from them and become stronger and more efficient. Fire refines us, and this can be shown in numerous Bible passages.

We are taught that there is one act that can keep us in an eternal fire, and this is called "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit": the rejection of God. To follow through with God's laws and commandments, are not enough - if we do not love one another, then our works are dead: we are not saved.

John warns us that he who does not love one another remains in death. Jesus is love, so to reject love and compassion, is to reject the Christ.

"Sin" means "Missing". To be in sin, is to be away from God. To be away from God is to be in hell. When we are in purgatory, we feel as though God has abandoned us, but he has not; this is where hell differs from purgatory. In hell, God is truly absent.

Though this might sound dire, it is not, for God so loved the world that he came down to Earth to die on a tree and take up our collective curse. Therefore, acceptance, and the repentance that follows, is all that is needed to be back in God's love. In essence, God simply wants to be loved, just as we all do.

Jesus tells us that he provides the living water. Jesus ministered in the desert, where water was scarce. In the desert, people burn. Christ came to offer us hope and comfort. With Christ, we no longer burn, we are quenched with peace and love. Amen.

A just God

I am in an online community where we discuss and debate faith. The group took a hit about a month and a half ago, when a bad seed was let in, and not only my own feelings and actions took a downturn, but morale is now at an all time low, even though this person left the group weeks ago. One person questioned God's unpalatable truths recorded in the Old Testament, and started a snowball. There are several posters who years ago rejected God, but who now call him Satan. They are forming allegiances and are feeding from each other. 

An unjust God, who condones the murder of alleged innocents, most notably women and children, is the topic of every thread, and there are only a few people who are able to defend the God of Israel, the God who became the Father of the Western world.

This is my response to one the the posters who will defend Yahweh, a poster whom in the spiral down I attacked, but whom in strife I have seen my fault, and who have reunited with. This is my message to all.

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The belligerent here forget that no one is innocent.

Every last person causes harm, and only the saints, the handful who are absolutely loathed, live thoughtful lives where they care about others, and do no, or minuscule, harm.

Women are of the most treacherous in society. There is a lesson in why Eve fell and then corrupted Adam in turn. This might sound harsh, but I believe that this is a very real and true assessment, and after all that is said and done, I personally could never let a vengeful God drive me from my faith or my duty.

People genuinely hurt others. Greed, envy, sloth - these are called deadly sins for a reason. They destroy communities. Children are called innocent, but they are not. Once they begin to walk, and make mistakes, they lie to cover them up. They manipulate their caregivers to get what they want. There is no "course" for jealousy toward other children, or for coveting. .

I do not fear judgement, nor do I fear the last day when I stand before the Lord. I know that I will be spared, because I have not only accepted my cross and in turn carry it, but I LEARN to neutralize my sins that would verily cause me much pain in this life and in the next. My only fear is that I might test the Lord.

But I know that my pain is finished, it died on the Cross with the Christ. I believe with all of the discernment that the Lord has given me, that in my time on Earth, I will surely drink poison, and yet live.

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Let it be known that the obliterated cultures were abominable not because they did not love the Lord, but because they loved only themselves, thereby showing pure disrespect toward his creation: an ecosystem that is symbiotic, and as such needs to be recognized thereby.

The societies that were destroyed committed incest with children, virgin sacrifice, and was ruled by the law of the jungle. Would it not be better to destroy the wicked, than to have let the wicked destroy those who lived by proportional justice?

Who is innocent. Who deserves the life that they have.

The joy of the 12 Step fellowship

Being in Alcoholics Anonymous has yielded so many results for me. It's a constant work in progress though, of course.

1) Desire to stop fighting with people, and to find some serenity

2) Recognition that I need to protect my serenity, and do what is necessary to achieve that

3) Confidence to stand up for myself and also to stick with people who are not detrimental to me

4) A sense of unity and protection, even though there are naturally some members who are predators

5) Ability to remain sober, without much peer pressure, which shows that my efforts are genuine, and are not fear-based of needing to do something on account of what others will think or say of me

6) In sobriety, my confidence has grown, my complexion has improved, I am more organized, and I am able to do a better job at work, without even making much effort to do so

7) Better relationships, and less anxiety. I also make plans and commitments and keep them, even if I do not want to follow through

8) A place to go and to be excited about. Even when I am not at my best, I look forward to going to my home group, and my unofficial home group

9) Following through with the Steps gives me a sense of purpose, and spiritual growth that is directly related to the works that the saints accomplish

10) The desire to do service and to help other people where ever possible

11) Public speaking skills, from reading in closed meetings when it is my turn, and from going up in front of the audience in open meetings and citing the selected readings as well

12) A sponsor who helps me to not only remain sober, but who also helps guide me through non-related AA concerns as well.

Solomon's Temple and the Whore

Work in progress:

The Whore resembles the Temple, covered in purple, scarlet, glittering with gold and precious stones, and holding a cup of blood (animal sacrifice, which were only allowed at the Temple) (Revelation 17.4-6)

The Whore (Can also be referred to as the Idolatress) is a city (Revelation 17.18) - Jerusalem. 

The Whore of Babylon was a dwelling place for idolatry (Revelation 18.1-4). Solomon built altars to false gods (1 Kings 11.1-6)

Babylon became a dwelling place for demons (Revelation 18.2-3). Manasseh built altars to foreign gods (arguably who became known as demons)  (2 Chronicles 33:5)

The people were intoxicated by her adulteries. Solomon's commitment to false gods could be interpreted to adultery against God. (1 Kings 11.1-5)

The Temple was to be destroyed, never to be rebuilt (Revelation 18.21-4)