EDEN
THE TREE OF LIFE
AND THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON
BY THE WAY OF THE REVELATION OF JOHN
Once
the soul of man came into being, he/she found himself caught between two worlds
-- i.e., that of this physical world, and the spiritual world that lies beyond
the realm of souls. In this
we can begin to see the problem: The soul of man was caught in limbo, and could
not return to the Source of his/her being without that part of itself which was
represented in its lower nature and manifest in this world of gross physical
manifestation.
Thus was born the journey of Mind in which the soul was forced to embark
upon in it's search for Completion.
I use the word Mind, because the soul of man is Pure Mind that is the result of
the balance of the spiritual and physical natures of man.
As the fetus is born and progresses through
the stages of infant, childhood, adolescent, and mature adult, it is important
for us to recognize that the mind expands as the body evolves through each stage
of physical development. Once
it is therefore realized that organic man is the physical manifestation of mind
that is not only the opposite polarity of his spiritual self, but that in the
same way the mind develops in conjunction with the physical development of
the body, the same is true with respect to man's soul and spiritual natures.
In knowing this fact, it is then easier for us to realize the great importance
that this world plays in the Divine Pattern of our Creator God.
In the beginning all souls were equal and
the same.
As that part of us developed in this physical world, our soul
correspondingly grew in wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
Thus, the key to all true growth was discovered by the ancients who
endeavored to know themselves and their Creator God -- which key was seen in the
fulfillment of the Universal Law: “We can never
possess any greater amount of truth than we are able to live and manifest in our
lives in word, thought and deed”.
And as that part of us which was in this world began to open his/her eyes to the
Greater Truth of Creation, and actually begin to live its lives in accordance
with that Truth, this caused the physical to develop in ways that was beyond the
perception of carnal man, which in turn initiated great evolution of Mind from
the perspective of the soul.
While the greater majority of people
continued to be very much a class of barbarians who populated the earth, there
remained a few who overcame the physical elements of the body-vessel in which
they inhabited, and they arose to a state of highly developed spiritual
maturity.
Among these few there were still a lesser number who were the followers
and disciples of that Being who lived as Jesus in the first century of our
Common Era. He had been an
Essene many times prior to that life -- and as Jacob I came to be Jesus’
disciple, because I had been his follower and disciple in numerous lifetimes
since the earliest of times in the course of human history.
Throughout the earth there were great masters
in search of spiritual knowledge and their Source of Being.
Some of these master’s teachings remain with us, and are known to us in the form
of the various religions of the world which have evolved out of man’s long past. But the Essenes and their Teacher possessed a wisdom
and knowledge that had yet to be discovered by these lesser masters from around
the world. Thus, the
teachings of The Way was born among the Essenes, who called themselves the
people of the New Covenant.
And as the soul who lived as Jesus himself became the first Prodigal Son to
return to the Kingdom of Light, he became the Master of The Way that all of us,
his brothers and sisters, had to follow.
But what does that mean?
To follow does not mean to believe in a philosophical manner -- but rather, to
pick up our own cross and follow in the Master’s footsteps on our journey as the
prodigal sons along The Way to the Kingdom.
We accomplish the by endeavoring to learn the Royal Law of God, and then
manifesting its tenets, oracles and knowledge in our daily lives.
Thus, we must not only seek to learn and know the Truth and the Light and
The Way, but we must ourselves become possessed by the Truth and the Light and
The Way.
In order to accomplish this, and begin/resume
our journey in The Way, there can be no room in our lives for anything other
than Truth.
If a church doctrine is not the Truth, then it must be left behind.
The same can be said for celebrations, traditions, and attachments to the
culture of the world in which we are presently living.
Even in the case of our most intimate relationships -- these
relationships must be either molded and developed in the Light of the Truth, or
left behind in our search for Completeness.
Thus, while many of the lesser masters of the worlds many religions
sought to sever the disciple from not only the desires attached to the physical
body, the Hebrews and Essenes perceived an important element in the Divine
Pattern of Creation that the others did not. Instead of denial, they
placed great importance on developing these desires and intimate relationships
in order to transcend the physical and manifest the highest level of Godliness
that the prodigal sons could achieve.
From a New Covenant perspective, the
key is not in denial, as was expounded by the Apostle Paul and the masters of
many of the worlds religions -- but rather, by taking the physical body -- it's
senses and desires -- and developing man's physical reality into the Highest
Expression of Godliness! While
admittedly, this is not easily accomplished. In fact, it is often easier
to subdue the physical body and its appetites, than to raise them up to a
higher level. The problem is that it is absolutely necessary,
because man cannot be Complete without that part of himself that is manifest in
this physical reality. Thus, to accomplish this, the disciple
of the Light needed to possess great wisdom, understanding and knowledge as
he/she became fully immersed in the teachings of The Way.
What was born out of this endeavor came to be known as the knowledge of the Tree
of Life -- which incorporated the knowledge of the workings of the twelve
spheres of mind as it interacted with the physical and spiritual natures of man.
In scripture and the teachings of The Way,
it does not matter if we are speaking about the twelve tribes of Israel, or the
twelve disciples of Christ, what is being portrayed in the spiritual language of
the Bible is the workings of the Laws of Nature and of God as these Laws, realms
and dimensions of consciousness interact with the twelve spheres of mind, as
seen in the words: “And the LORD God said, The
man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed
to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live
forever… He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which
is in the paradise of God… Then the angel showed me the river of the water of
life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down
the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the
tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And
the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations… Blessed are those who
do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may
enter through the gates into the city” (Gen 3:22; Rev
2:7;22:1-2 NIV; 22:14NKJ).
In order for the disciple in search of Truth and Light to walk in The
Way, they must connect the teachings of the Tree of Life which is portrayed in
Genesis, with that of the Revelation.
Students of Hebrew Mysticism will
immediately note that the above pictorial diagram of the Tree of Life is very
different than what they have traditionally studied.
In fact, one only has to perform a search on the internet to quickly realize
that what is presented herein is not the same as what is taught either directly
by Jewish sources and authorities, New Age philosophers, or what is known as the
Theosophical Society/Movement. Why
is this Tree of Life portrayed differently? Because while the
Jewish sages from ancient time did not reveal the most important elements of
their oral teachings to those who were not deserving to receive them, and the
Gentile Philosophers have for the most part never possessed a complete and total
picture of the inner most teachings of the Hebrew Essene/Ebionites.
In this time of spiritual restoration, though, I have been permitted to
reveal the portrayal of the Tree of Life in the same manner it was first taught
to me by the Son of God.
Unlike the traditional teachings which can be
learned by ether Jewish or Non-Jewish sources, it is important to note that the
bottom sphere has only one entrance point into the body of the ten spheres --
and perhaps even more important is the additional sphere with only one path
leading to the upper most sphere.
Again, unlike traditional teachings on the Tree of Life, that additional sphere
which provides the connecting link to the upper most sphere, can be best
understood as the physical body of man, and is associated the sphere of
Intellect. Why Intellect?
It is the best word that I can use in the English language which would
indicate the manner in which the believer/disciple uses their wisdom,
understanding and knowledge throughout every aspect of their lives.
Again we must rely upon the Great Law that man can never possess any more
knowledge than he is able to live!
Thus, it is this last sphere that either limits and inhibits our growth and
development, or acts as a gate which opens to us the Kingdom of God.
In this sphere the fruits (knowledge) of all the other spheres must be
applied in order to bring about the Application of the Word in the life of the
believer/disciple -- and it is in this sphere where we can then find the very
essence of the teachings of The Way.
The sincere person in search of Truth will come to understand the meaning of the
other symbol which incorporates the Star of David. It is here that we will not only see the upper heavenly
triad brought into total harmony with the lower earthly triad, but also the six
outer and six inner (twelve) points that must be brought into the proper
conjunction with the Laws of Heaven and Earth, in order to bring about the
perfection and completion necessary to receive the Anointing of the Light.
That the Star of David is here depicted in the Eternal Circle, is
significant of the ring that is placed upon the finger of the prodigal son who
has returned to the Kingdom. While in this portrayal I have added the traditional
cross, which is a non-biblical symbol of Pagan origin, it is here used to
symbolize the opening of the teachings of The Way to the non-Essene/Ebionite
world of the Gentiles, and further symbolizes the process of overcoming the
physical body-vessel mind in the crucifixion of the lower nature of man.
THE JOURNEY INTO THE LIGHT:
Every day the faithful flock of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim believers pray
to their God for Truth.
In fact, people the world over are constantly beseeching their God to
open their mind to the higher revelation of the Truth.
Even the Atheists call upon God to reveal Himself if He is truly the
Supreme Power of Creation. Christians believe that Jesus is the Truth -- and they
are right! The Jewish people
are not quite sure what Jesus was -- and they are right!
Muslims believe that the majority of Christians and Jews do not
understand the essence of their own respective religions -- and they are right!
There are people the world over who are in search of the Truth -- and if
they are willing to live in accordance with the Royal Law that Jesus revealed
(James 2:8), it is the Will of the Eternal that they should possess the Truth
they seek.
In the same way that we cannot redefine
marriage to suit our own philosophy, Jesus ordained a manner of thinking
(mindset) and living that is absolutely essential to enter into a covenant
relationship with the Lord.
With respect to the Kingdom, the Bible warns us that:
“Nothing impure will ever enter it”
(Rev 21:27 NIV). In
acknowledgement of this biblical proclamation, we have no choice but to conclude
that a person who embraces Pagan religious doctrines cannot enter into the
Kingdom because of the impurity of their beliefs.
A person who thinks in accordance with the mindset of our present-day
culture cannot enter into the Kingdom, because of the impurity of their minds. To enter into the Kingdom we must enter into a marriage
covenant with the Light, and whatever impurities we possess will inhibit and
limit that covenant.
We pray for Truth -- and in answer to your
pleading for a greater understanding, what I will then reveal to you in this
book is the foundational covenant-marriage mindset that Jesus taught to his
disciples that prepared them for their journey into the Light.
Jesus did not teach his disciples a series of doctrines of belief -- but
rather, he taught them the Application of the Sphere of Intellect which can only
be understood in the manner we must live, so we are able to open the
“gate” and walk in
“The Way” -- which is the true name for the religion that Jesus
inaugurated. And what is The
Way? It is the path in life
that every person must walk in order for them to embrace the Ultimate Truth that
the Eternal God desires each and every one of us to possess.
Walking in The Way is the destiny of every soul that has ever existed.
What you are about to read is the result of
what I learned as a first century follower of the man known today as Jesus.
In the many places that the scriptures speak of God raising up a prophet
to guide the faithful flock into The Way, then in my case, this is again true in
our own time.
Throughout the last twenty-five years of my
life the Hand of God has been upon me -- teaching me, developing me, and
revealing to me the things that I must know in order to witness to the faithful
flock who desire to know the Truth, enter into a covenant relationship with the
Lord, and walk in The Way that He Ordained.
As all genuine prophets that are raised up, I am a witness who proclaims to the
people that the day of the Lord is about to come.
I will neither speak from my own accord, nor will I attempt to tell you
what to believe -- for such is the way of the false prophets which the evil one
ordains to lead men astray.
What I will reveal to you is the means by which you will be able to arise from
the darkness of this world, and yourself walk in The Way, in order that you
might be able to sit at the feet of the True Prophet and know the Revelation of
the Mysteries of God for yourself.
As in the past, the path that leads to The
Way has been blocked and obstructed by the god of this world.
Because of these obstructions, the faithful flock can no longer perceive
The Way that leads to Life with a clear vision and certainty.
One of the paramount problems they encounter is they attempt to move in a
large group -- i.e., feeling safe in numbers -- and they forget the words that
many are called but few are chosen.
The obstructions that block the path of the
flock of believers are caused by the fact that the modern church has become
immersed in the traditions and doctrines of generation upon generation of people
who called themselves Christians, but were not faithful to the Word. The result is that Christians today suffer in a state
of spiritual disenfranchisement, because the faithful flock has become alienated
from many essential points that were contained in the Original Gospel message.
In order to remove these obstacles, and once again walk in The Way, what
the people need is Light shown upon the doctrines which, over the course of
history, have become a part of the common faith.
This is absolutely necessary in order that we might see and understand
what we believe more clearly.
But be forewarned: The powers of darkness that endeavor to continue to enslave
the mind of man will attempt to discredit the Truth, and empower the children of
darkness to attack the children of the Light.
Know for a fact, then, that while it is within your power to inherit the
promise of the Word, unless you make a whole-hearted genuine effort to seek the
Truth, and you are willing to walk in solitude with the Lord, you will be
confused, and your path to Life will continue to be obstructed.
The reality that we must come to terms with
is that we are two thousand years removed from the time when the New Testament
scriptures were authored. To
the detriment of the modern believer, the scriptures that we presently use are
not in their original condition.
I understand that many fundamentalist groups will ardently oppose the idea that
our Bible is not in the same condition as when it was written, but regardless of
what these groups proclaim, the truth is easily demonstrated.
Before we can come to terms with the fact
that our Bible has been altered, we must first understand why is has been
altered.
In the same way that at Luke 17:20-21 many of our Bible translations have
Jesus proclaim to the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God is in their midst --
meaning that Jesus was the coming of the Kingdom -- rather than properly
translate the Greek text which means the Kingdom of God is within all of
mankind, what we must understand is the fact that these erroneous biblical
translations were not intended to deceive, but to clarify the text in order for
it to be more easily understood.
When we say, then, that our biblical texts from which we make our translations
have been severely edited, they were not edited to deceive, but to reflect and
support church doctrine and tradition.
What we must come to terms with is the fact
that the Pagan Christians of the past truly believed that they knew the truth.
The fact that they took the writings of an alien society of religious
people -- a people who had been condemned as heretics -- and reinterpreted them
in order to make then compatible with the thinking of the (Pagan-heathen) people
who adopted these writings, is a fact of history that can easily be proven.
Once we begin to understand this truth, we will then be able to come to
terms with the fact that those who corrupted the scriptures did not want to
deceive future generations of believers -- but rather, they clarified the
scriptures in the endeavor to protect the believers from what they viewed as
heresy. In most instances, they not
only thought they were doing good, but they often believed that they were
inspired by the Holy Spirit to remove what they viewed as the interpolations of
the heretics.
In truly embracing the message of the Bible,
we can begin to recognize one of the great pitfalls that have snagged many
people over the course of human history.
Every person who endeavors to search for the Truth must come to terms with the
fact that the greater evil in this world is brought about by misinformed and
misguided people who truly believe they are doing good.
Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Marx, Darwin, as well as our present day
generation of misguided politicians, all believe they are acting in the best
interests of mankind. Those
people in our present day society who are attempting to mold our children in
accordance with either a fundamentalist or liberal agenda, all believe they are
acting in the child’s best interests.
The Communists and Socialists who are fervently striving to modernize and
socialize our Constitutional form of government, all see themselves as helping
us to find a better way. The
Atheists and social-reformers who are very much in control of our nation’s
public school curriculum and agenda, are merely attempting to enlighten the
minds of the children whose parents continue to cling to what they view as
bazaar religious superstition.
It is therefore impossible for us to come to terms with the defilement of the
scriptures, until we first begin to realize that the very people who corrupted
the Bible were truly motivated by a desire to clarify the gospel, and insure
that the faithful flock of believers were not seduced into being misled by what
they viewed as Jewish lies and Gnostic deceptions.
Contrary to what modern Christians would
like to believe with regard to the purity of the scriptures, the Bibles we use
today very much reflect the carnal thinking and doctrines of the very Pagan
Church of the Roman Empire that came into existence in the fourth century.
Under the title of Bible in the Church, the Encyclopedia of Religion
and Ethics writes: “In the first two
centuries nearly all the various readings of the New Testament came into
existence, the majority of them by deliberate alteration of the text, many for
the sake of style, and several in the interests of dogma... Often readings were
rejected as falsifications of heretics, but often the heretics were right in
their counter-complaint... Every province, every order, every monastery, has a
tradition of its own...”
If every province, every order, and every
monastery in the first two centuries had their own version of the scriptures
which supported their favorite doctrines of belief, then what do we have left
today?
The problem is that we will continue to be misinformed and misdirected
with regard to the condition of our scriptures, until we can come to terms with
the true reason as to why they were edited and changed in the first place.
Moreover, that God permitted the editing and rewriting of the scriptures
is fundamentally for the same reason that most fundamentalist Christians reject
today -- i.e., to meet and serve the needs of the people who would eventually be
converted to the Truth.
If it is true that every province, order, and
monastery had their own version of the scriptures that reflected their favorite
doctrines of belief, then we must come to terms with two distinct realities that
have alienated us from the Pure Word of God in our present day.
If the above quotation is correct in its assertion that in the second
century the scriptures were initially altered to make them support the dogma of
the various Gentile religious groups who used them -- then we must further
understand that the later copyists again changed the scriptures because they in
turn saw what they perceived as many interpolations and faults that were
introduced into the text, and they attempted to again alter the scriptures in an
effort to restore the Bible to its original form.
Each succeeding group of scriptural corrupters believed they were
inspired by the Holy Spirit, and each believed they were doing the will of God.
We can never get a right understanding of the
problem until we first realize that the scriptures were transitioned from one
group of people into the hands of other groups, who were themselves alien to the
first group -- and then again were corrected by still later groups who attempted
to not only fix the original doctrine to more faithfully represent the doctrine
of the church of the fourth century, but to also remove what they saw as the
interpolations of the second and third century Gentile religious groups who
believed entirely different than the church of Constantine that immerged in the
year 325AD.
In their original form, the scriptures were
authored by Hebrew holy men who possessed a heightened and spiritual vision of
the Word and Creation. What
they wrote was then transitioned into the hands of carnally minded Gentile
converts who were imbued with a very Pagan mindset.
Proof that the two groups held entirely different perceptions of both life and
the Word is evidenced by the hostility between the two groups. It was not only that the Gentile convert was of an entirely
different culture, but also that they viewed life through the eyes of a very
carnal mindset. Thus, the
transition was not only made difficult because of a language and culture
barrier, but also because the converts possessed a very mundane and worldly
understanding of life itself.
In the process of transitioning from one
manner of thinking to a totally alien manner of thinking, once the scriptures
were placed in the hands of the Gentile converts, the written word quickly
became altered in order to make it conform to a Gentile-Pagan perception of life
and creation.
When they were finished clarifying and removing what they believed were
errors, interpolations, and passages that were difficult to understand, their
edited versions of the scriptures made perfect sense to their manner of
thinking.
From a cultural perspective, their many
clarifications of the scriptures was something they could live with, while still
embracing their Gentile-Pagan traditions and mindset.
Yet, each time they fixed what they viewed as flaws, and edited the
scriptures in order to make them reflect the truth from their perception, they
diminished the original spiritual essence of the revelation of the Word.
In the initial clarification of the scriptures, they created a transitory
form of the gospel that opened the door for the Christian religion to eventually
enter into a covenant with Rome, and in every way become a secular religion.
The result was that the very spirit and essence of the teachings of The
Way was put to death -- as was the genuine disciples of the Light who still
existed into the fourth century of our Common Era.
What we fail to understand today is the
fact that each clarification and reinterpretation of the written word was
designed to assist the people in their endeavor to embrace the gospel, and was
seen as being good.
We do the same exact thing today when many of our modern biblical
translations interpret Luke 20-21 as the Kingdom of God being in the
“midst” of the people, instead of ”within you”.
The second century Gentile Christians viewed the original versions of the
scriptures as being defiled by a heretical adherence to what they called the
Jewish Law. From a Gentile
perspective, everyone knew that Jesus came to condemn the Jews -- and they
reasoned that the original Jewish followers were unable to grasp the simplicity
of Jesus’ message. In the
same way, the Roman Church of the fourth century viewed the thinking of the
first Christians as too Greek and Hellenistic, and they too were deemed
heretics. In each case, the written word was edited to clarify
the thinking of the heretics who preceded them.
Each generation of Christians believed exactly as we do today -- i.e.,
that they knew Jesus better than the heretics who came before them.
A reality that modern-day Christians fail to
understand is that the scriptures were not edited once, but a number of times as
they were passed into the hands of succeeding groups of believers who held very
different perceptions of what the meaning of the gospel message was.
The problem is that these edited versions of the scriptures has caused
the thinking of the modern Christian to be so alienated from the essence of what
Jesus actually taught, that when a more genuine copy of the scriptures is placed
in their hands today, they condemn and reject the very Word of God they search
for. Because we have today
become so accustomed to the thinking and the mindset of the Pagan Christians who
clarified the scriptures at the time of Constantine -- which mindset is in fact
supported by Darwin and the Theory of Evolution -- that many modern believers
would become enraged by what they would see if they could view an original copy
of their own Bibles.
In the same way that the church was
transitioned -- one step at a time -- from spiritual to carnal, the first
objective of this book will be to begin the process of reverse transitioning of
the mind. Step by step we must
start at the point where we will again begin to perceive the root teachings of
the Spiritual Gospel of Christ emerge.
Without this transitioning, if an unedited copy of the Bible were placed
in the hands of the present-day church, they would spit upon, condemn, and
attempt to destroy the more pure copy of their own scriptures -- and call it the
work of the devil.
The alienation of the flock of believers from
the Pure Word by the traditions and doctrines of men -- traditions which have in
many instances been written directly into the scriptures -- makes it more
difficult for the Eternal God to answer the prayers and supplications of the
Christian today. How can our
Heavenly Father answer our prayers when we beseech Him to grant us a greater
understanding of the Word, when we have been alienated from many important
foundational concepts by the many generations of Hellenistic, Pagan, and Secular
Christians before us?
If we expect God to just zap our minds and
reveal Himself and the Pure Word to our understanding, then we are in fact
embracing the same exact mindset as the Atheist who demands that God must make
Himself known to them on their terms.
In this respect, the modern believer is very much synonymous with the Atheist --
i.e., each demands that God submit Himself to their demands and conditions.
Each group equally ignores the warning of the Bible itself with respect
to the teaching that God must be sought out by the disciple in search of the
Truth, and is revealed to the individual who has cleansed himself from the
defilements of this world, one step at a time.
Thus, this great truth is in fact the very meaning of the essence of New
Covenant thought with respect to walking in The Way -- i.e., if one does not
first begin, and then continue in the journey and quest for the Light and Truth,
then the transition of the individual from a natural-carnal being, to a
Spiritual and Anointed being, is never accomplished.
Does God love us? This
is not even part of the equation!
God loves us enough to permit us to learn our lessons of life, and evolve into
the maturity of true Children of our Eternal Father.
To begin to perceive our greater destiny, we
must also understand that the promise of the scriptures is true with respect to
the continual assertion that the Lord always attempts to answer the prayers of
the faithful believers. Thus,
we are presented with two biblical factors that have been brought together in
the creation of a great divide -- with the question being whether history will
again repeat itself. When the
prayers of those who are calling upon the Lord for greater truth are answered,
the question is whether they will set aside the error of the past to embrace the
Truth? The answer to this
question will be disturbing to many people today -- i.e., it is my prediction
that a great number of modern believers will reject the Word of God when it is
presented to them in a more Pure form, and they will not be able to embrace the
Truth that the Lord will place in their hands in answer to their own prayers.
To contact the author: Allan_Cronshaw@nazirene.org
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