In the words of Seiss' Apocalypse for Revelation 1:17-20 and the threefold nature of the Word: “Religion is knowledge, action, and experience -- three-one”.   If any one of these triune elements are missing, then our religious experience remains stagnant, and cannot be fruitful -- even when planted within the body of faith and belief.   What Seiss is saying is that we may have faith, but unless we act on that faith, we will never experience the fruit of the Word in our lives.   This great truth was perhaps best expressed by James, the brother of Jesus and the first leader of the New Covenant Church when he wrote: “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren” (James 2:20 ASV).

If we are to be successful in our quest for Truth and Light, we must come to the realization that Jesus, our Lord and Master, drew a line in the sand, and warned us not to step over it.   In our liberal ways that we have adopted, it is to our own detriment that we continually ignore the message of Jesus when he revealed the existence of a point of divide that separates the powers and influence of the forces of Light and darkness -- and then warned us that if it is truly our desire to be his disciples, we must not cross over that line.   When our Lord and Master commanded us to “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me” (Matt 11:29 KJV), we must be ever cognizant of the fact that if we cross over the line that Jesus drew, we reject the yoke of Christ, and become servants of what the Apostle calls the powers of darkness that controls this world.   We may call ourselves Christian -- but we are not the disciples of Jesus!

For those of us who believe that the power of adversity exists -- which in the Bible is called Satan -- or the Prince of Darkness -- and that this power is actively working to seduce mankind in any manner that it is able, we must realize that this power of darkness is calling to us personally, and is employing the most inviting and alluring presence that each of us will individually respond to.   Whatever we accept as truth -- or whoever we accept as an authority -- both religious and non-religious -- the god of this world will use to entice us to cross the line which the Lord has drawn.   In this respect, our Lord and Master has warned that the Prince of Darkness will fool the very elect of the church who we accept as an authority (Mat 24:24; Mk 13:22), and he will make them appear to us as the sheep of the Lord -- when in reality, within themselves they will be “ravening wolves” (Matt 7:15 KJV).   More importantly, though, is the fact that the very authorities that we look to -- authorities that are actually under the dominion of the Prince of Darkness, will not know they are under the influence of satanic forces, and they will perceive themselves to be doing good.   In the example of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Evangelical Christians, each view themselves as being approved by God, and the other as being misguided and turned out of The Way.

Like Eve, man is easily seduced.   We are fooled by the god of this world whenever we cross over the line that Christ has drawn and defined, and we are seduced when we fail to perceive it as a process that is taken in incremental steps.   The Prince of Darkness will dangle a custom -- a tradition -- a religious belief or doctrine -- a job -- an opportunity -- a lover -- and even a loved one -- and entice us with a feeling that what has been presented to us feels good and right in order to allure us, and entice us to cross over the line that the Lord has drawn.   We will say: Oh, this doesn't make any real difference -- after all, it's our faith that counts.   In each instance of compromise, we will be allured into making still one more concession by taking yet another step by some person, custom, tradition or material thing that appears to be harmless and even good -- something that we view of little consequence, that matters very little.   In each instance, we will be required to make what appears to be just a small departure from the path that our Lord and Master prescribed for us to walk and live.  

Unlike the Evangelical Christian, the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate Christmas and Easter because they know that these are Pagan high holy days.   Unlike the Jehovah’s Witness, the Seventh Day Adventist observes the biblical Sabbath.   Does it matter that Christians celebrace Pagan holy days and fail to keep the Sabbath?   While it is true that a case can be made where we can view these as just merely superficial departures from the scriptures, it is also true that the difference between the lifestyle and what the original followers of Jesus believed in relation to all present-day Christians would be extreme by any definition of the word.   If the original followers of Jesus were on the side of the line that constitutes being in the world and not of it, where does that leave the believer today?   One of the strongest warnings of the Bible is for the people of God to make absolutely no concession with the customs and people who are outside the church.   When believers ignore this warning, history demonstrates that the results are always the same: Each concession that is made, and each incremental step that is taken, will carry the believer off the path that the Lord prescribed and ordained.  

The result is always seen in the fact that with each concessionary step we take, we will no longer be able to see the line that was drawn.   This fault of making concessions by embracing the customs and mindset of our culture is written about by the Apostle in the words: “But now that you know God -- or rather are known by God -- how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you” (Gal 4:9-11 NIV).

How can we claim to be approved by virtue of the Apostle’s doctrine of faith over works, and yet we not only “…observe special days and months and seasons and years…”, but we indulge in a whole host of worldly cultural celebrations and observances that would literally boggle the mind of Paul if he could see us today!   Did the Apostle advance a doctrine that the believer is saved by faith, in order to free him from physical and moral restraint so he is able to indulge in every sort of mundane, materialistic and sensual gratification that suites his carnal fancy?

In view of the Pagan customs and the heathen and hedonistic culture we embrace today, would not the Apostle speak these very words to us: “I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you”?   If we are to truly walk in The Way, we must recognize the fact that with each concession and incremental step we take which departs from that ordained by Jesus, we will not even be able to recognize that Satan has prevailed in our lives.   What the Bible warns us is that the powers of darkness will seduce us one step at a time -- and when we will have finished making these many concessions in our thinking and lifestyle, the result will always be that the original teachings of the Lord will become foreign to us.   Outwardly we will be fooled: We will still sing songs of praise -- we will pray -- and continue to call upon the name of the Lord -- and regardless of outward appearances, we will be a people who fulfilled the words of the Lord when he said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Matt 15:8 NKJ).

The end result is always predictable: When we attempt to make sense of what we no longer are able to comprehend because of our carnal manner of thinking, we create doctrines that attempt to explain spiritual truths which we don't understand -- and then it is these very doctrines that further alienate us from the spiritual essence of the Revelation of the Word.   We will still say the words that on the surface appear genuine -- we will invoke a series or outward rituals and symbols -- we will in every way appear to be holy in accordance with our vision of the concept.   Like the carnal Jews portrayed in the Bible, we will continue to call upon the name of the Lord -- but because we have been alienated and disconnected from the spiritual essence of the Word, our religious life will continue to remain incomplete.   Thus, in this continuing historical process, Satan prevails, and the believers do not even perceive under whose dominion they dwell.

The religious people of the past -- the people who were condemned by the genuine prophets who were sent by of the Lord -- possessed the same exact fault as we do today.   That they expressed this fault in a different outward appearance, is merely the result of the dissimilar culture from which they emerged.   What the majority of Bible readers fail to recognize is that at its essence, the fault is exactly the same, but because of the differing rhetoric and culture, we fail to perceive our own faults embedded in the very people we condemn in the scriptures as heretics.   Thus, in the eyes of God Who sees through the façade of culture into the heart of all matters, we are self-condemned, because we judge those who possess the same exact flaws as we do.

True repentance, then, which embodies a very serious examination of ourselves, is enhanced when we are able to see our own traits in the people who the Lord found fault in.   For almost two thousand years Gentile Christians have been so consumed in condemning the carnally minded sects of the Sadducees and Pharisees, that they have failed to observe their own error in the people they judge.   In the endeavor to better understand our own shortcomings, we must become very cognizant of the fact that in each case, the religious people of the past were studying and observing the Word of God in their daily lives.   In the example of the Pharisees, they were often known to be the most sincere believers of their time -- and yet, the prophets sent from God found a common flaw in their efforts.   And what was that flaw?   Universally, they were adhering to the scriptures in a carnal, rather than a spiritual manner of thinking.   Thus, in the threefold revelation of the Word, they clung to the body of the scriptures, and ignored the soul and spirit that gives the body meaning and life.   What they failed to see is that a body without a soul and spirit, is a corpse.

Regardless of the claims of many believers who proclaim the simplicity of the Word, and will convey to you the clarity with which they understand the gospel, human experience has proven that the message of the scriptures is not plain and easily discerned.   One of the problems the Bible presents to the reader is that it is multidimensional -- and its multidimensional dynamics are beyond the ability of all but a very few individuals to comprehend and understand the full depth of the great Truths that are revealed.   Proof of this fact is demonstrated in the reality that universally, people from all walks of life open the pages of the scriptures and say: The message that I see is very plain and simple -- and yet, the message they see is in direct conflict and opposition to the uncountable number of doctrines that others have formed from their own very plain and simple perception of the Bible.   Proof of this is easily demonstrated: The Jehovah’s Witness and the Evangelical Christian cannot agree on anything, and each are viewed as extremists by the mainstream all-inclusive churches -- yet each reads and studies the same Bible.

From the perspective of the scriptures, the very assertion by many religious sects that the message of the Bible is very clear must be viewed as a witness against themselves.   On the one hand they proclaim that God is All-Knowing -- All-Seeing -- and He knows every event from the beginning till the end of time.   If this is true, then we must question why God would not have foreseen the great many opinions and conflicting doctrines that would be born from the uncountable number of misconceptions derived from the Bible?  

Ask yourself a truly pertinent question: Is God simply not intelligent enough to compose the clear and concise articles of faith and belief that have been composed by man -- articles of faith which continue to serve as the foundation of church doctrine today?   All the confusion that has existed for thousands of years could have been alleviated if God only possessed the vision, the clarity of thought, the wisdom and perception that Christians have demonstrated, and simply wrote the words: I am God -- my name is Jesus -- and everyone is required to affirm their belief in me!   This is a very simple message -- and if it is true, then people of faith must agree that God would have made this very clear and concise statement in order for all people to know the truth.

Any student of the Bible knows very well that the scriptures does not say this -- but what it does say is that the natural man will be confused by what is written, and regardless of how often or sincerely he studies the text of the Bible, he will be unable to get a proper sense of the revelation that lies beneath the body of the written word.   Why? The problem is that we believe and cling to ideas which sound good to our own manner of thinking and reasoning, and we reject the very warnings which the pages of the scriptures continually set before us in a thousand different ways.

In the manner of the fallen religious societies of the past, modern believers are under the assumption that what they see in the Bible is very clear -- that great numbers of their flock will go to Glory -- and they base this assumption on doctrines that are founded upon what they perceive from the pages of the scriptures.   Yet, in contradistinction to this doctrine, it was Jesus himself who warned that “many be called, but few chosen” (Matt 20:16 KJV).   With regard to the question as to who Jesus was speaking about when he said these words, it is clear that he spoke of those who considered themselves to be his followers.  

When Jesus used the phrase in reference to the many who are called, the reality of this statement is easily seen in the words of the Apostle where he warned the flock of baptized and committed Christians: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” (1 Cor 10:12 NIV).   What this means is that history can again repeat itself, and those who think they are saved, or the chosen of God, and believe they are “standing firm” in the faith, may be the next generation of religious people who “fall!”.   Moreover, upon closer examination of both the New and Old Testament Scriptures, it can easily be demonstrated that it is those who considered themselves “standing firm” in the faith, that were imbued with the greatest error from the perspective of the prophets that were sent from God to speak to the people.   Again, the only exception is seen in the failure of Jesus to say even one word of condemnation of the Essenes.

In this respect, there have been many doctrines created in an attempt to explain the meaning of the fall of man which is portrayed in the Book of Genesis -- but when we endeavor to embrace what is revealed in a threefold revelation, we must begin in the acknowledgment that there is a great deal more contained in the account than what is perceived by the mind of carnal man.   In the Genesis story of Creation, mankind -- and especially womankind -- has been charged with the sin and seduction of Eve in the Garden of Eden -- but what was the sin?   Because carnal man is for the most part incapable of perceiving Creation beyond his own very limited perception, prejudices and social culture, men who are seemingly intelligent and knowing are simply unable to perceive the depth and multidimensional meaning of the scriptures.   Their error is not intentional -- neither is it a matter of learning more -- studying the scriptures more -- or even praying and worshiping more.   It is a matter of going beyond the seals that blind the hearts and minds of natural man -- and with the infusion of the Spirit, overcoming our inherent carnal nature that places great limitations upon our perception and understanding.

Demonstrating the error and limitations of our thinking is a simple thing to accomplish -- i.e., quoting Martin Luther, who has often been referred to by the title of Father of the Reformation, and remains to this day one of the primary architects of modern Christian doctrine: “God created Adam master and lord of living creatures”, Luther writes, “but Eve spoilt all, when she persuaded him to set himself above God's will. Tis you women, with your tricks and artifices, that lead men into error” (Quoted in: The Great Thoughts; compiled by George Seldes).   To even write these words is a conformation of how little Luther and the Middle-age Reformers actually know with respect to the Bible, the Laws of God, and the Divine Plan of Creation.

Contrary to Luther's very limited perception, God created Eve to serve a Divine Purpose that, as with almost every aspect of Creation, is simply beyond the ability of carnal man to understand.   Moreover, it is impossible to even begin to understand the fundamentals of the Key of Knowledge, and to embrace an ignorant philosophy with respect to women, as did Luther and the Reformers who laid the foundations of modern Christian thought.  

Even with our own very limited perception of life, if each of us was to use the gift of mind that God has bestowed upon us in the endeavor to honestly assess the traditional understanding of the Creation story, we should immediately question the very parochial and narrow-minded conclusions of accepted religious thinkers such as Luther, as well as a whole host of other influential quasi-religious philosophers that have molded our present-day theological thinking.   While it is true that on the surface, it does appear that God commanded Adam not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil -- and it is apparent in the third chapter of Genesis that Eve had been told of this commandment when she was confronted by the serpent -- there are a number of other important elements to the equation that must be considered before we surrender our gift of reason and blindly believe the very limited ideas of men such as Luther -- and ignorantly assign the sin and fall of all of mankind on the feminine gender.  

Setting aside for the moment the spiritual meaning of the scriptures, even from a purely historical perspective we should immediately question the thinking of men such as Luther, Augustine and their theological allies who failed to view the scriptures with any worthwhile amount of depth.   In view of the fact that Eve possessed little of life's experiences -- i.e., other than Adam, she had never spoke to another person -- and since she dwelled in paradise, a place where all her wants and desires were fulfilled, it must be realized that she possessed no wisdom based upon a foundation of experiences that all believers rely upon in order to choose between good and evil.   It must be understood that from our perception and understanding of life, Eve would be as a delicate butterfly who dwelled in an environment where no evil or adversity could exist.   In acknowledgement of these facts, it is important to begin our assessment of the Creation account by attempting to understand the greater picture that is being portrayed.  

If you are going to begin to read the scriptures, then you must learn to analyze what is being presented.   Even today, if each person who attempts to read the Bible did not possess the fundamental knowledge of good and evil, the Gospel message would be meaningless.   It would be impossible for us to even begin to understand the underlying concepts of truth, error, life and death.   When Eve supposedly lived in the Garden of Eden, there was no such thing as either error or death.   It must therefore be understood that to be of such a mind, we would not even be able to perceive the necessity of salvation.   Thus, we must therefore begin our analysis by recognizing that all these many concepts of life that we readily comprehend are the direct result of our experiences and understanding of the very elementary ideas that would have been totally absent from the minds of the two people who dwelled in the garden.

In view of the fact that since both Adam and Eve never even experienced what we call childhood -- they never were children, neither did they ever have children or any other family relationships whatsoever -- and therefore never had the benefit of interacting with adults who possessed a much broader foundation of life-experiences to guide them into even the most basic perception of proper decision making -- there is good reason to speculate that we cannot even be sure if Eve understood why she should not eat of the tree, or whether she even knew the results of her actions if she was to eat of the tree.   Based upon her life experiences and the fact that she did not even possess an understanding of good and evil until she ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, Eve's thinking could only have been innocent and childlike -- so childlike, that if such an individual today was to be left alone without mature adult supervision, the person in whose care she was left would be charged with endangering the welfare of a child -- or person not competent to care for themselves if they left her unattended and unprotected in the presence of danger.  

Many modern believers who are very much afraid to question what appears in the written text of the scriptures, will immediately become offended by even thinking along these lines.   On the surface it would seem that I am questioning the competency of God.   But why do we become offended?   Like Luther, modern Christians were not born into the Hebrew traditions, and they do not understand the foundational concepts upon which the Bible is composed.   How can we, when our manner of thinking is totally alien to the mindset of those who wrote the Bible?   What we fail to realize is from a Hebrew perspective, the scriptures are written in order to provoke thought in the reader.   The Bible is not a book of rituals, rules of observances, historical events and occurrences in the manner that it was interpreted by the Sadducees and Pharisees -- the Bible is a spiritual book that reveals the pathway to God through the revelation of Spiritual Truths.   The scriptures are written to illumine the mind of the reader about God and man's spiritual nature -- illumination of mind can only be brought about when man knows, and possesses a true foundational base of knowledge.

From a purely literal perspective, Eve not only believed and had faith, but she had a truly personal relationship with God.   Moreover, Adam and Eve not only had spoken with God, but they literally dwelt in His Presence.   Yet, regardless of the fact that they believed, had faith, lived in Divine Purity, and had a personal relationship with God that would be the envy of both the saints and modern Christians, their belief and faith and personal relationship failed to save them from being seduced by the Prince of Darkness.   Why?   Fundamentally the answer is the same as that which is portrayed in the parable of the prodigal son: Because they were immature -- i.e., they lacked experience, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and the ability to know and choose between good and evil.

In the words of the Apostle: “So it is written: 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor 15:45 NIV).   In view of the fact that Adam means man, what the Apostle is portraying to us is that the first man became a living being, the last man became a life-giving spirit.   The first Adam dwelled in ignorance, and was easily overcome by the powers of darkness -- the last Adam knew all things, and easily overcame the powers of darkness.   Both Adam's possessed faith, belief, and a personal relationship with God -- the second Adam when tested (Matt 4), possessed the knowledge that enabled him to reign over the Prince of Darkness.   Without knowledge, man is easily victimized by the darker elements of this world.

One of the great truths which is conveyed is the reality that if we fear to think and use our mind, then we are easily conquered by the powers of darkness.   To merely believe that God will not permit modern Christians to be ruled by satanic forces, is to ignore the warning conveyed throughout the scriptures.   We are protected and made strong by embracing the knowledge of the spirit.   Thus, when we open the pages of the Bible, if we desire to be a disciple of the Light -- and possess the power of knowledge -- then we must begin to question, think and contemplate what lies before us in the narratives of the scriptures.   In order to look beyond the seal, to perceive the movement of the spirit, we must learn to look beneath the cloak of the written word.   

Who among us would punish one of our children, and our children's children for all eternity, because our child who had no knowledge of good and evil or right and wrong, disobeyed us?   Would you?   Would you punish your grandchild for the mistakes of your child when they were still an infant?   When we start to use our intellect and begin to question what is presented in the literal text, we do not even have to look very far to begin to see the numerous paradoxes of the Bible.   These dual, paradoxical concepts that should invoke thought in the mind of the reader, are contained throughout every chapter and verse in the Bible -- they are placed there to make you think.   Moreover, even in the written word of the scriptures we can easily observe that everything has its opposite: While it is true that we can easily note many places in the scriptures where the children are judged for the iniquity of their parents, these are in direct opposition to the other scriptural sightings where the opposite is demonstrated: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek 18:20 KJV).

Does God judge and hold innocent children accountable for the questionable wrongdoing of their parents?   Is God all-forgiving?   Does God judge each person individually, irrespective of his parents?   Which of these well-documented biblical teachings are correct?   If we claim to believe the scriptures, then we must also affirm the testimony of God where it is written: “For I am the LORD, I change not” (Mal 3:6 KJV).   Yet, many Christians universally believed that because of one instance of wrongdoing, all of mankind was held accountable for the sins of Adam and Eve, while another part the Bible affirms that “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father”.   Which of these two biblical doctrines portrays the manner in which God will deal with mankind?  

In our manner of reasoning we must also consider the witness of James, the brother of Jesus, and the very first leader of the religious movement that came to be called Christianity when he wrote that with God there: “is no variableness” (James 1:17 KJV).   In other words, we have no choice but to conclude that both doctrines are true, even though we do not necessarily understand how.   In our attempt to answer this proverbial question, we must also consider the witness of Jesus himself -- who not only exhibited and manifested extreme forgiveness of sinners, but commanded his disciples to forgive others not only “Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matt 18:22 KJV).  

Forgiveness is in fact such an integral element of what the Bible portrays as Godlike, Divine, and the very symbol of spiritual maturity and perfection, that Jesus warned those who would call themselves his followers: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt 6:14-15 NIV).   Moreover, if we truly believe that God is “the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Heb 13:8 NAS), then we must look beyond the error of carnal reasoning when we attempt to comprehend the depth of the spiritual message of the scriptures.   In fact, the example of God's forgiveness is so all-pervading, that in Jesus we see the ultimate expression of forgiveness when he looked down upon those who were torturing him on the cross and asked for their forgiveness.

How can we, a body of people who judge others who we perceive to be sinners, and routinely assert that they will receive the perpetual condemnation of God in the form of eternal punishment, even begin to relate to the thinking of the man who forgave those who tortured him?   The truth is, we can't.   The problem is that neither can we balance the paradox of eternal damnation and unconditional divine forgiveness -- at least not without a very great enlightenment of our present understanding and carnal perception of the Word.   Perhaps, then, if we truly desire to begin the journey from the alpha in Eden, through the Tree of Life to the omega of God's eternal Paradise as foretold in the Revelation, we must draw nearer and more faithful in our walk with Christ -- our human example of God-manifest reality -- and learn from him why he rebuked his disciples when they suggested that he bring forth judgment and consume those who did not accept him: “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of” (Luke 9:55 KJV).

One of the great realities of the Bible declares this great truth: When we attempt to interpret the Bible in the perception of yea or nay, good or bad, yes or no, without comprehending the far-reaching spiritual implications, movement, and destiny of mankind, we ourselves are guilty of the same sin attributed to Adam and Eve when they ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil instead of the Tree of Life.   Why?   Because the Tree of Life contains within itself all knowledge in the form of what we perceive as good and evil brought together in abiding harmony.   In other words, from the perception of the Tree of Life, there is no good or evil as we understand the terms -- i.e., the two lines of what appears to be conflicting truths that Rev. Spurgeon spoke of as his folly to understand, do not exist -- there is no division -- and what we see as male and female, light and darkness, good and evil, are forever merged into a higher reality.   The true evil and sin of man, then, is seen when the serpent prevails in our life, and we divide God's Higher Truth, and cling to one of the opposing polarities.

When Martin Luther expressed a long-held belief of Middle-Age Christianity that was also embraced by religious authorities before him that: “...Tis you women, with your tricks and artifices, that lead men into error”, what he was expressing was his inability to perceive the spiritual meaning of the scriptures, Creation, and the Divine Plan of God for mankind.   Fundamentally, Luther was expressing his own ignorance -- and in view of the fact that as a priest of the Roman Church many of Luther’s ideas could be traced to St. Augustine, the author of the doctrine of Original Sin, Luther and the Middle-Age Reformers were merely taking long established Roman Christian doctrines of belief and reaffirming them in the new Protestant Churches.   What Luther and all the other religious authorities that have authored the various elements that make up the foundational concepts of modern religious doctrine are saying to us in the fundamentals of their theology, is that they too have been seduced by the serpent, and have eaten of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge -- a Knowledge that in their very limited perception of Creation, they were incapable of comprehending -- much less guiding the faithful flock for generations of believers yet to come.

It is the Tree of Life -- which could in one sense of the word be called the Tree of the Divine Marriage -- i.e., the division of opposites merged and overcome -- that imbues us with the higher understanding that leads us down the path of immortality (Gen 3:22).   Moreover, in a symbolic sense, it is impossible for a believer to take the first bite of the fruit of the Tree of Life which has the ability to bestow upon them eternal life, until they can perceive the harmony of Creation, and begin to see all the many polarities of this realm in Sacred Oneness.  

In the example of Eve in the Garden of Eden, from God's perception Eve was, and is, a Divine Manifestation that is one of the foundational elements of man's eventual perfection -- and this is a Divine Pattern that all women share with Eve.   That the majority of accepted and revered religious authorities throughout history could not perceive life from the all-encompassing and harmonious vision of God -- and have reduced the image of Creation to a series of good and bad events throughout the history of man -- has been the continued seduction of the serpent of an uncountable number of sincere believers.

All of life is immersed in a paradoxical reality that we must consciously bring together in our search for Truth.   In the scriptures we not only observe two opposing images of God, but also two opposing and opposite standards.   Which one is true?   It is impossible to answer this question without the Key of Knowledge as represented in the third element that harmonizes these seemingly conflicting images of what is being portrayed.   Christians say they don't need to be perfect -- or even be good -- because they are forgiven by virtue of the fact that they believe and have faith.   Many Christians who embrace an immoral and decadent lifestyle, believe they will be saved.   On the other hand, Adam and Eve not only believed and had faith, but they were perfect -- and yet they are held accountable for their wrongdoing.   Further, Christians who have been given a very clear understanding of the requirements of God as set forth in the New Testament, believe they are not held accountable for transgressions against the Commandments of God -- regardless of the fact that they flagrantly violate these Commandments on a daily basis.   And yet, in the case of Adam and Eve, those who did not have a clear understanding are held accountable for not only the (original) sin that they did not commit, but also for the Commandments that was not very clearly understood or revealed to them from on high.

Isn't it unworthy of our own gift of intelligence for us to cling to a doctrine that declares that God would not only punish Adam and Eve, but all of creation because of the sin of the first man and woman who did not possess even an elementary understanding of good and evil?   Yet, the majority of believers will broach such a question with genuine fear.   Who are we, they will ask, that we should judge the wisdom of God?   In fear they will say: It is not for man to understand the manner in which God moves.   Yet, it is this fear to investigate and inquire that bars us from taking a bite of the fruit of the Tree of Life that Jesus said must be eaten prior to our gaining entrance into the Kingdom (Rev 22:14).

What the first Christians knew, and the modern Christians must again come to learn, is that there is a fine line between judging and seeking to know, and it is this fine line that the disciple must learn to walk in order to truly comprehend the Will of God.   When the disciple sees things that provoke question -- both in the scriptures and in life -- in order to draw nearer to God, the disciple must embrace the will of God in the endeavor to understand why God brings about the events in this world that He does.   When we close our eyes and say: God moves in strange ways that are beyond the comprehension of man, then we close our minds and hearts to the mysteries of God and continue to dwell in the darkness of this world.   The result is that when we fail to question and understand, we inhibit ourselves because of the self-imposed void in both our thinking and beliefs, and we are then easily seduced by Satan.

Throughout all of Judeo-Christian history the disciples of the Light have never exhibited a great emphasis on the literal word of the scriptures.   Why?   Because they know that the historical truths of the Bible pales in comparison to the great truths of the mind and spirit contained within the body of the text.   In fact, the relationship of the levels of truth would be similar to that of our own potential of mind -- i.e., the physical without the mind and spirit is no more than ten percent of the revelation.

The problem is that when we fail to engage the sacred symbols of the scriptures, and we fear to contemplate beyond the written word, we not only fail to comprehend the true depth of the Bible, but also ourselves.   This can be understood when we begin to realize that the scriptures are the roadmap for the disciple to use in his struggle to open the gate to the Kingdom within his own mind and being.

When we begin to immerse ourselves in the scriptural Word, and intimately embrace it in our physical, mental and spiritual lives, we begin to expand our mind and spiritual nature beyond all imaginings of carnal man.   The third century Church Father Origen, who has often been referred to as the first and greatest of all Christian theologians, wrote of these things: “I believe that every man must hold these things for images, under which the hidden sense lies concealed” (Origen - Huet., Prigeniana, 167 Franck, p. 142).   The hidden sense is the Revelation of the Spirit that is only perceived by those disciples who have themselves transcended their natural carnal natures, and become spiritual.

The purpose of the Bible is to enable man to embrace the higher spiritual concept of the Universal Revelation of the Word, and to place these truths in the hands of mankind that he might grow to his full potential and spiritual maturity.   The first stage of our birth is physical, and this is accomplished through conception, fetus development, physical birth into this world, and then completed as the child grows into a mature adult.   The next stage of birth is that of mind, with the problem being that unless a conscious effort is made, our mind never grows beyond that which is supported through our natural physical development.  

It is truly important for us to come to terms with one of the great facts of life -- i.e., because our body is comprised of the physical elements of the earth, it does not readily support mental development beyond the needs of this world.   When Evangelical Christians declare that they can be born again without going through the process of the transmutation of the physical into spiritual, they in fact do the gospel message a great disservice.   While they are correct in their position that man must be born again, in order to experience the next stage of birth we must develop and mature the mind in order to bring it into harmony with our pre-existent soul.   When we have therefore overcome the division between our physical self and our soul, we must then embrace our spiritual nature and ultimately return to the Kingdom in the manner of the prodigal son.   In the same way that the Bible states that man has a threefold nature, we must evolve through these three stages of birth in order to become Complete and fulfill the requirement that we be a perfect as our Heavenly Father (Matt 4:48).

From this perspective, we must begin to comprehend that even when the Bible portrays God as punishing man for his evil deeds, His punishment has a Divine Purpose that is beyond the comprehension of carnal man.   And what is that purpose?   The Bible teaches that the purpose of all punishment is to drive man to seek the higher path of life -- the path that leads man out of the valleys of the death of this world, and into the pastures of Life with the Lord.   Therefore, it is only when we place the scriptures within the Mindset and Divine Purposes of God -- rather than our own very limited perception -- do we begin to realize that each and every biblical story contains not only multiple messages, but is literally immersed in God's ultimate vision for mankind -- which vision is the return of each and every prodigal son to the Kingdom of the Father (Luke 15:11-32).  

If we are to begin to embrace the higher truths of life, then it is necessary that we begin to expand our consciousness and awareness beyond the ten percent limit that plagues carnal man -- and this is accomplished when we strive to understand both the essence, and the ultimate resolution of what we see and observe in the world about us.   How is this accomplished?   The secret is in fact so simple, that it literally escapes the perception of the worldly philosophers and cultural re-engineers who attempt to remold the world in accordance with their visions of utopia on earth.   In fact, each one of us not only possess the answer to man’s dilemma, but every aspect of our lives are literally immersed in its essence.   That man has three natures -- i.e., physical, soul (mind), and spirit -- and that all of life is molded within the same Organic Divine Pattern, means that when we begin to develop and apply our intellect in conjunction with its core essence, the answer to the dilemma becomes apparent.   In fact, the Church Father Origen conveyed this great truth to us when he wrote with respect to the threefold nature of the scriptures: “It is sufficient however, to represent in the style of a historic narrative what is intended to convey a secret meaning in the garb of history, that those who have the capacity may work out for themselves all that relates to the subject.”

To work it out one only has to begin to apply our knowledge of life and genetics, in order to observe the Divine Pattern throughout all elements of Creation.   In the same way that all of physical life is conceived, born, and comes into being through the merging of opposites, we in like manner initiate the next stage of soul birth by merging the opposites of mind -- and then we again initiate the next stage of birth by merging the opposite polarities of man’s spiritual nature -- and ultimately we return to the Kingdom from which we originally immerged as the prodigal son who left his Father Home, when we bring together within ourselves all the opposite powers of Creation.   Thus, when one becomes cognizant of the Divine Pattern, we immediately begin to see the apparent ignorance of Luther when he expressed the words: “God created Adam master and lord of living creatures, but Eve spoilt all, when she persuaded him to set himself above God's will. Tis you women, with your tricks and artifices, that lead men into error” (Quoted in: The Great Thoughts; compiled by George Seldes).   Without woman, man would be forever lost in the abyss of darkness without any hope of escape -- but such a thing is impossible because one cannot exist without the other.

In our present lives we are immersed in a realm of polarities -- many of which appear on the surface to be in conflict -- and any time that we fail to bring together and merge the polarities of positive and negative, male and female, left and right, liberal and conservative, good and evil, heaven and earth, light and darkness, flesh and spirit in our perception, understanding, and vision of life, we are ourselves embracing the sin of division and eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.   Thus, when we read the scriptures and observe only the body of the text, it is impossible for us to comprehend the many paradoxes that confront us.   The body of the text of the Bible is composed in the manner of our own physical body -- and is a vehicle that is used to manifest the soul and the spirit which the Apostle say gives it life.   The result is that in seeing only the physical form, our understanding of the full revelation is suppressed by our own inherent ten percent limitation of mind that is congenital to the relationship between our own physical, mental and spiritual realities.

The disciple whose mind has been illumined by the Light of the Word of God understands that all elements of Creation are not only observed in a threefold form and nature -- positive, negative and the balance or offspring of the two -- but with the element of time and development, the threefold nature gives way to a higher reality that can only be envisioned from the perspective of a fourth polarity to the equation.   This can be envisioned in the idea that when the third force is initially brought into being through the interaction of the positive and negative polarities, the eventual maturity and destiny of the third force of creation is seen as a forth polarity when brought to a state of maturity and completion.   It is for this reason that the writings of the Hebrew prophets and the teachings of the New Covenant did not focus on the doctrine of the Trinity -- a concept that was very much part of the religions of the Romans and Greeks -- but rather, on that fourth polarity where all things are brought to completion.   Historically, one of the inherent problems that have continually plagued the Gentile believer when they approach the Hebrew Scriptures is seen in their attempt to read the doctrine of the Trinity into a series of sacred writings that were elevated above the doctrines and religious ideas of the people of the Nations.   While it is true that the Triune element of Creation is apparent throughout all of life, it is the fourth reality where division no longer exists that is the paramount theme of the Bible.

From a fundamental perspective, the polarity that we perceive as reflective -- i.e., female, negative, earth, flesh, and darkness -- God Created to fulfill a Divine reason and purpose with respect to its presence in both this world and all of Creation.   The problem was that, in only looking upon the body of the text, and not seeing the soul and spirit, Luther was one of many religious leaders and philosophers who did not possess a very clear vision of Creation, and fell into the trap of perceiving the feminine or reflective polarity as being evil.   The early Greek Gnostic Christians who the church often condemns as heretics, in many instances possessed the same exact understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures as did Luther.   What all these many authorities and seemingly intelligent minds failed to recognize was the fact that the reflective polarity -- i.e., negative, dark, female, and even the physical world itself -- is only destructive and evil when it is permitted to rule over its corresponding opposite polarity -- a condition which equates to what we would call female domination -- whereas, when brought into balance, it is the reflective polarity that is the very means to bring about the reality which eventually manifests the Ultimate Divine Purpose of God.   In the same way that nothing in this world is born apart from woman, nothing in the cosmos or heavenly realms could exist without the polarity woman represents, and neither could spiritual completion be attained without the reflective (feminine) polarity of this world.

The man of insight and wisdom will perceive that without this polarity that we refer to as being reflective, nothing could exist, and Creation would be devoid of all that we perceive as being spiritual and good.   More importantly, without the reflective polarity, the third force that is referred to as that of mind and consciousness, could not exist.   Further, it is this feminine and reflective polarity that not only stabilizes, but from a higher perspective, is the very dynamic force that brings about the perfection of man.   Thus, we are presented with a great paradox that men of little understanding such as Luther erroneously look upon as being inferior, when in reality what they view as being inferior is not only a necessary ingredient to the very forces of Creation, but is also the very means of development to raise up all of Creation to a level of maturity and completion.   What men of limited vision therefore falsely perceive as evil, is in fact the reactive polarity that always serves the purposes of God and His vision of the Ultimate Divine Plan for mankind and Creation.

From the perspective of Higher Reality, those of us who eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil -- and perceive both the scriptures and life through a very limited, divided reality -- a reality where our carnal condition of mind inhibits us from perceiving the point where the seemingly opposing polarities of Creation are merged and harmonized into One Divine Force, in our blindness we see an entirely different message than the illumined disciples of the Lord who are nourished from the fruit of the Tree of Life.   What the Bible teaches us is that those who are illumined by the Light, and are able to perceive the Designs of Creation from beginning to end, possess an enlightened vision of reality, and are therefore able to comprehend the true purpose of what carnal man views as evil, hardships and malevolence that is manifest in this world.   In perceiving the broader scope of reality, the disciple whose mind has been illumined by the Light comes to understand that there is no evil, except the evil that we have brought upon ourselves as a result of our own past actions.   Moreover, what we view as evil, is actually the trials and events that are imposed upon us for our own vital good -- with the fundamental goal of driving all of mankind to his ultimate destiny that can only be envisioned through the return of the prodigal son to his Father.

It is not until we can comprehend that evil engenders a corrective action intended to correct any and every given event and situation, that we can even begin to get a higher sense of the reason for what we perceive as evil in this and all other worlds.   Parents who are wise know that an undisciplined child can never develop into a truly refined and perfected soul.   In the administration of that discipline, they know that the reactive and corrective force must be a measured response in direct accordance with the initial unacceptable behavior.   That we fail to see that all of life moves in accordance with this wisdom, and what we perceive as being evil is either a direct response to our own previous actions, or is intended to develop a part of us that is in need of development.   That men and women are born into a certain role, and that they live their life in accordance with a previously defined curriculum that is intended to bring about a certain series of experiential results, was understood by the first-century followers of Jesus because they understood that the soul of all people pre-exist their current life in this world.   That the modern Christian is unable to comprehend the drama and movement of life, is because all our concepts of religion are founded upon a quasi-Darwinist perception of Creation that we inherited from the Church of Rome.

Perhaps the greatest flaw in the wisdom of the religions of the Nations was its inability to envision man’s ultimate destiny.   All of the ancient religions embrace a dualistic philosophy -- and they were not wrong.   Plato and many of the other philosophers taught about the Trinity -- which is actually the movement of the dualistic forces of Creation from the perspective of the balance of Mind -- and neither was Plato wrong.  But it is because we fail to understand the Hebrew vision of man’s higher reality, and we therefore close our eyes and understanding to the existence of the fourth great polarity of Creation as represented in the symbology of David and the Son of Man, that we dwell in confusion and spiritual stagnation.   In fact, when the Pagan Christians adopted the Plutonic vision of the Trinity and Creation into the religion of the New Covenant, they succeeded in obstructing man’s vision of The Way.   If we are to therefore grow and mature in mind and spirit, we must understand the nature of the dualistic philosophy, the Trinity, and especially the Hebrew vision of the Fourth Way of Completion.

We can easily observe the workings of these four realities in our own life.   In a marriage there is the two -- i.e., the man and the woman.   The intermingling of the two brings forth the third element, which is both the product and the balance of the two.   The fourth reality that is envisioned throughout the Hebrew Scriptures is the fourth element of Creation -- i.e., if the child is physically born from the polarities of male and female, then the child that is reborn into spirit represents an entirely different polarity than when it was in its elementary stages of existence.   The very terms Messiah -- Christ -- and Anointed -- are all used in relation to this fourth polarity that is biblically portrayed as the Covenant of David -- who, if we were to properly translate the languages, was historically spoken of as being a Christ.  

In the same way that the presence of male and female represent the pattern of the Divine Paradox that all of Creation is immersed in, so does the polarity of physical birth and spiritual birth.   In the same way that very concept that we associate with being male can only be defined through its relationship to the female polarity, the third force of Mind can only be understood by virtue of its destiny which is envisioned through the fourth element of Creation -- which is ultimately the very purpose of all that exists in this and all other worlds.   Most importantly from the perspective of New Covenant teachings is the reality that, in order to transcend these four paradoxical polarities, we must walk in The Way that merges the twelve paradoxical spheres of mind that make up the Tree of Life, the seven manifestations of spirit that is the embodiment of the Temple, the three dynamic forces of Creation that brings all things into Being, and harmonize the All into the ONE which is the Ultimate Vision of the Divine Plan of our Eternal Father-God.   To accomplish this we must begin to alter our vision of life -- i.e., we must begin to perceive that everything that exists, as well as every event that comes to pass, has a purpose -- a higher purpose -- and it is only when we are able to look beyond what appears to be paradox and division that we can begin to envision the true reality and destiny that was ordained as the very Design of Creation itself.

From a spiritual perspective, it is almost useless to open the pages of the scriptures without realizing that the Bible speaks to mankind universally of great truths that are beyond the comprehension of carnal man to understand.   And if we ask the question as to why the revelation of the Word contains truths that are not readily perceived and comprehended by man in his natural state?   The answer is very simple: Because carnal man is imbued with the thinking of only one reality -- the earth -- and is unable to see beyond the natural barrier of this world.   The problem is that because man’s body is composed of earthly elements, it does not readily support mental development beyond what corresponds to this physical world -- i.e., which is apparent in man’s inability to utilized his own vast potential of mind.   In comparison, the mind of man that is associated with this world is very much as the tip of the preverbal iceberg -- i.e., what beneath the water is ten times the size of what we see.  

When a person opens the pages of the New Testament they are confronted with an ethical and moral manner of living that is imposed upon all who would call themselves the followers of Jesus.   We are not taught what to believe with respect to the secret meaning of the parables of the Mysteries of God which are spoken of by the Apostle Paul.   What we fail to realize is that knowledge and spirit cannot be presented in philosophical terms -- but rather, these important ingredients to the dilemma of life is directly related to the condition of the physical body in which we dwell.   What does this mean?   Because our bodies are earthly vessels which provide a vehicle for our pre-existent soul and spiritual natures -- and the physical body itself is in fact alien to these natures -- the disciple in search of Truth must reform the body in order to make it support man’s higher soul and spiritual natures.   Thus, it is for this reason that the greater majority of what Jesus taught when he physically walked the earth was the manner in which man must live and conduct himself, in order to prepare his body to manifest more of his soul and spiritual natures.   The problem was that the Gentile followers of Paul totally negated the very essence of the testimony of Christ when they misinterpreted the Apostle’s doctrine of faith in order to continue to live in accordance with their customary heathen lifestyle.

When we open the pages of the New Testament we are presented with a theology that not only demands change, but a totally departure from the thinking of this world.   Without this first step, our whole attempt to embrace the teachings of the Word of God will be unfruitful.   Why is this change absolutely necessary in order to even begin to comprehend what Paul refers to as the Mysteries of God?   Because the physical body which is comprised of the natural organic substances of this realm does not provide us the means to manifest any greater part of our mind and spirit than what is necessary in order to support life in this world.   It must therefore go through the process of transmutation -- whereby, it begins to conduct the flow of vital life-force in such a way, that it reflects the reality of the inner soul and spiritual realms, rather than the outside physical world.   In fact, once we begin to understand the higher reality that is portrayed in the scriptures -- and we come to understand that our physical body is a reflective feminine polarity in relation to our indwelling spiritual nature -- we will then begin to comprehend why the Bible demands the absolute subjugation and fidelity of the wife in the marriages which are portrayed in the scriptures.

In the same way that physical growth and development is through incremental steps, so too is man’s next stage of birth which Jesus said must be achieved in order to enter the Kingdom.   Incrementally, as the believer is transformed into a disciple and seeker of Light, step by step it is the interaction of the scriptures and the Spirit that will open his perception to the truths that lie beyond this three-dimensional reality in which we presently dwell.   It is not that the Bible is an allegory -- but rather, all of life is an allegory -- a living allegory that is the result of only a partial perception of man’s ultimate reality.  

What we must come to terms with is the fact that the great void which exists in both church doctrine, as well as our scientific interpretation of life, is seen in our own incomplete vision -- and it is this incomplete vision that is the source of everything that we see as evil and error.   Everything that we consider evil has a pre-existent cause that we are unaware of.   There are no random events, accidents or chance encounters -- everything that transpires is caused by past events triangulating with the future in the present time.   Our choices, then, however limited, infinite or pervasive they are, will in turn initiate the events that we will live and embrace in our future.   If, then, we desire to know or create our destiny, then we should take great care how we are living our lives at the present.

Man has an innate spiritual reality that is not perceived with our three-dimensional bodily senses, and those who open the inner door of the mind to these other spiritual dimensions, and permit the vision of man's greater reality to enlighten them to the great Truths of the Higher Manifestations of Creation, possess the insight to perceive the spiritual meaning of both life and the scriptures that is not apparent to men of a limited carnal vision.   Paramount to being able to see the higher truths that lie under the surface of the text of the written word of the scriptures, is the necessity to open one's eyes to a secondary, spiritual vision of the Bible itself.   To even begin the process of walking in The Way, the believer who desires to become a disciple must first come to the realization that the scriptures do not speak about historical events and people -- but rather, about aspects of themselves; as well as all of mankind.  

The Bible conveys to the mind of man a system of Universal Truths that exists at all levels of his being.   When the people of the simple faith read the scriptures, what they will see is nothing more than the level of reality which is applicable to their own state of mind.   With each step of maturity, their vision will expand, as layer upon layer of higher reality is built upon the primary foundation of spiritual concepts that was originally perceived only in symbolic form.   Thus, they will begin to see the interrelatedness of the dynamic forces portrayed in the story of Adam and Eve as being fundamental and elementary to every (spiritual) concept they embrace.   As the believer matures, and is transformed into a disciple by the manifestation of Divine Knowledge, the disciple will not only see a greater truth, but they will perceive the same essential and primary forces at work throughout every aspect of Creation.   What this means is that our Creator’s DNA is present throughout every aspect of life, and can be observed at every phase and juncture of being.

Once properly understood, the symbols of Adam and Eve can be applied to the very ethers of Creation within which all sub-atomic particles and worlds, from the very smallest of universal forces, to the most intricate manifestations, all interact in their movement within the Divine Pattern of Creation.   Moreover, all indigenous cultures possess their own version of the Creation Account, because all men of a heightened spiritual vision have all observed the same elements at work interacting throughout every aspect of life in all worlds.   That the majority of men and women who never develop their ability to perceive reality beyond the superficial symbols of this world have never seen the interrelatedness of all that exists, does not mean that these universal symbols are not a constant theme present in every work which the visionaries have attempted to convey to us in the form of the many sacred writings that have been placed in our hands.

At the essence and core level of every decision and aspect of our lives, we must begin to realize that at one level of being, each and every one of us are presently very much as Eve was on that fateful day in the garden.   In the same way that Eve listened to the serpent when he said to her: “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5 KJV), each of us are continually confronted with the same elemental choice and decision that beset Eve on that momentous day at the very beginning of time as we imagine it to exist.   Moreover, to those who possess the spiritual eyes to see beyond the garb of the narrative, and are able to perceive the universality of the symbols, there was a whole host of significant and wondrous messages that was conveyed to the disciple in these most profoundly insightful words of wisdom.

In the first instance, we must recognize the looming fact that if we could truly begin to discern good and evil from the enlightened perception of God -- our Creator -- and understand the Dynamic Motion and Will of the Spirit that moves across the face of Creation through His Higher Vision of Reality, then we would be able to draw nearer to God.   Thus, in these words we have been presented with one of the essential elements to the claim of the first followers of Jesus as to the theology which underlies their claim that man is saved through Knowledge.   Further, the acquisition of this Knowledge which Jesus possessed, and is in fact the fruit of the Tree of Life, is a natural developmental gift that is bestowed upon the faithful disciple who walks in The Way.   When we take the yoke of the Son of God upon us, and live a consecrated lifestyle, we will know what the Anointing of the Mind reveals to all who are truly faithful believers.

What this means is that we cannot begin the process of walking in The Way, while we continue to live as the proverbial ostrich with our heads in the sand.   We cannot begin to even grow to a state of spiritual maturity, until we are able to look out at life and the forces of Creation with the same vision and understanding as our Creator God.   In this respect, perhaps the most profound understanding of man’s higher reality can be embraced when we begin to understand why Jesus chose certain individual to receive the knowledge of the Mysteries of God, while seemingly denying others this knowledge through the instruction of the masses by the use of parables which are intended to cloak and even conceal the deeper wisdom of what is being conveyed.   That Jesus could not give to those hearers the spiritual wisdom that he openly taught to a select few, can only be comprehended when we understand that the masses had not attained the same level of development of mind and spirit as those who were able to perceive and receive the deeper Mysteries of Creation.   That these few who Jesus made his disciples were not chosen randomly as we erroneously believe today, and were singled out from the masses because their souls had previously evolved to a level where they were able to receive, perceive and comprehend what others could not, is one of the core elements of New Covenant theology that cannot be understood by someone who is imbued with a quasi-Darwinist mindset that the Apostle Paul refers to as the natural state of man.

As we study the scriptures and we draw nearer to the Lord, and start to behold a clearer perception of our own Source of Being, we would then be better able to realize our true potential which is embodied in the words that we were created in the image and likeness of God.   The problem is that Eve, as with all of mankind, turns in what on the surface would appear to be the wrong direction, and ultimately to the wrong source for the very answers that can bring about the Divine manifestation where our “eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods”.  

When properly understood, all of creation revolves around what is portrayed in the symbolism of Adam and Eve in the Garden.   What I am bringing to your attention is the reality that in addition to many other truths and mysteries on many levels that are being conveyed to the reader, in the same way that the work of an artist can be seen in his every brushstroke and movement across the canvas, in the Genesis account there is also a depiction of the very congenital pattern of all of Creation.   The more we become aware of the pattern, the more we are able to immerse ourselves in the currents of Creation in the endeavor to more easily embrace our own ultimate destiny.

In the same way that the author of the second chapter of Genesis attributed all of mankind as having emanated from one singular pair of beings that were in fact ultimately a part of each other -- i.e., the substance of Eve being formed from Adam’s rib -- so too is all mind and thought the outgrowth of a singular pair that appear separate, but are in fact an intimate part of each other.   To those who possess the eyes to see the essence of what is being presented, this spiritual knowledge that has been embedded in the symbolism of the Creation account can be applied to every aspect of life as we know it.  

Throughout the Hebrew scriptures it is the fourth element that is envisioned as the moving force of Creation.   The doctrine of the Trinity which was the next step beyond the dualistic philosophy of the ancients, is itself seen as incomplete and elementary.   In fact, the very rationale of the Hebrew Scriptures is molded in accordance with the ultimate Purpose and Reason for Life itself -- i.e., man’s eventual Perfection and Completion.   This higher understanding can only be envisioned when we begin to see the third force as being itself reflective of the Fourth Polarity of Creation.  

Thus, all of Creation is the result of the one that appears to be two, and yet remains dynamically attached to each other.   The interaction of the two gives birth to the third -- which itself is incomplete because it must fulfill its ultimate destiny.   In the Hebrew scriptures the one, the two, and the three are all seen as being secondary to the ultimate reality of the Fourth polarity of Creation -- i.e., which fourth polarity is represented in the Covenant of David, and is the final vision which is symbolically portrayed in both the parable of the prodigal son and the Book of the Revelation.   Thus, the dualistic philosophy of the ancients, as well as the Plutonic doctrine of the Trinity, are all anticipated as a means to bring about the Fourth Reality -- which is envisioned in the House of David.   It is for this reason that when the Keys of Knowledge are made reference to at Isaiah 22:22, they are spoken of as the key which opens the House of David.   In the final consumption of the Divine Pattern, the Key of Knowledge is again spoken of in the Book of the Revelation in the words: “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (Rev 3:7 NIV).   We are unable to comprehend the significance of these great spiritual truths today because we view David as an historical person, and fail to perceive the deeper spiritual meaning of the symbol of what David represents in our own lives.

If we could gaze beyond the limitations of this physical world, and see and perceive a greater vision of truth, at the core of higher knowledge we would see the continual theme of these primary forces at work throughout every level of being.   What this means is that, in the prayers of Christians for Christ to enlighten their understanding and perception of the Word, they already possess all the primary elements and building blocks of what they beseech the Lord to bestow upon them.   What I am saying is this: By becoming more aware of the brush strokes and patterns of movement across the canvas of Creation, we can then begin to observe and comprehend the Universal Forces of Creation at work in every aspect of our lives.   The problem is that in order to accomplish this, we must begin to perceive and understand the unity of all that exists both within and without us.

Men of a carnal limited vision who look upon the Bible as nothing more than an historical narrative are not disturbed by the fact that there are two conflicting creation narratives in the first two chapters of Genesis.   In the first creation account there is no Garden of Eden, God creates men and women simultaneously in His image, and God is presented to us by the name of Elohiym -- which name is not only plural and is often interpreted as “the gods”, it can also be used to denote a state of authority as demonstrated in the word “judges”, as seen in the verse “Then his master shall bring him unto the judges…” (Exod 21:6 KJV).  

At 1 Sam 14:15, we see this word that is interpreted God rendered “very great”, as seen in the words: “…they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling”.   At 1 Kings 11:33, we see this word being rendered “goddess”, as seen in the words: “Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites”.   And at Nehemiah 10:28, this word is rendered “law-lands”, as seen in the words: “…and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God”.   What is equally important is that the word rendered “God” in this verse, is not only feminine, but is the same word rendered “woman”, with respect to Eve -- which word is often rendered “wife” -- is rendered “harlot” at Judges 11:1; 16:1 -- and is rendered “adulteress” at Proverbs 6:26, as seen in the words: “…and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life”.

What we must understand is that the rendering of this word as God in a singular sense denoting the modern believers perception of a personal God, in no way can even begin to convey the depth in which the word is used in the original language of the scriptures.   Moreover, when this word is applied within us in a spiritual sense, it can also denote the workings of the Laws of God functioning within our mind and being -- and can well represent the interaction of indwelling masculine and feminine forces of creation and consciousness throughout every aspect of body, mind-soul and spirit. 

Again we would do well to consider the wisdom of the early Church Father Origen in his rather profound statement found in his famed writing De Principiis, where he writes: “But all the narrative portion, relating either to the marriages, or to the begetting of the children, or to battles of different kinds, or to any other histories whatever, what else can they be supposed to be, save the forms and figures of hidden and sacred things? As men, however, make little effort to exercise their intellect, or imagine that they possess knowledge before they really learn, the consequence is that they never begin to have knowledge; or if there be no want of a desire, at least, nor of an instructor, and if divine knowledge be sought after, as it ought to be, in a religious and Holy Spirit, and in the hope that many points will be opened up by the revelation of God -- since to human sense they are exceedingly difficult and obscure -- then, perhaps, he who seeks in such a manner will find what it is lawful to discover”.

That all of life is manifest through the interaction of the forces of male and female, means that the deeper Mysteries of Creation can easily be portrayed to the mind of the disciple in the form of men and women who exists in various stages of “…the marriages, or to the begetting of the children, or to battles of different kinds, or to any other histories whatever, what else can they be supposed to be, save the forms and figures of hidden and sacred things”.   What this also means is that ultimately, each of us is actually living a life that embraces the very same biblical symbols with which all of Creation at every level is imbued and immersed in the same unified Pattern.

Is the Bible history?   In the Creation account that is presented in the second chapter of Genesis, God is called Yahweh, and even a very casual observance of the order of events and manner in which man and woman, as well as the beasts of the earth are brought into being, are presented from an entirely different perspective.   Where the average believer -- i.e., the people of the simple faith -- view these Creation accounts as a declaration with respect to the first man and woman named Adam and Eve who lived in a remote and distant age in man's past -- those disciples whose minds have been enlightened by the Light, are able to perceive what is portrayed as universal symbols that encompass a much greater reality.  

One of the secrets to achieving a state of biblical enlightenment is to embrace the reality that, in order to even begin to understand the true depth of the scriptures, we must cease to view other people as being ignorant and perhaps even stupid.   That very intelligent minds can read these biblical narratives, and arrive at an almost never-ending array of conflicting theories and beliefs, must convey to the intellect that these texts are not clear and concise historical declarations of fact as we tend to portray them in our modern biblical translations and church dogma.   The Atheist questions the intelligence of the believer because he is unable to see the absurdity of what is literally written in the scriptures.   The person of faith in turn questions the perception of the Atheist because he is unable to see what the believer observes when he opens his Bible.   Men and women of the same faith question the beliefs of other sects who do not perceive the same message in the scriptures that they very clearly observe.   We must therefore begin to recognize that these men and women who arrive at an almost uncountable number of conflicting opinions of what the Bible states, are not ignorant, and we do not see something different because we are smarter or more observant than they are.  

If we believe that God authored the scriptures, and the Bible is correct in its assertion that God could see the future of man throughout every timeframe of history, then we must also acknowledge that these texts were intentionally written in the manner they appear to us.   Accepting this fact, we must then also recognize that if it was the desire of the Supreme Power of the universe to author a declaration of His existence with respect to His relationship to man -- a declaration that was very clear and concise in its format -- that God possess the intelligence to accomplish this feat.   In recognition of this fact, we must then entertain the idea that the biblical texts were written in the manner they were, not only in order to convey to different people a different perception of the Creation account, but also to create the reality of greatly varying levels of intellectual and spiritual depth to a consciously diverse body of readers.

In God’s Infinite Wisdom, what we are presented with in the scriptures is a series of Universal Truths that are valid on all levels of Creation.   Looking at the Genesis account from a more enlightened perspective: If Adam and Eve are the ultimate parents of all of humanity, then the Christian doctrine of Original Sin can be understood as indicative of all of mankind having received their genetic legacy even in our own lives.   What this presents to us is the reality that we are not being held accountable for the Original Sin of Adam and Eve -- but more appropriately, the Original Sin that is taking place in our own lives -- in our own time -- even though we fail to recognize that our own temptation and seduction is presently taking place.  

What I have just presented to you would be one of the essential differences between the carnal interpretation of the secular institutionalized church of the Roman Empire, in contrast to the vision and perception of the very spiritual Messianic followers of Jesus who were known as the Essene-Ebionites.   Where the modern believer attempts to interpret the scriptures as history, the disciple of an elevated spiritual vision and awareness is able to perceive what is presented as mental and spiritual events that are not only taking place within their body, mind and spirit, but are actually patterns that are congenital to every element of their being.   That the same genetic patterns are continually being presented to us in a different form, can be likened to the universal brush strokes of the artist upon the canvas of life.

From this elevated perception of the Bible we can then begin to understand that Jesus condemned the Jewish sects of the Sadducees and Pharisees for the same sin that was committed by Adam and Eve, and is daily being committed by us.   That we have been misled by attempting to interpret Gnostic theology in a literal sense, is especially true when it is realized that the author of the Doctrine of Original Sin -- i.e., St. Augustine -- was a member of a Gnostic sect prior to his political appointment as a bishop in the church.   Once Original Sin is understood from a universal spiritual perspective, we can further relate this same sin as being prevalent in the Christian Church when it entered into a covenantal relationship with Rome.   Moreover, we can again observe this same sin among the people who call themselves Christian in our modern day.   If there is Original Sin, then it is not the sin of Adam and Eve that has been our demise, but our own sin -- which sin is in conflict with the very essence of the original New Covenant teachings.   With respect to the church’s doctrine of Original Sin, if you chose to view this as a condition brought about by our genetic heritage, there is truth to that assertion as well -- but what we view as a genetic flaw has a more profound reality than can be envisioned by the mind of carnal man, and can only be overcome when we embrace the higher power of the Light.  

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To contact the author: Allan_Cronshaw@nazirene.org