return to the
SHADOWS OF A HIGHER REALITY
ISA 59:9 So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
Was Isaiah right? Could it be that we live in the dark and are walking in deep shadows at this very moment? Could it be that this world we are so completely immersed in, and entranced by is more like an illusion, a dream- a world of shadows? Haven’t we all had dreams that we thought were so real? Then once we awaken, they disappear like shadows fleeing the light. If this is a world of shadows we are living in, then there must be a higher reality “above” us, which is casting these shadows we think are so real.
Now this higher reality is said to be “above” us, but it is not in the clouds. It is simply above our full awareness of it. Mankind is in the dark because we are nearly oblivious to the reality of God. We can’t see this higher world, so we disregard it. We may catch glimpses of that heavenly kingdom, but it remains just out of reach for those believing in the deep shadows of the mundane world. Our darkness is within our minds caused by ignorance and deception. We live in this shadowy world with feelings of worry and despair, and yet, even in the utter darkness there is hope. Even the shadows speak of the higher reality. They whisper to us that the Truth will save us, and we should not fear.
What does it mean to be a shadow? A shadow is an image of something else. It is an impression of something that has substance- something that is “real.” While shadows may have no reality in and of themselves, they can serve a vital purpose especially if this is all we can see. These light-lacking images can teach and lead us to accept the higher reality they represent. This is their purpose- to help us understand and lead us like signs along the path to God.
This article is really a follow up to “The Meaning of Life” because this world is full of signs and wonders that our natural eyes can easily overlook. In this latest writing, I want to share many other examples of how this lower world with all its cosmology, physiology, theology, and even sociology shadow the higher, spiritual reality of God’s kingdom. As I began to consider the many truths sustaining these seemingly endless shadows surrounding us, I was simply overwhelmed. For this reason, all I can offer are fragments from a universe of shadows and symbols. Look around and you too will see the shadows of a higher reality telling us God is with us always. They remind us that God is calling us up from the darkness (ignorance and deception) of this world to his kingdom of Truth.
MT 4:16 “The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
Jesus seemed to see our world in a whole different “light” than everyone else. He realized that this lower world was not his home. He agrees with Isaiah and says we are living in darkness (ignorance/deception). He goes on to say we are living in the land of the shadow of death. Have many considered what Jesus is saying here? He is not speaking of a physical death, but rather a spiritual death. When Jesus said to them, “let the dead, bury the dead,” he was addressing the spiritually dead. Let those who are spiritually dead worry about those who are physically dead. Let those who are spiritually aware follow Christ. Spirit like energy can never cease. However, it can be said that humanity is spiritually dead when it is unaware or uncaring of God’s will and kingdom. Those souls who so are completely attached to this lower world can sink into such darkness that the shadows can barely be seen. Yet, only one small light will give enough vision to make out many images. With that small light and the shadows it creates, one can start to discern the nature and will of God. Paul said that nature told men about God and that they are without excuse and so it is. If we seek God, we will find Him EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING and in EVERYONE.
Some would call such thinking nonsense because they rely completely on their five natural senses to tell them what is “real” and what is not. To them whatever can be known through our sensory organs is real and all else is imagined. Truth seekers know better. Truth seekers know that God cannot be directly seen with natural eyes; heard with our ears; tasted with our tongue; smelled with our nose; nor felt with our fingers. God is Spirit and beyond the reach of our natural perceptions. Even so, this world of the senses has been created through God’s power and will, so it innately carries the truths and patterns of God’s nature even into the shadows of the deepest, darkest hell we can create for ourselves. Yes, in the utter darkness there are virtually no shadows to discern, but it only takes a small light to give our hearts and minds a WAY to escape! As the light grows, the shadows that once were our only reality begin to fade until the LIGHT floods the earth like The Flood. When the shadows disappear, then a higher reality is all we will know.
COL 2:17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Paul spoke of shadows several times in his writings. He also told us where to find reality- Christ. Being a Pharisee he knew his religion and the Scriptures inside and out, but his world was turned upside down when he came to know Christ! He once followed the shadows of his religion, but then received the reality of Christ! His heart and mind were opened so much by Jesus that Christ became more than the manifestation of a single man, but Christ became everybody and the reason for everything!
COL 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over ALL creation. 16 For by him ALL things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; ALL things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before ALL things, and in him ALL things hold together.
What a powerful passage! ALL things are created by and for Christ. That means you and me! Christ holds ALL things together. That means you and me! Christ sustains our very lives that we so often take for granted. Paul had to be literally floored when this revelation was given to him, as we all should be. We just don’t get it. Christ IS before the man Jesus was! Christ is before all things. Jesus, the son of man, grew from an infant, gained stature, gained wisdom and favor with God. Christ didn’t do these things- Jesus did. Something else Jesus did was to reveal Christ to the world!
The anointed Jesus (Christ) spoke to Paul, not the man of flesh. Christ Jesus spoke to his soul through his heart, or spirit. It is there where Christ begins his work in us. Paul’s natural eyesight was taken from him, so that he may come to realize that he had been spiritually blind. Even with all his knowledge of the Scriptures, laws and observances he didn’t know the reality of Christ. He lived in the shadows and failed to realize what they represent. Paul began to see that all that he once believed in was mere shadows of a higher reality being revealed to him. His eyes were opened to a new world, an eternal kingdom found in Christ. From the Father and through the Son and by the Holy Spirit, God is calling us back to this higher reality we call heaven. Do you hear God calling us? Do you hear Him in the wind? Do you see Him in the stars? Do you feel Him in your heart? He is in all things if we have they eyes to see.
ALL OF CREATION
ROM 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Yes, God’s eternal power and divine nature have reached down to the “footstool” of his creation, which we call the Earth. As the Psalmist said, “Where can I flee from your spirit?“ “If I make my bed in hell, you are there!“ This is not a curse, but a blessing! Grace follows us into the darkness of this world to help us. Even in a state of spiritual death and blindness, there are signs of life and visions of truth given by the Creator of all things to set us free. There is a divine pattern that is followed because of God’s “divine nature” impregnating all things. So where in “creation” shall we begin our search?
From the smallest part of an atom to the vastness of the universe, God gives life, and if we look closely, God is seen everywhere. So, whatever man discovers in science, it will always carry God’s fingerprints on it. This is not an accident, but simply the way it is because of the Creator’s character/nature. In spite of what many well-intentioned religious leaders might believe, scientific truths will ALWAYS support God because they have been born of Him. Truth can only give birth to truth though we may not always understand. Mathematics, chemistry, biology, astrology and the like all give us doses of truth- as much as we can bear. It is said that the truth is hard to swallow. How many times have religious minds refused to swallow what science was feeding them? Some would rather starve their minds than accept a scientific truth that might conflict with their religion. As we mature spiritually, we are able to eat and digest all truths no matter where we find them. No longer is there the fear of eating “different meat.” All food for the mind has been made clean to eat.
ROM 14:2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
What Paul says goes far deeper than our earthly diet. We must come to realize that God is not as concerned with what we feed our bodies, but rather what we feed our minds. If we seek for spiritual meaning in all of ordinary life, we will find God’s divine nature and life in all things great and small. So let’s being the feast with a “small” appetizer!
THE ATOM-
The atom is the smallest form of every element and is considered the building block of the universe. While each atom could contain another universe, it really doesn’t MATTER- pun intended! What does “matter” is all of creation including that microscopic atom says I AM from God. You see before the Word was made flesh, the Word was made an atom.
Even this tiny and relatively simple manifestation of God’s Spirit carries that imprint of his very nature- a TRIADIC nature. The Trinity of God’s nature is mostly a mystery to man. This tri-level nature has been translated down all through creation. God’s triadic expressions are wonderfully obvious in many different areas of study if we look closely. This is certainly true of the atom.
All atoms (except hydrogen) consist of three parts- protons, electrons and neutrons. It is even theorized that an even smaller unit called the quark is believed to exist as groups of three as well! Where does it end? I don’t believe it ever does. If we could break the quark down, we may find a whole universe filled with more trinities.
So what is this physical manifestation, this shadow telling us about God? Well, certainly more than I know, but I will offer what I can. The atom’s three parts make it ONE unit just as God is ONE through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three parts also seem to provide a kind of stability. Each part of the atom has a role, or purpose to serve for the whole.
In the atom, the virtually invisible electron moves around the neutron and proton that remain at the center. I see that the Holy Spirit of God moves about and around the Father and Son who remain together and at the center of life itself. Neutrons and protons are very similar in every way but the electrical charge. If one could combine the proton and electron, then it would be a neutron. Don’t the Holy Spirit and Son work together to be the Father in every way? I see that the Son is like the proton- an image of the neutron. So then the Father is like the neutron that is unchanging and at peace.
The entire universe is built on the tiny atom and yet, as the Creator would have it, the atom is nearly nothing. In other words 99.999% of every atom is nothing! It should be no surprise that the whole of the universe is the same- empty space. Should we be amazed at this? I am! Isn’t this telling us that our physical world that we are so concerned about is virtually nothing- only a miniscule part the BIG picture? I believe it is. We put so much faith and effort into the things of the physical world when it is mostly nothing. Perhaps we should rethink where we put our faith? And yet, this nearly void world of shadows can tell us about that higher reality where true life resides. How wonderful our God is! After God created the atom, then it was time to make some elements. Let’s consider some of the elements God created. I especially want to investigate those we have labeled “organic.” These little beauties are very special indeed.
HYDROGEN-
The first element on the periodic table is the first element of the universe. While all the elements are God’s elements, this one holds deeper connections to the Source of all life. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. It is the original element from which all other elements were created. For this and many other reasons, hydrogen is God’s element. It is numero uno!
Hydrogen creates other elements by surrendering its life just as God does. Our Sun is the best example of this. The Sun and all stars contain trillions and trillions of hydrogen atoms being sacrificed to make helium and other elements. Two hydrogen atoms join and become one helium atom. This fusion process releases an enormous amount of energy. As our knowledge of the universe expands, we are coming to realize that the smaller the unit, the greater the energy released. Take a pound of coal or even TNT for that matter and compare it to a pound of pure hydrogen being fused. There is no comparison. Within the smallest atom (hydrogen) lies the greatest energy potential.
Also, hydrogen is unique among all of the other elements in that it has no neutron. This is a real mystery to scientists. It simply has one proton and one electron thereby creating neutrality. My understanding is that hydrogen (God’s element) can be thought of as the Creator of this world. As discussed in “The Meaning of Life,” this lowest world is the realm of the Holy Spirit. In the Beginning, the Father empties Himself into the Son who then empties Himself into the Holy Spirit. Then the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Earth to lead us to Christ. So it would seem that hydrogen without a neutron represents the Holy Spirit without the Father in a strange sense. Of course they are always one, but somehow the lack of a neutron is saying the Father made a sacrifice for creation and man. It is the nature of God to give everything for the purpose of his will. The Father emptied Himself into the Son and it is there were we come to know the Father again.
CARBON-
While there are 90 naturally occurring known elements, carbon is the one man knows the best. Man and all living things are described as “carbon-based” which means that CARBON is the key to all organic life. The carbon atom is unique because it allows many different types of bonds with other elements to create a myriad of materials. It is the “glue” holding all creatures together, but even I was surprised to find out how much man has in common with carbon.
Carbon holds nature together because it has the ability to bond in four directions with other compounds. All life on the earth is based around the carbon atom because of those four points of bonding. Now, consider the human being. Man also has four points where he “bonds” with his environment. We call them hands and feet. We seem to carry the nature of carbon into our very bodies. Do we not reach out to the world with our four limbs and then grab hold, figuratively and literally, to all we desire? Certainly this is an interesting similarity, however the bond between man and carbon goes much deeper than this.
Carbon is number 6 on the periodic table because it contains 6 protons, 6 neutrons and 6 electrons. Guess who else has the label of “number 6?” Of course, we read in the Bible that man was created on the 6th day. Also we read that man’s number is 666. While some believe that this particular number is the “sign of the beast,” they should look a little deeper than a birthmark on the scalp of an individual man. In truth, we have all had this ‘mark‘ because the carnal nature of man is the beast we fight against. Yes, man of the Earth was created on the sixth day. In other words, we came into our natural (lower) state on the sixth day. This “nature” is the nature of the beast and is exactly why we are spiritually evolving. Are you still not convinced that carbon and man are linked like a shadow and it’s reality? There is more.
I find it interesting that pure carbon is found in two forms: graphite and diamond. There is also a “form” of carbon that it is mixed with other organic elements. We call this coal. So carbon, man’s element, exists in three different states. Again, we have the triadic nature expressing itself, but what deeper meaning can be discerned from all of this? If we compare man’s states of spirituality in this world with carbon we find some interesting parallels.
Coal is a mixture of carbon (usually in graphite form) and other organic compounds. I see that coal represents our carnal natures. This idea gains more credence when one considers that coal is very organic, or earthy. Coal is really a collection of DEAD, living things. Does this sound like the state of the natural man DEAD in sin? Yes, we find ourselves “living” in this earthly state and yet “dead” in our sin. So it seems natural man has more in common with coal than would first appear. Of course coal burns very well, and so will our carnal nature in the lake of fire, right? So then coal represents us in a natural state, using a carnal mind and living like a beast. In this state we are far from God and enemies of God. We are not pure, but a mixture of worldly things and desires. However, in pure form, carbon is either diamond or graphite- both very useful, but both very different.
Graphite is the most common form of pure carbon. It is not used for fueling fires, but rather as tools for man. Graphite has wonderful uses like a pencil lead, a lubricant and even as a bonding agent for strong polymers. Just as graphite is a tool of man, many souls of this world can become instruments, or tools of God. Graphite is a soft substance just as the servants of God are humble. Graphite prevents friction just as the children of God are peacemakers. Graphite can be strong just as the prophets hold fast to their faith. Graphite is a pure form of carbon and certainly a useful tool, but take that same soft, slippery substance, add some heat and pressure and you will get something much greater- the DIAMOND!
HEB 5:7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
Jesus was made perfect through obedience and suffering. Oh yes, there is no doubt that Jesus was God’s diamond! Jesus is the Rock! Jesus is the Cornerstone. Jesus is that Stone that crushes all others in the world!
MT 21:44 “He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
Jesus was born a natural man seeking God (graphite). Even so, this man chosen by God went through great sorrows and was under great pressure because of the great love he had for God and us. He felt the fire of God burning within his soul, and he desired to start our flame burning. In time, Jesus was transformed from servant to Son in the same way graphite becomes diamond. Like graphite, diamond is pure carbon, but it is dramatically different.
Diamond is not soft, but rather it is the hardest known substance in the universe! That is saying a lot! Diamond is not opaque, but usually transparent for light to pass through it. It creates a spectacular display of dazzling light when cut correctly. Jesus Christ, God’s perfect gem, gave his disciples a peek of his light during the transfiguration. They were in awe at the brilliance of God’s diamond who is the greater than any other! Jesus is first gem of God’s crown who shines the light of Christ!
NITROGEN-
The atomic number of nitrogen is 7. This of course is the day when God rested, and apparently is also the day when man went to work. Man began to grow in knowledge. As it turns out, nitrogen and growth have a direct relationship. All gardeners know that nitrogen is necessary for plants to grow. What you might not know is that this is true of our bodies as well. Nitrogen is used to make amino acids that are used to make proteins that are used to make flesh. So you see, humans and plants are not so far apart. I like to think of nitrogen as the shadow of the power of the Holy Spirit. Our LORD God (Christ, Son) may have rested on the 7th day, but not his “Helper.” The Holy Spirit gives life to all things in our world and causes them to grow. The Holy Spirit also aids our spiritual growth- leading us to Christ.
The word “spirit” in Hebrew is ruach or “neshamah” that means “breath” or “air” among other translations. Interestingly, most of what we breathe in is plain, old nitrogen! In fact, about two thirds of the air we rely on for life is nitrogen. Plants certainly can take advantage of this nitrogen rich air and suck it in, but we, humans have come to rely on the next organic element for our life- oxygen.
OXYGEN-
Oxygen is another one of those “organic” elements because all living things have it. In fact, our bodies are made up of about two thirds oxygen. Oxygen is number eight on the periodic table. I believe this is significant because “8” is considered a number of perfection. The 8th day is the Day of the Lord in which man reaches perfection and God’s kingdom has come.
Oxygen is also closely tied to all life. Oxygen is needed for things to burn. We “burn” our food by taking in oxygen into our lungs. We read in the Bible that our God is a Consuming Fire. We had better watch out for our skin since our bodies are mostly O2! Yes, watch our carnal nature go up in smoke just as God desires it to be!
Eight being the number of perfection, it occurs to me that oxygen represents the final step in our evolution in this world. Plants breathe in CO2 from the air and have little need for the oxygen, so they release it. We on the other hand want the pure oxygen from the air. We no longer need the carbon (carnal nature) that the plants rely on, but now in the 8th day we seek to breathe a higher form of air so God’s fire can burn in us. Oxygen is the last of the organic elements. This is our last step in our evolutionary process here on our Earth. Our need and use of oxygen means we are closing in on perfection.
WATER-
2 PET 3:5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
Water is the miracle compound of all creation. Take an oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms, and call me in the morning! No, I mean, you have water! We have seen that hydrogen is God’s element and oxygen is the element of life, breath, fire and perfection. These two elements join to give life to all living things of our world. We take for granted all that water can do and the life it supports. Water is of course H2O (HOH), which means it has two hydrogen atoms joined with one oxygen atom. This is like saying man’s perfection and life relies on being bonded with Son and the Holy Spirit.
Water is about as gentle and stable of a compound you will find in the universe. Its very stable bond supports all life and has some very unique characteristics. Many of these qualities are discussed in “God and Water- The Givers of Life,” but let me attempt to expound on some of those ideas there.
While most elements and compounds can theoretically exist in the THREE different forms of matter (gas, liquid and solid), only one does! Water is the ONLY substance, or compound that exist naturally in all three forms here on the Earth. It is moisture in the air. It is water filling the oceans. It is ice covering the poles. If one takes the time to contemplate on this, they will begin to see why water is so remarkable. Water is so closely tied to all life that it really IS life. There is no wonder why the ancient wisdom of the prophets tied God and water together.
These three forms of water represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is represented by water vapor- the highest form of water. I now see that the Son is represented by water in liquid form. Christ is the living water. The Holy Spirit creates the foundation for life, so it is the solid form of water- ice.
In the article God and Water- The Givers of Life, I wrote that the Holy Spirit was related to water and the Son was to ice. At that time, I thought this because I was considering the man Jesus. Jesus is the Word (Christ/Son) made flesh. Since ice has solid form, I thought this represented the Son of God when really it represents the flesh. Seeing more clearly now, I understand that Christ is represented by water and the Holy Spirit is represented by ice. When the Word came into this world of the Holy Spirit, he became flesh- a solid form like ice. It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that Christ is born in all of us because this world is where the Holy Spirit works the will of the Son who is working the will of the Father. So again, the lowest form of water represents the Holy Spirit who is our helper in the lowest form of existence.
In addition to shadowing the Trinity of God, water can also represent our spiritual development. First we are like ice- frozen by fear, sin and death. Our hearts are cold having little or no life. Then, by the power of the God’s love (Sun), we are melted, transformed into water that is able to flow and give life. Finally we become vapor and are lifted from this world. We become what Jesus is. We become a free, life-giving spirit!
THE TRIADS-
As mentioned earlier, all matter (known to us) in the universe exists in one of three states, but water is possibly the best example of God’s triadic life expressing itself in our world. However, let me share just a few more to further substantiate my position.
Three different “aspects” describe the universe: space, matter and time. Time and space provide the fabric for matter to exist. While I am convinced that all three of these are also shadows, I have no earthly idea what kind of reality they might represent- perhaps I will in another article! As it turns out, these THREE ways our universe is known are also based on other triads!
Of course, matter is defined as a vapor, liquid or solid. Space is known by three planes- X, Y, and Z. Then there is time that is contained in the past, present or the future. Now do you believe that God’s triadic, triple-action nature permeates everything? Stop for a minute to consider motion. It is classified as rotational, vibrational or translational. All three are energy, but have different purposes just as the Holy Trinity does. All of this simply points to our Creator who is expressed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Just as God is endless, so are the ways and relationships in which He has expressed Himself. For much deeper and detailed introspective into the interconnected hierarchy of life, I recommend a site called “The Upper Triad Society.” There they systematically and logically describe the meaning and purpose of these ordinary lives we live. There you will also find more triads than you ever could imagine!
FORCES AND DUALITY-
Beyond the triadic expressions of God, there is also a kind of duality, or balance that exists. In our universe we have forces acting upon us all the time, most of which are unseen. The only way to come to “rest” is to have no forces or equal forces thus duality is born. In nature we there is magnetism having negative and positive charge. In our spiritual life we have the forces of “good and evil,” but how we decide which is which can be much harder than discerning black and white.
We know duality because we are not at “rest,” but rather on a spiritual trip in the realm of consciousness. After that point when God separated the “light from the darkness” we began to use duality to know our world. It is for us to decide what is right and wrong through experience. We cannot be told what the truth is, but we must come to know it just as we know ourselves. Let us always remember then that our choices determine our path and our actions cause the effects that are rendered. During our journey from the relative darkness of this world, we do well to look for the Light.
GEN 1:3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
LIGHT-
God spoke and there was Light. Or we could say, God expressed himself and he was Christ. As we know, Christ is the power behind all things, so it makes sense that light is too! Light powers everything! Life on the Earth is supported by two means: water and light. Both are shadows of God’s life, and this is exactly what they are to us- life. When most think of light, they are thinking of what the visible light provided by the Sun each day, but light actually includes the whole electromagnetic spectrum. This ranges from radio waves that have the least amount of energy to gamma rays that have the highest level of energy.
You may have been taught about light’s unique dual quality in science class. Light has a duality that no other type of energy has. Light photons can act like a wave in the ocean or like bullets from a gun. As it turns out, the lower energy photons like radio waves tend to act more like a wave. Like sound waves, radio (lower energy light) waves move through a medium like air and can actually “bend” around objects. Unlike sound waves, radio waves can travel without any medium, which means they can travel in the void of space. Well, it is my understanding that Christ is the LIGHT of the world and every man, woman and child. So what does this characteristic of light in the natural telling us about Christ’s spiritual nature?
I believe it tells us that no only can Christ reach us in this earthly medium, but also can take us through the void to the Father. Christ (Light) reaches us where we are. To do this Christ (Light) must act like a wave that can move through our lower world. If light could not act as a wave, then our carnal minds could block Christ from reaching us. As it is though, Christ can go around obstacles to reach us! As our Light increases, Christ in us begins to take on a higher more mature nature. Then just as high-energy photons can travel through the void of space, Christ can travel without the lower mediums of matter, space and time found in this world. As high-energy light, we can transcend the lower world!
Yes, we are the Light of the world, but thank God that our Light (Christ) has the ability to operate in this lowest realm of God’s creation. Remember this is God’s footstool- the world of the Holy Spirit. When we are ready, Christ comes down from heaven like sunlight to give us life. Christ is the bridge between this world and God, the Father. Because of this, it is necessary for Christ to have the dual nature that we see shadowed by light. There’s an irony for you! Light is the shadow of Christ! As powerful as the Sun is, it is only a shadow of the Son’s glory. As much as we rely on the Sun for what we call life, we rely so much more on Christ to find our true life. If we have a true life, then we must also have a false life, right? Welcome the world of opposing forces.
DUALITY-
Duality in nature represents a desire for balance just as many souls seek peace. The motion was started in that moment called “The Beginning” or “Big Bang,” and it can only stop when all the forces have balanced. Duality exists, not because of man, but for man. As examined in The Meaning of Life, duality exists for the sake of consciousness to grow. To know, we must first experience. To experience, we must first have choice. To have choice, we must first have duality. For this reason, God (who is One) separated heaven and earth, light and darkness, right and wrong so that we could use consciousness to realize who we are. First a path is created, and then one must walk it to know it.
E=MC2-
Well, I am no Einstein, not even a physicist, but I believe there is spiritual wisdom hidden in this natural law. Let’s consider the divine equation revealed to Einstein: E=MC2. Why divine? As mentioned before, it is because all truths support The Truth. All the truths from math, science, chemistry, etc exist because they shadow a higher Truth.
So back to E=MC2 where E is energy, M is mass, and C is the speed of light in a vacuum. One thing we know from this equation is that energy and mass are directly related. In fact, one could really think of all matter as condensed light! Hard to even imagine how much light is stored in our small, frail bodies. Converting this natural equation into a spiritual one is difficult, but here is my understanding.
It seems clear that C (speed of Light and a constant) is the shadow of God’s glory, power and will because they are both constants. Some “science sticklers” may bring up the point that the speed of light is not constant except in the vacuum of space and is slower in other mediums. Well, I think this fact also relates to a spiritual truth. If the speed of light {C} is the shadow of God’s will or power then let’s consider if it is the same at every level of existence. It seems clear that God’s will is not always done here on Earth. On the other hand, God’s will before time and space in the void was done at that moment called “here and now.” In that moment God’s will or power is constant and there is nothing greater. This is like the speed of light. In the void, the speed of light {C} is a constant. Like God’s will and power, “C” only becomes lessened, in a sense, in lower mediums like our world. So now, back to the equation at hand.
I believe that E (energy) is a shadow of our consciousness, or spiritual energy if you like. Our spiritual energy is our “light” that Jesus said we should not keep hidden. I think then M (mass) represents our faith in God. Faith is the substance of our spiritual life like mass is the substance of all things. Things exist in this world because they have mass. God exists in our consciousness because we have faith. Faith has spiritual weight like mass has weight. So, the equation for this is spiritual law then would be as follows:
Consciousness of God {C} = Faith in God {F} x Power of God2 {P2} or C=FP2.
Let’s consider this spiritual theory. The first question that might arise is why P2? Well, again in this world we have the Holy Spirit and the Son helping us to the Father, so this would be P x P or P2. The power of God {P} “squared” sounds a bit absurd, but man cannot even fathom a single P. Can you imagine God’s power? Wouldn’t trying to grasp God’s power {P} be like counting to infinity? If we can agree that God has power that cannot be measured, why then would it be any different for P x P? See my point? So let’s test this theory as best we can.
When our Consciousness of God {C} increases then does our Faith {F}, or closeness to God also increases? Yes, I believe this true. Our awareness of God is directly proportional to our faith and closeness to God.
JAS 4:7 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
As our faith grows, we grow closer to God and our understanding and knowledge of him and life increases. Einstein was certainly no dummy! What he discovered in the natural has its meaning in the spiritual just as every shadow has its higher reality. Perhaps in “heaven” we will have P3- the power of Father, Son and Holy Spirit available to our consciousness! We can’t even imagine! Talk about being able to fly high! Until they then though, it seems we are to remain a bit “grounded” by the earthly forces that be.
GRAVITY-
1COR 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Gravity may be my favorite force of nature. Why? This is because without a doubt it represents God’s love. As Paul alludes to, love is the greatest “force” in the spiritual universe! Gravity, like God’s love, is a complete mystification. Man cannot explain the force of gravity, but simply labels it a “law” that just is the way it is. We have no earthly idea why objects attract one another, but without gravity (and certainly God's love), life as we know it could not exist.
If one examines the law of gravity closely and then looks up to find the higher law or force it represents, we must come to the conclusion that God’s love is the spiritual form of gravity. They seem to parallel each other in every way imaginable. Like God, gravity is ever present, ever active, ever lasting. It doesn’t run out, run down and it is everywhere there is mass. The greater that mass of an object is the greater is the force of gravity. Again, spiritual mass would represent our faith or nearness to God. The closer we get to God, the stronger our love (spiritual gravity) becomes. This is the higher law of Love.
GAL 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
It is written that God is love, and any that love are born of God. What a profound mystery that Love has created. It seems clear that the will of gravity and the will of God are the same- to be ONE. Both are constant, unyielding and dominating in their kingdoms. Gravity and God’s love affects all things at all times. It is unwavering no matter the circumstances. What is really interesting is what happens when gravity is taken to extreme limits.
The notion of “black holes” was at first mere speculation. Then later they became theoretical, but today they are all but accepted as fact. The black hole is all about extreme gravity. It is a sinkhole for all mass and energy- even light. The force of gravity becomes so strong that it overpowers all other forces of the universe! Now, that sounds like God’s love! It seems that within a black hole, the laws of physics are superseded by a higher order of “laws” just as Christ supersedes the Law of Moses.
As discussed in the article The Meaning of Life, matter and consciousness are inversely related in that as matter decreases in the universe, overall consciousness increases. So in the black hole, matter is taken from this world and consciousness is given into the spiritual realm. Again recall the spiritual equation of consciousness:
Consciousness {C} = Faith in God {F} x Power of God2 {P2}
As our faith grows, our consciousness (or awareness) of God’s will also increases. This is the same relationship we see with gravity within the black hole. The black hole is drawing all things together just as God is drawing us all back so that God is all in all. The closer the mass becomes the greater the force of gravity. God’s love increases as we come together as well. We are called to love our neighbor as our self, but do we realize why? It is because we are all part of the Body of Christ. As we come together because of the overpowering force of God’s love, we become ONE body! And like the mass transformed in the black hole, we are also transformed into a higher state of being in Christ!
What I also find interesting is a black hole is likely formed when a large star goes super nova. In other words, once a star has surrendered a critical amount of mass through the process of fusion, it then explodes and collapses upon itself. It gives all that it can, and then it begins to take EVERYTHING back! This is the nature of God and the “Cycle of Life,” which was discussed in The Meaning of Life. If all has come from God and all is returning to God, then love is the gravity making this possible.
CELESTIAL BODIES-
Some might suspect that by celestial bodies, I am going to delve into astrology. Not exactly. While being an Aquarius, I am certainly prone to such “free-spirited” philosophies, but I will save that for another time. Yes, I do believe there is merit in believing that the stars, the moon and all the planets have some kind of affect on us. However, I know next to nothing about the subject, so I will keep this discussion in the genre of my field- science.
Within our universe there are billions of galaxies within each of these are billions of stars. Surrounding these stars are likely billions of planets that are orbited by billions of moons. A deep consideration of the expansiveness of the universe can make any head spin. Contemplating the minuteness the Earth in this supreme scheme could take one into a kind of despair. One might say, “Where is the hope?” Yes, thinking in spatial terms, one certainly would conclude that the Earth and all that exist on it are insignificant, but as they say, “size doesn’t matter.”
We live in the world where time and space are the fabric of the universe. Yet, would our lives be any less important if we all lived on a tiny atom instead of a blue planet? Could we imagine that within each atom in yet another universe with unrealized life? So whether we are examining our world through an electron microscope or a high-powered telescope, we only need to remember that that pattern God set into motion is the same. Life is life no matter how small or great we think it is. Even in the smallest creation, God’s fullness must exist, or God isn’t God.
So then, mankind finds itself here on planet Earth orbiting the star called the Sun within the Milky Way Galaxy. We have discovered nine known planets in our solar system. There has been much speculation about a “Planet X,” which would make ten planets orbiting the Sun. I tend to believe this may be correct because “10” seems to have significance in the way of our world. Mankind has chosen to use a base ten system for mathematics. God’s commandments came to us as ten laws. The Jewish tabernacle had 10 curtains just as the west end of the courtyard had ten posts and ten bases. Ten seems to be man’s base system, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they do, in fact, discover a 10th planet. Until then, let’s consider those celestial bodies closer to home.
THE SUN-
REV 1:16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
What could the Sun possibly represent? This should be a “no-brainer” as they say! The Sun is energy, and the SON is LIFE! The Sun gives out visible light, and the SON gives out SPIRITUAL LIGHT! Just as all the stars (suns) give out their energy freely, so too do the sons of God give out life! They sacrifice themselves for the sake of all that are around them. It is interesting that our Sun uses the hydrogen atom (God’s element) to create its energy. The simplest and smallest of all atoms produces such enormous amounts of energy.
While stars may appear to burn themselves out, their energy is never gone. Energy is never lost, but only transformed, or transferred into other forms. Isn’t this the case with God’s Spirit? The only “thing” God can give is Himself. So ask yourself, can God lose that very spirit he has given to us? Certainly not! This is why all will be saved! All that God is has been entrusted to the Son. In turn, Christ empties himself into humanity and creation knowing that he will rise again through us. So Christ is the spiritual Sun of our life. Like the Sun, Christ is at the center of our life giving life to His Kingdom. He is the constant and unchanging one who never fails to rise and shine His Light on us in darkness.
THE MOON-
ISA 30:26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.
The moon is an interesting body within our celestial system. Many understand that the moon represents (shadows) the Church, or Body of Christ. This point is established fairly clearly in the Bible. In the above passage, the moon (Body of Christ) will shine like the sun (Christ)! What a wonderful day that will be! Like Jesus said, “Let your whole body be full of light!“ So what about the moon? How does it shadow the Church?
The similarities and parallel relationships are amazing. First, we have the aspect of light. The moon does not produce it’s own visible light, but simply reflects the Sun’s light. This is also true of the Church, which reflects Christ’s glory. The moon is the “lesser light” for the night sky, which is to say the Church is the light of the (dark) world.
We are called to be “IN the world, not OF the world.” In other words, the Church is to realize we can live as part of the world, but we are not from this world. This is also true of the moon. The moon is separated from the Earth, yet it still affects the Earth in ways most don’t realize. It is likely that no life would exist if the moon were not in place. Most know that it is the gravitational pull of the moon that creates tides. Again, gravity relates to God’s love. The Church (Ecclesia in Greek) loves the world, but stays separated from it for the sake of all. Without the moon’s presence, the Earth would not be stable enough to support life. Again, isn’t this true of humanity and the Church? What would the world be like without those followers of Christ? What life or love would be present without followers of Christ? It should be obvious that the moon represents the shadow of those called out from the world- the Ecclesia.
Here is something even more interesting! It is believed that the moon was created when a foreign planet crashed into the Earth more than 4 billion years ago. Rocks tested from the moon support this theory, which again sends home the message that we are in this world, but not part of it. Truth seekers will come to realize that while we may find ourselves in this world, we are not from this world. In fact, it is certainly possible that the MOON brought life to this planet 4 billion years ago! So as Jesus realized, so must we all- we are not from this world! We have also come from above just as the moon is above the Earth. Just as the moon came to the Earth, so did our spirit come to this world!
Another connection of the moon with the Church is the cycle. The Church is also called the Bride of Christ. For this reason, we can be thought of as female in relation to Christ, the Bridegroom. The moon’s cycle of light is nearly identical to that of every woman. Every 28 days the moon begins a new cycle of light just as a woman begins a new cycle of life. More about the moon and the New Moon Festival will be examined later in the topic of “Worshiping a God.”
THE EARTH-
ISA 45:12 It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it.
And then there is our Mother Earth. The Earth is the representation, or shadow of mankind in our natural state. We can think of it as our shadow because we are rising above it. Like the Earth, mankind’s purpose is to bring forth life. The Earth has brought forth natural life and mankind will bring forth Christ’s life. The Sun gives all life to the Earth just as Christ gives all life to humanity. In fact, if you look at the “life” on the Earth it is directly dependant on two factors- light from the sun and water from the heavens. Those areas on the Earth that get abundant light and water have abundant life. Some areas have “seasons” where life flourishes for a period, but then goes dormant. This is all true of man’s spiritual life too! Spiritual winters occur in our lives when we are lacking the light and heat of the Son. Sometimes these seasons are necessary for our development. They strengthen us. So we see that the Earth certainly does shadow man’s life in many ways. The Earth was created for mankind just as mankind was created for Christ. There is a process of evolution taking place. As preached by Paul, first the natural then the spiritual.
1 COR 15:49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
The relationship of Earth and man is also seen in the Bible. The Earth was flooded with water just as humanity will be completely baptized with God’s Spirit. The Earth will be destroyed by fire just as the fire of God’s love will consume our carnal natures. Our earthly nature has served its purpose and it is time to take on a new “likeness.” There comes the time for every child to leave its mother. Our “mother” is the Earth.
THE BODY
Paul once wrote that there is a natural body and a spiritual body. He also said we have our “old self“ and our “new self.” Paul was speaking of the realties and the shadows they cast. Yes, the body of flesh is a shadow of a higher, spiritual body just as the lower mind and spirit have a kind of higher reality above them. It may not always feel like it, but we are being raised higher and higher. As it is though, we have found ourselves in this lower world of the flesh, and this is where we will seek for the truth.
GEN 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
THE FLESH-
Yes, our bodies are from the dust of our Mother Earth with a little bit of SPIRIT blown in for good measure! If we just consider the composition of our flesh (no bones), the human body is about 75% water. As we were all taught in elementary school, the surface of our Mother Earth is also 75% water. Looks like our flesh does take after our mother. We inherited more than water from our Mother Earth. The salinity (amount of salt) in seawater is identical to that of our body fluids like blood, sweat and tears. It turns out that both “bodies of water” contain about 35 parts per million of salt. Some may call all these similarities complete coincidence, but the truth is the Earth is our mother. This should not be a surprise if we accept the ancient wisdom of the Bible. While our bodies may come from the Earth, more importantly, our spirit is from God, our Father.
What we must come to understand is that the Earth and the human body are vehicles for consciousness (life). The Earth, which has its own level of “elemental” consciousness, is the platform for higher levels of life just as the body is a vehicle for our soul. As discussed in The Meaning of Life, the body houses the soul while the soul houses the spirit. So we have a triadic existence in body, soul and spirit. By seeing ourselves as merely a body, we hold the soul (mind) attached to this lower world. So long as the soul is trapped in this lower world, so is the spirit. The marriage of the soul to the spirit of Christ frees them in union.
Each person is like a mini universe trying to find that place and moment where we are peace, or rest. Our bodies contain the billions of cells, which are the galaxies. The cells contain billions of atoms, which are the stars. The atoms of each cell contain orbiting electrons that are the planets. It is amazing to think about! Also recall that MOST of an atom is empty space just like the universe. The pattern of the universe is even seen in our body of dust. Yes, those divine fingerprints are on everything God has created.
THE SKELETON-
While our flesh is mostly water and those “organic” elements, our bones are products of the soil- the minerals. Our bones are mostly calcium with a few other elements mostly minerals. What I find interesting about this is that the Earth with all its minerals (rocks and earth) is the platform for life, right? Well, the skeleton is really doing the same thing. Just as the minerals support the plants, and the plants support the animals, so do our bones support our flesh that supports our consciousness.
The lasting power of bones far exceeds that of flesh, which is akin to the mountains that live eons beyond the men who climb them. This goes further in showing us that our bodies and bones are of the earth. Because they are of the earth, they are not us. We are not “of the earth” because we are spirits from God. The true Body we belong to is a spiritual one!
1COR 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
THE CELL-
While Paul used body parts to explain how we are all One Body in Christ, I prefer the cell to show this unity. It has been estimated that our body is made up of nearly 50 TRILLION cells! That is a mind-boggling number, but what if I told you that no two cells are EXACTLY alike? Of course we have cells that perform different purposes, but even among the same cell type, no two are the same. This is the same of identical twins who share the same DNA. They are not exactly alike. They can look slightly different and certainly can act and think differently.
What I am saying is this. Each of us, whether we know it or not, is a spiritual cell in the Body of Christ. Just as each cell of your body has exactly the same DNA, so do we all carry the same spiritual DNA from God. We each carry the potential of God’s fullness within us! In this way, we are the same and equally important. Even so, we are different because God calls us to different purposes. Somehow each cell in the body knows what kind of purpose it is suppose to fill. Somehow man finds his higher purpose given by God. This is all a bit of a mystery, but the one certainly shadows the other. How can your 50 trillion cells act as ONE entity? This is a miracle of miracles! However, do not marvel at this, but instead consider that Christ is rising up his body to do the same! That is the higher reality! Imagine 50 trillion souls acting as ONE! We are the cells of His glorious Body!
THE HEART-
PRO 27:19 As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.
This passage is wisdom. Prophets often refer to “man’s heart” in matters of our spiritual experiences. Jesus said that from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. In other words our heart symbolizes our desire and will. This runs deeper than just an emotional force, but more like a spiritual drive. What is in our heart motivates us for either good or evil. All throughout the Bible, the word “heart” is used to represent our spiritual will or life for good reason.
In the world of the body, there is no more vital organ to life than the heart. The heart beats around 35 millions times per year to keep those 6 quarts of life-giving blood flowing through our bodies. Located in the center of our bodies, it is the hardest working muscle weighing in at only around 10 ounces! Like the spirit deep within us, it is seemingly small, but powerful. It powers us just as the spirit given by God powers us. And like the spirit within us, it is important to keep it healthy. Bad blood flowing through our heart is like evil desires running through our spirit. The spirit gives life to our soul while in the shadow world; the heart gives life to our brain.
THE BRAIN-
Some may argue that the brain is the most important organ for life. I guess it depends on how we define “life” because a body can exist with almost no brain. This is not true in the case of the heart. Like the spirit, the heart pumps life whereas the mind and brain simply try to understand “life.“ We must understand that we are not merely “flesh and bones.” We live in these bodies to experience this world. In the same way, we use our brains and senses to know this world.
I see that the brain is but a shadow of where our true intelligence and wisdom are kept- that being the mind. The brain is the physical tool used by the mind in this physical world. Apart from this world, no brain is needed just as no body is needed either. Many of us have had “out of body” experiences that do not directly involve the brain. The mind is the spiritual brain if you will. The brain in our head connects the (natural) mind to this world using the senses.
The human brain has been evolving through the ages. The brain stem at the center is our rudimentary brain controlling the very basics body functions. We could imagine this brain to be the prehistoric brain that helped us crawl from the water. The cerebellum, often called the gray matter, surrounds the stem and controls higher functions of thought and body control. To this point, our brain and the chimps are very similar. They can reach up to grab some food or even clean their partner‘s body. So then, there must be something more to us.
What is interesting is that most of our highest thought processes take place on the very outer layer of the brain. This area is called the neocortex. It is a very thin wall (about 1/10 inch thick) of brain cells that are more evolved than the ones near the center. In this very small area we can “think” about our existence, about God and why our favorite team lost- you know the important stuff in life! But isn’t it interesting that even our brains have gotten “smarter?” The real question to ask your neocortex is then, WHO is causing our brains to evolve and become more aware of higher thoughts? My guess is that you may already know WHO that is.
It has been said that we only use 10% of our brain’s potential. What I have read is that, at best, this is wild guess and at worst this is a complete fabrication. The fact is we do not know what the potential of the evolving brain is. I feel the important concept to realize (in your mind) is that the brain is just the "tool" used by the mind. Understand that it isn’t the saw that makes a desk, but rather the carpenter who runs the saw. The brain is simply a medium for the thoughts, energy and will of the mind to express itself in this world.
DUALITY-
JOB 11:5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you 6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides.
Yes, there are two sides to wisdom and all of life it seems. Duality is as present all through the body’s structure as it is in nature. Of course, the brain has two separate sides that handle different tasks and help to balance our personality. Beyond this we have two eyes, two ears, two legs, two arm and so on. Curious, isn’t it?
Even within our being it seems duality is necessary for balance, contrast and coordination. Again, the human being is like a universe in itself- trying to come to that place of comfort and peace. As covered in The Meaning of Life, duality is for the sake of experience, judgment and evolution. We use duality to climb the ladder of consciousness. Try climbing a ladder with just one arm and one leg!
Consider our ability to see. We use two eyes, so we can have a better depth perception. In other words, we use our eyes to judge the distance. Our spiritual eyes are used in the same way and that is to judge or perceive. Our whole world is seen in duality, so this the way of this world. We have come to know this world by using duality and of course those five senses.
I find it interesting that we have five fingers reaching out from our right and our left hands- ten fingers. Recall that the number of mankind is 10? Duality in a five-sense world (2x5) has seemed to leave us using 10 as our base system. Doesn’t our two-sided brain also reach into the world with five senses? This all goes back to the very nature we have been given. We are not this way by accident, but a product of our parents.
Interestingly, the Wicca religion uses the pentagram (5 pointed star) to represent man’s nature and life. Man is a five-pointed star as they see it, and it is hard to disagree. Man’s head is the top point of the star and our four limbs reaching out in all directions are the others. This ancient, Pagan symbol represents the truth of natural man. This symbol was even used to represent Christ on the Cross. The five points were his five wounds. So the notion that this symbol or religion is evil is completely wrong. Denying truth from any source simply demonstrates real ignorance. Get my “point?“
In the pentagram symbol, the top point is said to represent spirit, and it rules the others, which are water, air, fire, and earth. Now, when the pentagram is upside down this represents the spirit subservient to nature, or our carnal desires. This could be construed as “bad,” and it is in most religions-even paganism. Even in this remote religion, there is truth Fshining for us to see. So, we shouldn’t overlook truth no matter where it is, and here it is! Every one of us is a star. As the singer once sang, "We are spirit in the material world." And in this world, the five points of our existence are clearly seen. Our SPIRIT powers our soul, which gives consciousness to our body that is mostly WATER. Our lungs breathe AIR. Our muscles and nerves make FIRE. Our bones are from the EARTH. Yes, we might recall that we are dust returning to dust.
SICKNESS-
Yes, every man dies, but not every man lives! Okay, I borrowed that one too! You might remember that man with a “brave heart” said it! So what about sickness? What does the shadow of sickness tell us in the spiritual?
Just as man seeks to cure his ailing body, I see that God seeks to heal our ailing souls. When someone is sick, most have pity on him and help him to recover. When some one’s soul is ailing from sin, many label them evil and want nothing to do with them. This was so true of mental illness in the “darker” ages. Stay away from that man; he has a demon! Or, do not touch that sinful gentile; he is unclean! If we can see that sin is a sickness and Christ is the cure, then we can all be physicians instead of pallbearers.
There is little doubt that natural sickness is the shadow of sin and sinful behavior. The Christian writer Hannah Hurnard wrote about how physical sickness of the body is a response, or reflection to a spiritual ailment of the soul. In her writings, Temples of the Living God and A Transformed Life, she goes into great detail explaining many of the relationships between body and soul. In these books, she reminds that we are the temples of God and it is not right to be “sick.” She shows how our attitudes, words and deeds towards others greatly reflect (imprint) upon the health of our bodies. One of her examples was how are evil desires will translate, or imprint onto our bodies especially our hearts and lungs. She also found that gossip and ill thoughts towards others greatly affected the health of the stomach. She found that her own pride was responsible for severe headaches. Much of what she writes is from her own experiences. I found it very interesting and enlightening.
CLEANLINESS-
It has been said that cleanliness is next to godliness, but don’t look for this passage in the Bible. Even so, there certainly is a shadow of truth in this. Some have taken this down to the lowest, most literal level and believe that “clean” people are better than “dirty” people. They may smell better, but believe Jesus and me when we say it is better to be clean on the inside than the outside!
MT 23:26 “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and, then the outside also will be clean.”
Jesus wasn’t opposed to bathing. He was opposed to trying to look “perfect” instead of BEING perfect. “Be perfect like your Father in heaven” was his motto. This also relates to what Hannah Hurnard writes about in the books I mentioned. If our inner person is right with God, then the rest will take of itself. Most want to be clean on the inside and the outside, but the latter is easier for most to manage. So rather than take a brush into our dirty minds, we focus on the body.
The Jewish Law was such that any man who had a “discharge” was unclean. Not only was he deemed unclean, but also his clothes, anyone he touched or spat on and everywhere he sat were all defiled. The Law said they all must be bathed in water to be purified. This was true of even the priests after a sacrificial burning. The whole notion of baptism will be addressed later in this article, but suffice to say that Jewish Law shadows the Truth.
So, the desire to have a clean body stems from the desire to have a clean soul, or mind. We are trying to wash the stain of sin from our minds and this desire has created a shadow in our behavior. Before man became aware of sin, did he care how clean his body was? Do we suppose that early man, say two million years ago, cared whether his hair and skin were smelling clean and fresh? No, I think not. His self-image was not evolved enough to care about such superficial matters. He was more likely concerned about getting some food and making babies (okay, so man hasn’t evolved THAT much!).
Here is another observation. I believe the desire to remove hair is also a response to the desire to lose this animal nature. We shave it, cut it and pluck it. Women don’t want hairy legs, and most men don’t want hairy faces. We have emerged from the animal kingdom, and now we seek to separate ourselves from it. We now, I hope, strive to be more than flesh and bone. We are reaching beyond the animal kingdom into a higher kingdom where Christ is the King!
ONE FLESH-
GE 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
The two become one. What a miracle! How high does this truth reach? Are not God and His Image one? So then, this truth, like all Truth, reaches from the highest heaven to lowest hell. What kind of sense can we make of this? I believe there is much we can gather from this shadow of the Truth.
First, we can see that a man and woman become “one flesh” while having sex. They do this for several reasons: to conceive a child, to strengthen their love bond, or simply just for pleasure. However, the conception of a child is truly two flesh becoming one flesh. The sperm cell and the egg cell come together to create one complete cell. What is interesting is that the sperm cell is the smallest in the human body while the egg is the largest cell found in the body. I am not real sure what this is saying about the spiritual, but I will offer this.
We know that Christ is God’s seed. Christ seeks us out like sperm seek out the egg. The egg is stationary and waiting in the dark. Is this any different than us who must ‘wait” on the Lord? Doesn’t God ask us to be “still?” So we are the egg waiting on the Lord. The sperm cells are sent out in what would seem infinite numbers. This is a shadow of Christ’s Spirit that also comes to us beyond measure. The sperm cell is small like that “spark” from God that starts a holy fire in us. The egg cell is the largest cell because it represents our whole self and world that is saved by Christ. When the two join, they become a new creation!
2COR 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is new creation; and the old has gone, the new has come!
When we are “born of the Spirit” we are no longer the person we were. We become a new creation. The false you is going to die and there is no way around it. The real you cannot die because the real you is a child of God. This identity crisis is hard for us to understand. The battle for our true identity is fought in the realm of the mind.
THE MIND
ROM 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.
As we see from this passage, the mind is something to be controlled. We are not our minds, but we can direct our minds toward either carnal thoughts or spiritual thoughts. In other words if our mind identifies with the flesh, it will become sick with sin and die. If our mind looks to the spirit, it will find life and peace beyond what the world can offer. The mind is the part of man that is the medium between the body and spirit. For this reason, the two battle each other for the mind’s attention and union.
Many times I have used the words “mind, soul and consciousness” almost interchangeably. Paul used the word PSUCHE (Gr.) translated soul. This Greek word is where we get the English word “psyche” that means soul, self or mind. While there may be some subtle differences, the mind or soul is where our emotions, will and personality exist. Some truth seekers have come to see that there are two separate minds within our being. What I believe is being realized here is we have a natural mind more in tune with the body and brain, and we also have spiritual mind that communicates to the spirit. Paul called this the “mind of Christ,” and said that those born of God have the mind of Christ, or perhaps more accurately, come to realize a higher state of consciousness.
The mind of Christ is our higher, spiritual mind that houses the spirit of Christ, which is the spirit of sonship. It is in the mind of Christ where true wisdom is kept for each of us to use. All of our meaningful experiences throughout our past lives are held in this mind. It is kind of like the hard drive on a computer. During each life, our higher mind gathers wisdom and saves it for later use. The mind of Christ (our higher mind) is at peace. This mind is forgiving. This mind does not know sin. This mind cannot die.
We can then think of our natural minds as our “RAM,” or temporary memory. Each time we power up a new life, our RAM begins to “act” like the hard drive while there is power and gets programmed by the world. These more natural and superficial memories are only held for this current life. When we are “shut down,” so to speak, they are erased and lost. This would include the memories of sin, pain and death.
We can, I suppose, even imagine that God, the Father, must have mind in some ultimate way. God releases a thought, out comes the Word (Christ) who represents the thoughts and expressions of the Father. From the Word (Son) then come more thoughts and expressions, which are responsible for the creation of all things seen or unseen through the power of the Holy Spirit. All minds create and experience, so they can know. This is their purpose. Even the carnal mind of man is not so different in many ways than the mind of Christ. They both follow the same protocol to gain consciousness. The natural mind brings us to self-consciousness while the spiritual mind takes us to Christ-consciousness. Again, a mind is like a tool, or vehicle used by our spirit to serve a purpose.
DREAMS-
ROM 13:11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
Are we spiritually asleep? Could all that we see around us be a spiritual dream? Some truth seekers have come to view this world as more like a dream from a higher mind’s eye. As mentioned earlier, all things were created in this world from the mind of Christ. So in a very real sense and from a higher perspective, this world is imagined by God and becomes a reality for us who are moving through it.
What I find fascinating is that even with our natural minds being so feeble, we continue in the way of God’s mind- a chip off the old block you could say! When our minds are left to themselves and fall into sleep, they conjure up more worlds that we call dreams. Isn’t it a matter of perspective though? From who’s point of view is this world real or not? I mean we don’t believe dreams are real, but tell our mind that as it raises the body’s blood pressure. Tell those characters in our dreams that it isn’t real. Do you see my point? That person you created in your dream believes it is real. To him it is real because it is his only life. Our life rest in the hand, or should I say MIND of God. If God had not thought of us, then we would not exist.
Dreams are the reality until we awaken to a higher state of awareness. This is why Paul was pleading with the followers of Christ to wake up to the higher reality found in him. Instead of being the character in the dream, you could be the dreamer! In a lucid state, we could have the dream control that Jesus had. Say to the mountain, “Move!” and it will be done. Faith in a reality will determine the depth of our reality. Upon waking, we come to realize that this world does not hold our life or reality. What is happening in the spiritual also happens in the natural.
In the natural world, after we fall asleep our minds take us into a different world of the imagination that can seem as real as this one. Understand that to get into a dream state we have fallen asleep- lost consciousness. This is to say we have lowered our self into different state of consciousness. Once a dream is created time, space and matter have lost their meaning and have no hold on us. Interestingly, this natural dream seems to resemble the higher reality of heaven with no time and space nor natural laws to govern us. In my dreams, I have defied gravity as well as time and space. I believe that in our natural dream state, we get a taste of our higher mind and reality. This higher mind has no natural boundaries, rules or laws, but simply is free to take the spirit where it wills. However, as long as the spirit resides in consciousness, and consciousness believes it is a body, the spirit remains grounded. If our consciousness is freed, even for a moment, from believing it is a body, it and the spirit are free to fly!
So as we dream at night, we are, in a sense, having a dream inside a dream. This experience is like creating a spiritual “double negative,” which is a positive. Because of this, the world we experience in our dream gives us a closer sense of what heaven (the higher reality) is like. Just as heaven has no rules concerning time, space or matter, so also are the ways of our dreams. The only rules or boundaries in a dream are those set by the mind itself. When the mind that is dreaming awakes, it becomes conscious and remembers the higher world from which it had fallen. In turn, it then also can forget the world it now sees as merely a dream.
SIN-
HEB 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Imagine God forgetting our sins or anything for that matter! How is it possible that an omnipotent, omniscient God can forget our sins? Well, as you already suspect it has to do with the dreaming of the mind. To truly forget about something as if it never really happened, our consciousness (or mind) must change. Sin is like part of our dream. In the beginning of our dream, there is no such thing as sin. Gradually, sin comes into our dream. As we move out of the dream, sin can be seen as purely imagination and can be forgotten.
The notion of sin must be considered in the context of the mind because this is where it was born and this where it ends. In the beginning, there was no such thing as sin just as a newborn can do no wrong. However, sin came to life in the expanding mind of man as knowledge of good and evil increased. It was in the mind of man where sin came to life. We came to realize through our many lives and experiences what was good and what was evil.
As we grow in consciousness of God, He speaks to us differently and we hear differently. Let me explain. Consider a newborn child. Can this child do anything deliberately wrong? Why not? Well, most would agree that because the child has very little knowledge or awareness of right and wrong that it could not be expected to act in a particular way. If the baby accidentally scratches her mother with her newly formed nails, is she guilty of anything? Of course not! Only as the child matures in knowledge, can he or she be held accountable. This is how we can better understand the condition of sin.
The feeling of sin is here to help us leave this world. Through the ages, this world provided many pleasures for the mind, but now the growing pains are here to tell us to move on. We want to leave this world because we want to leave the feeling of sin, which is falling short of God’s glory and perfection. Sin is nothing more than a feeling that something is wrong. Just as a pain in our stomach tells us we ate something wrong, sin also tells us we did something wrong. Still, sin only exists as long as we need it to. It is like all things of this world; it is a shadow. It is part of the big dream as well. Sin and pain have a way of helping us out of our “dream state.” Upon awaking, we realize that I am not the character who was sinning, but rather it was “I” who was dreaming! Paul even touched on this when he said it was not himself that was doing evil things, but sin was working in him. Yes, sin is “working” in our dream! It gives us pain, so that we will awaken. As they say no pain, no gain.
EMOTIONS-
Pain is just one of a multitude of emotions we feel. Emotions are the minds way of telling us how things are going. We know the body will tell us when something is wrong by sending pain signals into the brain or pleasure signals when something is “right.” In the same way, the mind uses emotions to act as indicators and guides through our experiences in life.
Also, the mind seems to use emotions that way the body uses the senses. The mind protects the body with using the senses just as the Spirit protects the mind using emotions. The deep sense of peace, joy and harmony are certainly used to bring us closer to God. These emotions we feel in God’s presence gives us the assurance that all is well. It all boils down to this- everyone is looking to feel all right. We seek pleasure over pain. What we will find in the end is that only God can satisfy the longing of our souls.
PROCREATION-
They say a man’s mind thinks about sex (on the average) every 6 seconds. While I don’t necessarily believe this statistic, I do believe the lower mind does instinctually seek to procreate. This can be one of the strongest motivations of the natural mind. As mentioned before, the mind is always creating and seeking pleasure. This is its nature- a nature given by God. So even the drive of the carnal mind to have intercourse with another is simply a shadow of a higher truth.
The word “intercourse” can have different meanings at different levels. On a physical level, it refers to having sex. The body feels pleasure and is trying to create another body in the process- hence procreation. On a mental level, intercourse means having a meaningful exchange of ideas or dialogue. Here the mind is trying to “connect” with another mind to plant ideas. Again, usually the goals are the same- to get some (intellectual) pleasure and to spawn new life. So is this also true on a spiritual level? As should be expected, the pattern is the same.
For conception at any level, there is a kind of male and female mating to create something new. Within the context of our being, our spirit is the “male” and our soul is the “female.” This is the Adam and Eve relationship spoken of in some of my other writings. However, in relationship to God, our whole spiritual being is the female (bride) and Christ is the male (Bridegroom). Yes, there is a wedding and your invited! Just as two bodies can join to create a new body, so can two spirits join to create a new spirit- the new you!
The procreation of God is the whole point of our existence. God isn’t pro-choice, but God is procreating! We observe that body connects with body, and mind connects with mind. So it must be that spirit connects with spirit. For God’s procreation, there must be a male spirit and a female spirit. In relation to man, the spirit of Christ is the male and spirit of man is female.
To be “born of God” then refers to Christ immerging from our being. This is not accomplished by any physical ceremony or by any mental incantations. No, it is by the will of God we are “born of the spirit.” The Wind blows, but you didn’t see it or cause it. It just does. What we feel inside is the result of the spirit of Christ maturing in us.
GAL 4:19 My dear children, for whom I am again in pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.
Paul often wrote about Christ in us. He went to great lengths to explain that this is a wonderful mystery that has been kept from man. For so long man associated himself with the beasts of the field and believed he was a beast. Christ changes all of that. The Holy Spirit gives us life in this world, but Christ gives us life into the next world. Christ, who is the kingdom within us, grows in our being without rhythm, reason or religion. It just happens.
Again, this spiritual intercourse is for both pleasure and procreation in a spiritual sense. The spirit desires the soul, and the spirit satisfies the soul. The natural shadows the spiritual. Just as a man becomes aroused, so does the spirit within us. In the natural, the penis fills with blood that represents life. So it is with the spirit that fills with the life of God. When the mind is ready, the spirit enters her darkness to plant his seed. For the mind to be ready, she must be willing. She must be mature in knowledge and wisdom. She must be clean and healthy. The two join and become one. We need the spirit of Christ for a higher life. We need the mind of Christ to realize who we are.
THE SPIRIT (TRUE SELF)
JN 3: 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
Do we believe this? Here is an area where many just don’t understand. Let me paraphrase what Jesus told his religious friend- that which is born of the flesh IS FLESH that which is born of the spirit IS SPIRIT. So which are YOU? Are you flesh? Are you spirit? Some honestly believe they are both, and this is where we can get into trouble. James called this condition being “double-minded.” Our mind is caught in the middle between the world of flesh and the reality of the spirit. In truth, we are all spirits from God, but we haven’t come to realize or accept it yet.
I only know of only one man who fully realized this and his name is Jesus the Christ. I believe that many of us are beginning to awaken to this truth, but many others have little or no desire to accept who they truly are. The great deception of the devil is convincing us that we are flesh and not spirit. Jesus came to realize that he was from God and therefore spirit. He realized that he wasn’t the “temple” but that he lived in his temple! He realized that he wasn’t “from this world,” but was from “above.” Yes, we are spirits that has fallen in consciousness. Because of fear we wrapped ourselves in skin, but now the time has come to lose our disguise.
LAYERS-
COL 3:9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Taking off the old self is our ultimate goal in this world. How we see our self determines our self-image. Sounds simple enough, but actually convincing the mind to believe is the difficult part. Yes, as we have read, we are saved by grace through faith. We must believe who God says we are. God says we are His image. God’s image is Christ. If we peel off the carnal layer, we will see that “new self” being renewed even resurrected in Christ.
As we spiritually mature, we begin to see our self as more than just a personality or mind and certainly more than just a body. We come to see our true existence is something higher. A kind of spiritual harmony is attained when we realize that the body’s purpose is to serve and house the mind, or consciousness. In turn, our mind (consciousness) is to serve and house our spirit, or true self. Our life is at the center of our being. Hiding our mind’s eye from seeing this is the ego saying, “You are I” and “I am you.” The ego says, “There is no God to serve, but ME. I am your life.”
The devil ego is clever and deceptive because it does not want to die. It lives as a product of the natural mind hiding behind personalities and facades of the world. It will make the mind believe that it is in control, but it is not. The real you is not the ego. That is the deception of the devil. Any who follow the ego follow the devil. Christ comes to destroy the ego and its works. When the ego is made nothing, then the real YOU can be known.
PHP 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus; who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing.
Jesus is our example. Jesus is our forerunner. Jesus in the spirit of Christ made his old self nothing, so the true self, being God, could be seen by the world. We are called to do the same. Again the outer you is personality and ego hiding in the shadows of the mind. This outer person is of the world, desires the world and wants to be God. This outer person is like the beasts of the field- natural. This outer you loves the world and flesh and feels very much at home there. The outer you finds pleasure through the body because it can lord over it. Peel off this outer you like dead skin and see the inner you! The inner you is your spirit alive in Christ, our True Lord!
I AM-
EX 3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.' "
I am. Is there anything more true or pure than this statement? Many years ago when my mind was much darker and my pride much greater, I believed that those “New Agers” who went around saying “I AM” were a bunch of evil idiots. Well, I guess I owe them an apology. I am learning not to scoff so easily because truth is found everywhere if we have the eyes to see it. They like so many other “religions” have truth in them, but keeping this truth from the corruption of the natural mind is the hard part. Even so, there is great truth in the statement, “I AM.” The Eastern religions long ago discovered this truth, so Moses wasn’t the only one.
Moses came into the presence of God, and God’s name was I AM. What does “I AM” mean? Well, among other possibilities, it means I exist. It means there is no name that is sufficient for “I.” Who is this “I?” The “I” is the true self- your spirit from God. This “I” does not change, but simply reaches higher and higher realizations as consciousness increases. This is what Jesus did. Jesus came to realize that he wasn’t the man of flesh the world called Jesus.
JN 8:58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am.”
Jesus became aware that he was truly spirit from God, so he existed before his body of flesh did. The prophet Jeremiah said that God knew him before he was in the womb. So the real Jesus didn’t come into being in Mary’s womb, but exists eternally in the mind of God as we all do. He existed before Mary gave him the name Jesus. He existed before the world taught him to be Jewish. He existed before and after his body was crucified. Jesus knew that he wasn’t flesh or soul, which can both be destroyed in this world. Jesus realized that “I” is his true, spiritual self from God. Remember that born of flesh is flesh and will die. That born of God is spirit and cannot die. So who am “I”?
Many times we will say things like, “I am hungry” or “I am short.” However, the truth is my body is hungry and my body is short. “I” am not a body of flesh. Jesus said the flesh counts for nothing because the spirit gives life. “I” use my body to move through this world, but it is no more who I AM than the car I drive. So, I am not my body.
It is the same with the mind “I” use. If I say, “I am angry!” It is really our mind that feels this feeling. “I am” above my mind. I can change my mind, so that I am not angry. The mind is something I have- a helper. Adam was given Eve as a helper, so the spirit is given the mind. Yet, my mind is not who I am. The mind can fall into state of depression for little or no reason, but “I” can override the mind and choose to be happy. This “I” is the true, higher self. This is who I am.
The world will also try to tell me who I am with labels. The world will say I am an American, but I know better. The world will try to tell me I am a white man, but I know better. The world will try to tell me that I am funny, or skinny, or short or intelligent, but I know better. The world labels the outer you while God calls the inner you his child. Again, peel off the layers the world wraps us in. I am not a Christian. If “I” were born in another place would “I” be a Hindu? No, “I” am the same person, but with different layers given by the world. The world of shadows cannot tell us who we are. God tells us who we are.
PS 82:6 “I said, ‘You are Gods. You are all sons of the Most High!’”
God calls us his OFFSPRING, and so we are this and nothing less. When Paul says there is not male or female in Christ, don’t we believe him? When he says there are no labels of any kind in Christ, don’t we believe him?
COL 3:11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
So if we are in Christ, then we are not any of these things, but simply part of the Body of Christ. If we are the Body of Christ, then we have the spirit of Christ- the spirit of sonship! We are the Sons of God coming to this world to do God’s will on earth as it is in heaven!
So the true self is the Son of God. The false self is called the son of the devil. I have the choice to serve either. While our ego and carnal mind may deceive us for a time, the power and light of Christ grows stronger each day. The day is coming when our will and Christ’s will be one. The time draws nearer when the voice we used to call God’s is accepted as our very own.
THE VOICE-
REV 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Here I AM! I am here and I am now! “I” stand at the door of your consciousness knocking. This is sometimes called the “still, small voice” within us that reveals God’s will to us. This voice speaks God’s will hence it is God’s Word- the voice of Christ. It is not an audible voice, but one that can sometime be heard so clearly as if we were hearing it. Some may call it their “conscience” that guides them to do the right thing. I believe this is very close to the truth. The voice, if we can accept it, is our own- our higher voice.
When we first hear this voice in our hearts we feel like the voice is separate from us and above us, so we worship it as a higher power. We even say it is God, and it is! How does God tell us his will? Should we follow some religion the world might teach us? Is this God’s will? Should we sacrifice animals at an altar? Is this God’s will? How does man know God’s will? Every soul must learn to listen for the voice. Again do you believe you have the mind of Christ? Then if that mind of Christ is yours and the spirit of Christ is yours, who’s voice are you hearing? We have trouble accepting that higher voice as being our own because we are still believing the deception of the ego. We believe we are flesh even though God says we are born of the spirit and are spirit. God is revealing the mystery kept hidden from man since the Tree of Life was banned from us.
COL 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Again it all goes back to where our mind is- the level of consciousness. Is our mind clinging to this physical world and the body for life? If so, then we will not hear that voice of the Shepherd, but suffer the wages of sin. If our mind is seeking a higher life, then it is able to hear our higher self, who is Christ. Remember, the one (Christ, true self) in you is greater than the one (ego, false self) in the world.
WORSHIPING A GOD
PS 86:9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
Yes, everyone worships some kind of god is some kind of way. Man has always worshipped something greater than himself. This really is the definition of worship. Finds “something” you believe is the ideal, or perfection and then reach to attain it. Man is not content with his own condition, so he seeks to become something better. The “god” we worship greatly determines what we want to become. In other words, our image of God is the image we desire to become. We all have a god or two in our lives. Our god may be money, so we “see” our self as being rich. Our god may be power, so we see our self as being a CEO. For others, they have found such worldly desire to complete folly, so these seek a higher God to satisfy those higher desires of our spirit. Worship takes on many different appearances, but understand that they ALL are expressing the same desire- to be something greater than our realized self.
RELIGION-
JN 4:23 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
Okay Lord, but what do you mean exactly? How does man worship is spirit and truth? It is my understanding that this means we must go beyond religions. Religions worship in mind and in error. Jesus went beyond his religion and cut it back to the spirit and the truth. Every religion will have spirit and truth within it. It is like peeling and orange to get the fruit or thrashing the wheat to get the grain. The spirit gives life to all religions. The truth gives structure and a base to every religion. However, man then adds natural thoughts, desires and motives to a religion. After time, every diamond becomes hidden in the rough.
For every separate soul, there is a separate religion. That is to say, no two souls (minds) on this Earth believe the exact same thing. So in a very real sense, the number of different religions is like the number of stars in the sky. While there may be trillions of different stars, they all shine some light into the void of darkness. In other words, every true and sincere religion of man has the truth of God shining from it. The truth is opposite of deception just as light is the opposite of darkness. In spite of the many paths we take to find God, we are all seeking the same thing- Truth.
Many Truth seekers have come to realize that God is at the center of all religions. This is not simply a matter of my opinion, but rather of those devout truth seekers of ALL different brands of worship. The highest followers of every camp climb the mountain of Truth only to find others who have ascended from another side. At the top of the mountain is only One Truth for all to see, but down below many cannot realize we are on the same mountain. The great prophets and mystics of every true religion have come to the same conclusion as they ascend the mountain of Truth. They leave their religions at the base of the mountain to get a clearer vision of the Truth. Near the top, they all see more clearly and agree on what is Truth. The great mystics of every religion do not bicker about God, but agree in the harmony of the spirit. They have climbed high enough that they realize we are all on the same mountain of Truth. There is one Truth and one God, but a religion for every soul.
CHRISTIANITY-
Something that I find extremely frustrating is many do not understand that Christ is greater than Christianity. Isn’t God greater than the universe He created? Then why isn’t Christ greater than any religion created by men trying to follow him? In many ways, the Jews had advanced past the world around them in their knowledge of God. This gift, in their natural minds, gave rise to a “superiority complex.” This is no different than many of the Christians of today. In spite of what they may think, Christians are nothing special! Instead, the truth they have been given IS special and precious! Christianity was given the mystery of Christ revealed! They were shown our true inheritance from God! Instead of opening their hearts and minds with this truth, they have shut many out because of pride, power and greed.
Christianity, like all the rest, is simply another religion based around Truth. I don’t believe Jesus started a religion, but Paul sure did. If every Christian were like Jesus, then it would be the Truth and not a man-made religion. As it is though, Christianity can be as carnal and cruel as any other religion man has formed. It seems pride and selfishness cause blindness and keep us from seeing that Christ is in ALL and is ALL. All of what you say? He is all of you and all of me. He is ALL of everything that has been created. He is all the reason for life, yet Christians seem to think the spirit of Christ is for them and them alone because they believe in Jesus. Many of them cling to their carnal knowledge of a man who lived 2,000 years ago and have little awareness of the Son of God in them who will save them. Yes Jesus is Christ, and Christ IN US is our savior. Jesus is now a life-giving spirit, the spirit of Christ; he is not flesh and bone.
Most of Christendom teaches that if others want Christ, they must be Christians first. Peter and others believed that we must first all become Jews to receive Christ. Again, our natural minds will taint and distort the truth because the carnal mind has ulterior motives. It has no desire to love others as itself. It does not accept that each of us is part of the Body of Christ. No, the ego wants to be special and separate from God’s will. It wants to be our god, so it will take any truth from God and transform it into a religion. Religions then can be thought of as shadows of the truth. They resemble the higher truth, but it takes the light to expose any reality they might have.
While truth is born in the spirit, it takes the form of a religion in our natural minds. The ego is the god of that clever, natural mind of the self-conscious man. The ego will use the power of religion to cause all kind of strife. If our religious differences become to great, deceived souls let fear and hate lead them to attack each other. What they don’t realize is that we are all one Body in Christ. Again, Christ is greater than Christianity. No one religion is The Truth, but all contain truth. This includes Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and even the pagan religions. Wicca, tribal religions and even the New Age type of worship are all based on truth. Don’t misunderstand me, each one of these has taken the truth and distorted it for personal (ego) gain. Each can be very misleading and a potential trap. They shouldn’t be accepted as Truth, but they are all shadows of the Truth.
THE BIBLE-
All throughout the Old Testament we see shadows of true worship. Those prophets of old had hearts for God and his Truth. They zealously practiced what they believed God was telling them to do. This all any of us can do. Seek God; hear God; do God’s will. Why then do we all hear and do differently? Well first, many do not have the heart to seek God. Secondly, it goes back to our level of consciousness. If tell my oldest son and youngest son to do something for me, the older son is more likely to understand and do my will. It is the same with God. So all throughout the Bible we see those shadows of those who have gone before us. Much can be learned from the symbols and images they have left with us. While I am certainly no Old Testament scholar, I will share what I have come to see.
IN THE BEGINNING-
I have gone into detail in other writings showing how Adam represents the spirit of man and Eve is the soul. They can be thought of as the male and female of our being while the body is neutral in a spiritual sense that is. Instead of rehashing the Adam and Eve relationship in that way, I would like to share something a little different.
GEN 6:1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
The “sons of God” were attracted to the “daughters of men.“ Sounds like we have two different “types” of humans on the earth! I believe, in a sense, there was. Let me explain. It is written that Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, but we must realize that this doesn’t mean they were the only human inhabitants on the Earth. In fact, Genesis of the Bible goes on to speak about others who the LORD would not let harm Cain when he left. He went to live in the land of Nod, found a wife and had kids. He lived with others that are not accounted for in the book of Genesis. Where did these people come from?
My understanding is that Adam represents the first human to be fully self-conscious. Before Adam, men were basically at the level of the other beasts. By attaining this status, Adam is called the “son of God.” Others who also had this level of consciousness were also called “sons of God” in Genesis. This harmonizes with the distinction between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men.” Some believe that the “sons of God” were actually aliens from another planet who mated with Earthlings to produce a new race. This “theory” should be considered because we really don’t know. Hard to say what we would consider aliens and what we would consider angels. They may be one in the same. Time will tell.
So what I think is that Adam and Eve should not represent the first man and first woman, but rather the first of their KIND. In other words, before Adam and Eve, man was simply a beast who was not self-aware. Adam and Eve represent that evolved man who ate from the tree of knowledge, had become self-ware, and then hid from the sight of God in fear. Adam and Eve collectively represent the natural man in his early stages of evolution.
Adam could also be seen as the shadow of Christ. In a very real sense, Adam was the conception of Christ. The unborn Christ was in Adam because we know that Christ is the first and the last- the Alpha and Omega. Adam was called the “Son of God” long before Jesus the Christ walked the earth. The first man to become self-conscious was Adam. The first man to become Christ-conscious was Jesus. What I believe is that they are the same spirit- the same person.
Some may call this thinking outlandish or even a terrible heresy, but the facts remain. That kindred spirit that we love in Jesus was the same one leading mankind in Adam. This spirit, our brother, is the forerunner who is spearheading us into higher and higher levels of consciousness. It is certainly likely that the spirit of Jesus had many lives between being Adam and being Jesus. One might gather from the Bible that one of those lives was being the priest and king, Melchizedek. Whoever Christ Jesus was before, he was always the spiritual leader for mankind. He has been leading us to God since the beginning. For this we honor and praise Him! For this He is our Lord!
FEASTS AND FESTIVALS-
The three feasts of Judaism are Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Each of these observances is a shadow to a higher spiritual reality. During these three times, men were to appear before the LORD God and pay homage with gifts (sacrifices) in thanksgiving to the blessings the LORD had bestowed upon them.
Passover represents “death” passing over us- having no grip on us anymore. We read in book of Revelation that the “second death” has no power over those in Christ. This is not a physical death we are speaking of, but rather a kind of spiritual death. To be in this world (grave), is to be in a kind of spiritual death. Christ resurrects us from this world of the dead. So our real Passover is when this world and our old self have no power over us. To be passed over by death means that we are “born of God” and are spirit.
The Feast of Pentecost also called the Feast of Weeks represents the “firstfruits” of Christ. Jesus was a firstfruit in Christ. If we think of our earthly existence as a field, then we can think of Christ being that crop that is produced from with us. The Pentecost represents our maturity in Christ. Like a tree, we must first mature before we can produce any “fruit” for God. So Pentecost is a coming of age celebration for those in Christ.
The Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of the Ingathering. This is the final celebration! This is the Wedding supper of the Lamb! The Elect will be gathered from the four winds of the Earth. This is the body of Christ being realized! This is truly a celebration of harvest!
The New Moon Festival was celebrated by the early Jews much like the Sabbath. Even during Paul’s ministry, the New Moon was still celebrated. What Paul realized is what we all must. The shadows are not nearly as important as what they represent. As we have seen, the Church is represented by the moon who is set apart from the world to reflect the glory of the Sun, or Christ. Of course during a new moon, there is no light or glory being reflected. Because of this, the New Moon Festival was about humility and renewal. The humility is realized because we have no light in and of ourselves. Our light comes from Christ and is reflected in our actions and lives. When we turn away from Christ, we go dark and need renewed.
SACRIFICES AND SACRAMENTS-
HEB 10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
The Jews believed that something needed to die for the forgiveness of sin. They were right, but in a lower, shadowy sense. They sacrificed all kinds of animals by draining the blood out, cutting it to pieces and then burning the flesh. Again the Jewish prophets heard God’s Word (Christ) speaking to them, but in their natural minds they took what the LORD was saying down to their level of understanding. This practice was only a shadow of what must really take place.
The blood represents the Holy Spirit within all living things. The Holy Spirit is used to baptize us just as the “fire” does. The fire represents the coming of Christ. When he comes, the elements are consumed with fire and heat. The fire is God’s Holy judgment. So God doesn’t want animals sacrificed at the altar, but wants mankind to become “living sacrifices” to Him. We do this by first crucifying our old self, draining the life from it, placing it before the judgment of Christ who burns the sinful image we thought we were.
Fasting is another sacrifice where we willfully go without food. It is acknowledgement that God is our life, not food. It is saying that our strength comes from God, not food. Even though our bodies may cry out for food, our spirit is what really needs to be fed. Fasting also helps to show us that we may go through some spiritual droughts with little to eat. We must persevere. This sacrifice also aids in further disconnecting the mind from the body. We read that Jesus fasted for 40 days. It was after this time of sacrifice that he was ready to show the world Christ.
As covered earlier, God’s triadic nature shines all throughout nature as well as the Bible. The place of worship in Judaism early on was called a Tent of Meeting, and later was called the temple. It had three distinct areas. There was the outer court area, the inner court and the Most Holy Place. The outer courtyard of the Temple was open to the public including women and children. The inner court, also called the Holy Place, was that area for the priests only who had to wear lightweight linen so as not to perspire. Perspiration is a sign of the natural man. God told Adam that he would have to work and sweat for his food. Now, the Most Holy Place was entered by invitation only lest one would die. This of course is saying God invites us to be with him. We cannot come to God unless we are called. Behind this second curtain is where the “atonement” was placed and the blood sprinkled.
As the writer of Hebrews explains, all of these rituals have a spiritual meaning, but I believe there is even more to be learned. The outer court is simply representing humanity at large living ordinary, mundane lives in the world with little or no cares for God. The inner court represents those called the Holy Spirit to become servants for God. The Most Holy Place is for those sons of God who in Christ have also become priests for God. Nothing impure can enter the Most Holy Place, so only the pure mind and body of Christ enters this realm of consciousness.
ISRAEL-
GEN 32:28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."
What a wonderful shadow God shows us in Israel. As we read above, Israel was originally the name given to Jacob after he wrested with Christ in his consciousness. Then Israel became that tribe of people who followed Jacob. Then Israel became the nation of all the Jews. Then Paul declares that “Israel” is really all of humanity including the Gentiles. This is shadowing the growing kingdom of God that begins with one man being Christ! Salvation spreads over the Earth! In fact, it is said that all of Israel (humanity) will be saved, so we must accept that God will save all of mankind. The more we come to realize the power of God’s love, the more we come to realize that no one can resist or flee from it.
We shouldn’t think of Israel as a country, but Israel should simply mean God’s chosen ones. They are the kindred spirits chosen and placed by God to bring the world a higher message of Truth. They are a collection of souls perched at the highest level of consciousness reached by humanity. Israel is like a plot of land that God tills, fertilizes and cares for above all others so that he can plant his Seed there to raise up children in his likeness. Wisdom is given through these prophets of God though many are still rejected by the masses.
PEOPLE AND PROPHETS-
There is an expression in business that says, “It’s lonely at the top.” How true this is of the many prophets of God too! One simply has to consider the many prophets of every religion and find men and women who spent a lot of time alone. This is true not only in the physical sense, but also in a mental and spiritual sense. They were alone because very few could see or understand what they were trying to tell the world. Again, I go back to the mountain metaphor, which depicts this so well. These souls, fueled by the spirit within them, have climbed higher (in consciousness) up the mountain of Truth than those around them. What they find is so amazing and wonderful, and yet they also find that they are mostly alone. So in their excitement, they go back down the mountain to tell the world what they have seen. A few may accept what they say and even try to ascend the mountain to witness the truth for themselves. Others, led by ignorance and fear, pick up stones to put the heretic climber to death. There are many interesting characters all throughout the Old Testament stories. I will only touch on just a few.
NOAH-
We all know the story of Noah and the Great Flood. God so loved the world, that he drowned everyone except Noah and his family. What? You don’t think God did this because he loved us? Yes, it sounds really harsh, but no one ever said “love” is always going to feel good especially where the carnal mind is concerned. We must always keep “in mind” that we are not our bodies. God, who is Spirit, surely knows this, so cleaning the slate of all flesh was not putting an end to life. The spirit is life and cannot die. What God did was rid the world of those carnal minds and the bodies diseased with sin.
It is said that Noah was a righteous man who walked with God. For this reason, Noah was chosen by God, which should remind us that God chooses us- not the other way around. Noah was the best of the bunch, but what is the first thing he does after the flood? He plants a vineyard, gets drunk and lies naked only to be shamed by his sons. Sounds like Noah was a real partier! One could certainly find some spiritual meaning in this account. Planting a vineyard could be seen as the growth of Christ. Drinking the wine could be seen as receiving the spirit of Christ. Getting naked could mean dropping our old nature like a cheap suit! The feeling of shame could be telling us that our ego is the real enemy holding us down.
One thing is for sure; the story of the Flood is a shadow of God’s spirit at work. The world being flooded with water is showing us that God is going to flood our existence with his Holy Spirit to wash away our dirty, carnal minds. In the shadow, all flesh was destroyed except that on the ark. In the higher reality, all minds are destroyed except those renewed and made clean by the blood (life) of Christ.
ABRAHAM-
Abraham is the father of Israel and Judaism. He was also the father of Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac was born of his wife and Ishmael of his maidservant. They both went on to be “seeds” for great nations, but it is really the Seed of God (Christ) that is being shadowed here. In the same way, God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son is the shadow of Jesus the Christ being sacrificed for our sins.
Another shadow started by Abraham was the removal of the foreskin on the 8th day. This to me symbolizes the removal of our carnal natures on the 8th day, which is the day of perfection- the day of the Lord. There is so much symbolism here that one could write an entire book, but suffice to say the whole story shadows what God has done and is doing for us.
There is also the pattern of establishing covenants with the chosen ones. Noah, Abraham and Moses were all part of covenants with God. Jesus created the new and everlasting covenant with God to save the world. Who can top that! All the covenants of the past were foreshadowing the final covenant between man and God. This covenant and bridge between man and God is Christ.
ESAU AND JACOB-
Isaac, son of Abraham, went on to have two sons of his own- Esau and Jacob. It is written that God hated Esau and loved Jacob. This has caused a lot of distress and confusion among Bible readers who believe God loves everyone. Instead of focusing on the shadow itself, it is better to realize what the shadow represents.
Esau represents the natural (carnal) mind. Jacob represents the spiritual (anointed) mind. It is written that the carnal mind is enmity to God, so this makes sense. We also read that Esau was a hairy lad who became a great hunter. Any red lights going on here? Esau had the animal mindset- seek and destroy. On the other hand, Jacob was a “quiet man” who apparently liked to cook. We might even say that Jacob was into contemplative prayer. So these twins were very different in nature.
What is more interesting is their birth order and birthright. Esau was born just before Jacob, so he was to have the birthright of his father. Well, we know the natural precedes the spiritual. Paul even says first we are natural beings, and then we become spiritual beings. So this story is simply representing what is happening to mankind. Then notice in the story that Esau who is more concerned with food than birthrights gives his inheritance away. This again demonstrates that the carnal mind is not concerned with the things of God. Esau liked the flesh. He killed it and ate it. God is in to burning flesh, as we will touch on later.
MOSES-
Moses did his own thing for most of his life. Then at the ripe old age of about 80, God started using Moses to free the descendants of Abraham. Moses was a shadow of Christ in so many ways. He freed them from slavery to the Pharaoh while Christ frees us from the bondage to sin.
Moses was also the mystic who realized, “I AM” is our God. However, he didn’t accept that this voice was his own, which is natural. Once our voice (will) is gone, all that is left is the voice of God, so then we must accept who we are. Because Moses was a bit more spiritually advanced than his followers were, he was given the Law. At first it was merely 10 laws on how to live according to God’s will, but Moses and Aaron kept on adding more. Still today though, these Ten Commandments hold great wisdom.
While communing with God in his consciousness, Moses came up with all sorts of laws, regulations and building codes. Some of these laws were concerning oxen while other involved seven-year debts. Again, an entire book could be written on the many shadows given to Moses in the Law. Each law and every dimension of the ark and the temple that were given to him contains some higher meaning, some higher truth. Honestly, I haven’t felt led to give this area much thought yet. Perhaps another will be led to find all the higher meanings hidden in the Law.
MELCHIZEDEK-
Here is a mysterious character. He is called a “king” and “priest” and just pops on the scene to bless Abram. Wow, a king and priest! What is even stranger is that Melchizedek was not from the Aaron priest order. Aaron was ordained the first priest when Israel was freed. So who is this super man? As mentioned earlier, many have come to believe this was Jesus in another life, which makes perfect sense. Because when Christ Jesus becomes “high priest” it is in the “order of Melchizedek.” This was the fulfillment of prophecy.
SALVATION-
LK 3:6 “And all mankind will see God's salvation."
What does it mean to be saved? Many claim they are saved, born again, born of God and so on. Yet, we must make all the pieces of the mystical puzzle fit before we can see the picture clearly. Jesus would seem to be the authority on who and how we are saved, right? Let’s consider some of the requirements that must be met. I can already here some saying, “we are saved by grace!” “We don’t have to do anything to be saved!” Or some may boldly exclaim, “Believe in Jesus and you will be saved!” Well, isn’t “believing in Jesus” doing something? So then, how is it that we are saved by grace? While most of these proclamations are born with good intentions, they are simply shadows in a dark world. Take for instance the notion of “believing in Jesus.”
First we must examine what it REALLY means to “believe” in something. Jesus said if our “faith” (belief) was the size of a mu