DEDICATION

This book is for you and those who dare to read, believe, and be willing to enhance the quality of their religious and spiritual lives.

—————————

[‘And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them’.]

Mark 4: 11-12

PREFACE

The Synoptic Gospels recount how material desires influenced Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus Christ with a traitorous kiss. Thence, he became a religious reference point for sinful conduct. But could there be more to it than literally interpreted? How does the story apply to the spiritual development of those who profess to be Christians?

This book reveals the deeper meanings of Scriptures beyond the verbatim interpretations by Orthodox or Exoteric Christians. The stories about Creation, Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the Fall of Man, the Noachian Flood, the Trinity, Christ, and Jesus of Nazareth, Salvation, et cetera, have been explained to satisfy the enquiring mind and confirm faith.

The exposition contextualizes advancement in today’s world, especially science, which by far, is the driver of modern civilization. As more empirical evidence about life in the universe unfolds, many long-held beliefs are experiencing dramatic changes. A mind-dominated world is no longer at rest with the answers from philosophers, religionists, and theologians. Many people want a logical explanation of faith and the mysteries of life. This book responds to the issues by bringing out the underlying spiritual truths of the Bible that correspond with scientific discoveries of the past, present, and future. 

It is noteworthy that the champions of this spiritual knowledge were condemned in the past for daring to talk publicly about the deeper explanations of Christian teachings. But the dynamism of time and the democratic principles of religious freedom have made it possible for some of these truths to be made open in recent years. As said in John 8:32, 

[‘And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’]

This volume contains an aspect of universal reality. The reader will find some repetitions in the book, which were to restate an important point. Also, the pronoun ‘He’ is used for convenience to represent male, female, et cetera.

––––––––

QUALIFICATION

This book is not about the personal investigation of the author of realms beyond the physical but the expression of his understanding of the writings of some individuals who brought down this knowledge for the benefit of humanity. Any fault or misrepresentation identified, currently or in the future, is due to the inadequacy of the writer’s expression.

It is heartwarming to note that you will find the information in this book relevant for awareness raising, religious clarity, and overall spiritual work in the service of humanity.

––––––––

[‘And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead’.]

Luke 16:30-31

CONTENTS

Chapter One : The Awakening..................................................................... 8

Chapter Two :  The Creation Story...............................................................19

Chapter Three : The Sojourn in Materiality..................................................34

Chapter Four :  The Restoration....................................................................48

Chapter Five  : Religious Grandstanding....................................................79

Chapter Six  :  Growth and Development of Christianity........................ 83

Chapter Seven :  Beyond Hellenistic Influence..............................................92

Chapter Eight :  Exoteric versus Esoteric Christianity..................................97

Chapter Nine : Humanity in Search of God ...............................................102

Chapter Ten  :  Man as a Citizen of the Universe ......................................129

Chapter Eleven : The Science Factor..............................................................140

Chapter Twelve :  Salvation...............................................................................152

CHAPTER ONE

THE AWAKENING

There comes a time in the life of the spiritually minded individual when his disquiet seeks answers to the fascinating questions of ‘Who am I? Where do I come from? Why am I here on Earth? What am I to do, and where do I go from here?’ For such, the prompting comes from within, the Spirit, the owner of the Physical Body, unseen but sitting a few inches below the junction of the two eyebrows.

Some people experience this urge through external triggers such as observation, spiritual encounter, tutelage, et cetera. For many, this prompting does not arise because they are not yet ready and would crave an argument. Since matters of spirituality are most often inwardly revealed in due season, it will serve no purpose to dispute such a person. Even for those who have the call, the variations of religious phenomena sometimes tend to cloud the answers.

The past two thousand years have seen a surge in the intellect of humanity. The dark vestiges of ignorance are whitewashed by increasing knowledge and reason. The foundations of long-held beliefs and practices are under interrogation. Similarly, the unalloyed submission to traditional power holders is diminishing in prime societies and stands challenged in up-and-coming ones. A new generation prefers leadership by consent, for living by faith alone seems inadequate in spiritual pursuit. The old order cannot remain the same much longer; it is crumbling as humanity ascends the ladder of enlightenment and fellowship.

The scientific explanation of the constitution and functions of the human body shows that the individual has little or no control over bodily functions, especially the involuntary system that supports most parts of life’s activities. The selectivity and precision of the respiratory system, the digestive system and metabolism, the excretory system, the heartbeat and blood circulation, the birth and death of cells, aging, and the release of hormones and white blood cells, among others, can only suggest the work of an intelligence beyond the human mind. Whereas the individual has some control over the voluntary system and some thought processes, he is virtually helpless about how ideas come into his mind. 

At the terrestrial level, he is fascinated by the ebb and flow of the seasons, the immeasurable universe with its outstretching star systems and galaxies, a bewildering nature that provides his needs, yet assumes rage. At the personal level, there is hardly anybody, no matter his social and economic status, who is exempted from the vicissitudes of life. The end of the road is reached on the arrival of death’s scythe and hourglass to which all human beings succumb.

From the dawn of material consciousness, religion was given to diverse groups of people in response to their specific needs and levels of development. Its foundation is grounded in the supernatural. It says there is a source within whom man lives, moves, and has his being. It seeks to provide answers to life’s phenomena, to guide the individual from the known to the unknown, and from the meshes of materiality and religiosity to spirituality.

Religion, on its evolutionary journey, was unpacked to correspond with the developmental stage of people. The vicious person who believes in the brawl over the brain will have no appreciation of a religion that advances a Supernatural Being who is kind and forgiving, who will not punish enemies but love them no matter how revolting their actions may be. When that Being is known to have power, capable of striking light in the sky accompanied with stupendous thunder, thrash the ground open, devastate the forest with windstorms, flood the land with enormous waters, bestow riches on the obedient person, and punish enemies ruthlessly, that fear, appreciation, and submission can be elicited from the bully.

In addition, the religious teachings are not haphazardly done but presented in consideration of many factors. If not, it will amount to teaching a child to reason in the abstract when he has not been taught initially to reason around material things. So, as humanity becomes more refined, and lives with loving and high values, religion becomes more relevant in upholding the good, the beautiful, and the truth.

To the extent that there are different races and classes of people and that no two individuals are the same in development, intelligence, personality traits, preferences, and the like, it follows that there can be no omnibus teachings that will satisfy every person at the same time. Therefore, religious instructions are to meet the needs of the below-average, average, above-average, and advanced people. In whatever religious group, be it Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or African Traditional Religion, there has always been the inner circle whose members have higher exposure and responsibilities than the rest.

The Old Testament distinguishes three classes of people (i) the masses who bring sacrifices and do not go beyond the Brazen Altar (ii) the priests who officiate in the East Room, and (iii) the high priest who alone enters the West Room where the Ark of the Covenant was kept.

It is untenable to assume that the teachings of the priests will be the same as those of the masses or that of the high priest will be the same for the priests. There has always been a difference. The words of the book speak to the needs of each class. Even while reading the same texts, the advanced-class will have a deeper understanding than the above-average, average, and below-average.

The Christian Bible is one of such holy books which reveals the past, the present, and the future of the Earth and its inhabitants, especially humanity. It is common to see many Christians going to any length to defend its holiness and unmistakable authenticity, even in the face of inaccuracies, mistranslations, and interpolations that reasonably point out that it cannot be without human limitations. 

The dynamism of language is a contributory factor in the translation process. For example, the widely acclaimed King James Version was a product of Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. It causes no harm to say that only the naïve person will assume that the translated versions fully reflect the true meanings of every original word, phrase by phrase, sentence by sentence. For instance, the Aramaic/Hebrew representation of Jesus was Yeshua and Iēsoûs in ancient Greek that changed later to Iesus in Latin before the ‘I’ changed to ‘J’ as we have it in today’s English Bible.  

Aside from the language factor, the translators were not in the minds of the original writers and could not have exactly laid a finger on the intention in the original writings. This assertion matters because the Talmud or Torah was fundamental to the Old Testament and came about by strenuously piecing together information from scattered manuscripts, an exercise that contained selectivity since not all of the original documents were incorporated. 

The Early Church carried out a similar exercise which led to the exclusion of 14 Books from the Bible in the 5th Century. They included the Book of Mary, Maccabees, Judas, Thomas, and Solomon. The Masoretic Hebrew book was adapted from the Greek Septuagint and was restrictive. It disallowed some writings from the original Greek version, which the rabbis considered not to be in tune with Judaism. Therefore, it got reduced from 46 to 39. 

It is important to note that Martin Luther did not translate from the original Aramaic or Hebrew versions but from the Latin version. Even from that, he excluded seven books that he felt were non-canonical. So, depending on where one belongs, the Catholic Bible gives 73 books, Luther’s Bible contains 66, the Ethiopian Bible has 81, and the orthodox Bible comprises 77 books. 

Out of the forty-six scholars who carried out the assignment to produce the King James Version, only three were Hebrew scholars, and two died before the completion of Psalms. Furthermore, the translators were obliged by order of His Majesty not to posit any ideas/writings that would negatively impact the empire and the prevailing common beliefs and practices.

Given these human factors, it is logical to deduce that there is inadequate support for the claim of a flawless or perfect Bible. Nonetheless, one must be mindful that even in its current form, there is enough to meet the needs of the Christian realist. The question, however, is, Who has the authority to determine what is enough, and to what extent is the enough truly enough?

Care should be taken in the attempt to read, understand, and interpret the Bible because many faith holders who failed to do so found themselves entrapped in misinterpretations, contradictions, and inconsistencies. The prevalence of doctrines, dogmas, and edicts further exacerbate attempts to unlearn and become receptive to alternative explanations. 

For centuries, people who had some measure of sight and insight into the hidden aspects of the Bible got derided, scorned, and maligned. Aside from the accusations of apostasy and blasphemy hurled at them, they were tagged as heretics and heavily punished through ex-communication, exile, imprisonment, and death for no other reason than publicly expressing their convictions. But since their faith and spiritual knowledge were not dependent on academic addresses and superfluous arguments about the nature of God but on an inward experience, they forged on with their practice. They coded and used symbolism, numerology, astrology, chemistry (alchemy), parables, fables, and stories in their communication. In such a manner, they hid their transcendent practice from a frontal attack by intolerant religious fanatics.

Silently, they reach out to the individual who has gained a spiritual awakening and longs to know his identity. In the process, such a person tries to break the bounds of religiosity in quest of spirituality. He is dissatisfied with repetitive religious stories and seeks their spiritual significance and applications in life. He weighs within himself the many unanswered questions and longs for increased knowledge and a soft heart that will leaven his festering urge.

History is an aid through which Truth makes itself known; it comes in various ways at the appropriate times and periods. When compared to the past, a burgeoning democracy and the exercise of religious freedom are catalytic for the dissemination of information on spiritual truths. No matter how fallacious, vexatious, and tasteless it may be to one group of people, it may be factual, prompting, and an eye-opener to another class of people. It begins with differences in understanding of the concept of life; who we are, where we come from, why we are here on this planet and our relationship with the solar system and the universe.

The Purpose of Life

In various parts of the world, scholars, philosophers, religious leaders, and spiritualists have tried to convey the purpose of life. In the process, they did not seek to deliver a once-and-for-all answer. Their teachings were in a certain space and time for targeted groups. They expressed the same thing but in different ways to meet various needs.  The diversity in their teachings is not to cast doubt on the subject matter but to show that it has many sides. They did not vouch for knowing all because the issue is at the heart of human creation, and to profess a complete understanding of it is to claim omniscience. In this regard, they released profound messages periodically, and the experienced individual grasps them with appreciation. 

The intelligence of human beings is above animals, plants, and minerals but below Angels. The increase and advancement in knowledge and technology are as impressive as the achievements in medicine, physics, chemistry, anatomy, and space exploration. Regardless of this exciting progress, there is no denying that many people remain unhappy with the world economic order. They have no job or money. They live in poor habitation and do not know where their next livelihood will be. Daily struggles seem to be their lot, and often they blame their predicament on external factors. For a fact, their situation cannot escape our eyes if we care to look hard enough.

But others have so much wealth that they wonder how and on what to spend it. They crave more and, if possible, vary the twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for additional comfort and happiness. They live lives of luxury and lionize themselves. So, as one thinks life is hellish, the other thinks it is blissful, living heaven here on Earth. What are the reasons for these differences?

To begin with, let us try to explain the meaning of Life and its Purpose.

a. Life is about existence or living. To say that something exists is ordinarily determined/ perceived through the five senses of touch, smell, feeling, seeing, and taste. There are, however, other senses which are yet to be developed by humanity in general. These senses enable the possessor to see things beyond the physical. For example, etheric vision will enable a person to see through physical objects as the x-ray machine does. In modern days, scientists talk about ether, plasma, x-rays, microwaves, et cetera, which our ordinary senses cannot perceive, yet we do not doubt their existence just because we do not see them. In brief, life is about Spirit, functional in manifestation at all levels, visible and invisible in endless space. 

b. Purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. Dictionary.com says it is the reason for which something exists or is done, made, or used.

Having tried to explain the meaning of Life and its Purpose, let us examine how they relate to the following loosely classified group.

a. The Ordinary Person

The ordinary person sees life in a very simplistic form and hardly bothers about things beyond what the moment provides. He is ignorant about issues beyond his ken and would consider himself better off if not brought to his attention. He goes about daily physiological routines and feels good or bad depending on their outcomes and the impacts on him. He may live his life according to societal norms. For him, what is, is what there is; tomorrow will fend for itself.

b. The Materialist

The materialist restricts his understanding of life to the five senses without any care about things beyond the physical. His routines are around the things that afford him physical satisfaction, and he will do the utmost to secure them. His thoughts and desires are on