Brother of Yeshua

Segment 1

From a Jewish Perspective

Speaking of Rebecca, the mother of Jacob and Esau, the Apostle wrote that For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (Rom 9:11-13). Thus the Lord said: Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee (Jer 1:5). And again it is written: Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest, Return, ye children of men . In these words we have been presented with one of the key elements in the verses pertaining to children that was removed from the gospels -- the idea that we are each known prior to being formed in the womb -- and are again made children because we had previously been led into the paths of destruction.

Since Christianity is in fact an outgrowth of Judaism, it is reasonable to conclude that it would be of benefit in our quest to comprehend these mysteries if we understood whether the belief in the pre-existence of the soul was a part of our Jewish heritage? The following quotation is taken from The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia , under the heading of Souls, Transmigration of : The doctrine of transmigration of souls, which was especially accepted by the Karaites is generally attacked by Jewish philosophers, but is defended by Isaac Abravanel and Manasseh ben Israel. It appears often in Cabala; it is found in organized form in the Zohar, it is further developed in the teachings of Isaac Luria (1534-1572), and in Hasidism it becomes a universal belief. According to these teachings, all human souls have a common origin in the spiritual unity of the primordial man, sparks of which form the individual souls... The sin of Adam brought higher and lower souls into confusion; as a result, every soul has to pass through a series of incarnations... The soul itself has no sex, which is determined by the body and may vary from incarnation to incarnation .

Segment 2

Finally, Jesus said to Nicodemus: Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again ! Why? Because the rebirth is well documented throughout the writings of the Spiritual Jews that All souls must re-enter the absolute substance whence they have emerged. But to accomplish this end they must develop all the perfections, the germ of which is planted in them... until they have acquired the condition which fits them for reunion with God.

What does it mean where the Zohar states that All souls must re-enter the absolute substance whence they have emerged ? Isn't the primary essence of what is being said in this writing of Jewish Mysticism the same exact vision of man's plight that is portrayed in the parable of the prodigal son? The absolute substance would be another way of saying the son went forth from his place of origination with his Father, and entered into this world -- wherein, the sons of the Father must re-enter the absolute substance whence they have emerged .

How, then, do we develop the necessary perfection to return to God? Again the Zohar gives us the same exact requirement as did Jesus when he commanded us at Matthew 5:48 to be as perfect as our Heavenly Father: All souls are subject to the trials of transmigration; and men do not know the designs of the Most High with regard to them to accomplish this end they must develop all the perfections if they have not fulfilled this condition during one life, they must commence another, a third, and so forth, until they have acquired the condition which fits them for reunion with God -- which is seen in the return of the prodigal son to his Father's Kingdom. What is important is that we begin to see the connection and uniformity of thought between the mindset of the Spiritual Jew and the Spiritual Christian. Moreover, it is important that we understand that what we perceive as two religions, are truly only separated by cultural and political differences. The essence of both are one and the same.

Segment 3

In his book Nishmath Hayem , Rabbi Manasseh ben Israel (1604-1657) wrote: The belief or the doctrine of the transmigration of souls is a firm and infallible teaching accepted by the whole assemblage of our people with one accord, so that there is none to be found who would dare to deny it Indeed, there are a great number of sages in Israel who hold firm to this doctrine so that they made it a teaching, a fundamental point of our religion. We are therefore in duty bound to obey and to accept this teaching with acclamation as the truth of it has been incontestably demonstrated by the Zohar, and all books of the Kabalists.

Interestingly enough, in Hasidism, in which the pre-existence of the soul becomes a universal belief (The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia), there is no salvation apart from the belief in and advent of the Messiah in the life of the individual. In view of the fact that our present-day ideas pertaining to the Messiah have been form and strongly influenced by the Church of the Roman Empire, what if the Hasidic Jew has a more pure perception of the Son of God than does the majority of Christians?

When the Zohar states that men do not know the designs of the Most High with regard to them , we must recognize that this is the same exact message that is prevalent throughout the New Testament scriptures? In fact, isn't it because (carnal) men do not know what God requires, and (carnal) man can do nothing on his own, that prompts the Apostle Paul to write that (carnal) man is saved by faith alone.

Segment 4

The Apostle is correct in his assertion that the ritual observance practiced by the Jewish sects of the Sadducees and Pharisees cannot absolve a person of sin, and save them in the hereafter -- but he would say the same thing of the ritual observances of the Church of Rome. Based upon the words of Jesus it can also be concluded that faith and belief without actively following in the Lord's footsteps will not save even those who call themselves Christian -- i.e., And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46 KJV). What we must understand is that Paul possessed a much higher vision of life than did the majority of Christians who followed after him -- and Paul's faith was in a system of Laws that control the destiny of mankind.

Christian's will of course say: Paul preached that man must have faith in Christ -- and this is true, but we must understand that Paul had no difficulty in connecting the historical Christ and the transcendental Spiritual Christ -- and Paul also knew that everything in Creation is subject to, and controlled by a series of Laws that either restrict or open, dependent upon the manner in which man approaches and invokes them. We know from the writings of the historians at the time that all Essene initiates had to take an oath not to reveal the names of the angels -- what we fail to realize is that in the scriptures and sacred writings of these New Covenant people, the portrayal of angels were allegorical symbols that revealed the characteristics of the Laws that must be overcome in order to open the inner door to higher consciousness.

What this means is that the angels and powers depicted in the Book of Enoch, Daniel, and the Revelation of John, all convey to us a knowledge of the obstacles -- or Laws -- that we must transgress, in order to embrace our soul and spiritual natures. The Essenes knew the secrets of these Laws -- Jesus taught the secrets of these Laws to his faithful disciples -- and Paul knew that if man lives and thinks in a manner that invokes the Laws that control all aspects of life, then the door to higher consciousness will open to the disciple of the Light. In order to begin to comprehend the religion that Paul ordained, we must understand Paul's essential mindset that was embodied in the words that each man will be rewarded according to his own labor (1 Cor 3:8 NIV) -- which knowledge of the Laws are the essential foundational principle upon which the concept of reincarnation of the pre-existent soul is based.

Segment 5

The essence of New Covenant thought is based upon the journey as embodied in the parable of the prodigal son. The fall of man as depicted in the Genesis Creation account, conveys to the seeker the universal knowledge of the journey of the soul to know its Source of Being through the knowledge of itself as the offspring of the One Eternal God. Again we can observe this same truth expressed in a different manner by the Apostle Paul when he wrote: For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time (Rom 8:20-22 NIV).

The symbolism of Adam and Eve has far less to do with men and women as we perceive the sexes to be, than it indicates the division of the soul which has caused the female -- or reflected nature -- to wander in this world of reflected reality in search of itself. When this reflected nature is active, it is portrayed as male. When it is passive, it is portrayed as female. In view of the fact that each polarity of a paradox contains its opposite in a passive or constrained manner, the manner in which it is portrayed has more to do with the circumstances of what truth the scriptures are attempting to convey to us at that point.

What the Apostle states in the above quotation is that it was the Creator God that subjected mankind to the frustration of what we perceive as the fall of man, in order that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage through the process of the spiritual rebirth into the Kingdom -- i.e., We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Segment 6

As I have already demonstrated in previous chapters, all things are brought about by Law. In the same way that a child is conceived by the merging of the opposites at conception, the child of the Light is born within us as a matter of Law. Paul, who was of an elevated mindset, knew these Laws -- that the path of return had not only been envisioned since the very dawn of time itself, but was in fact perfected by Jesus, the forerunner, who through his own suffering and efforts had cleared The Way for all to follow.

Paul was therefore correct in his doctrine that it was faith in Jesus that would save us -- which faith extended to the all-encompassing reality of the Laws of God -- and not the observance of what he called dead works. But we must also understand that Paul was a Gnostic among Gnostics -- i.e., someone who possessed a higher knowledge of the Laws, and knew that if the prodigal sons of the Father actively followed in The Way, that the end results would be guaranteed. The key word here is active -- i.e., active faith which fostered a lifestyle that was a moving force that embraced the higher Laws of Creation, that freed us from being servants to the god of this world.

This book is written from this same perspective -- i.e., that if you manifest a certain lifestyle -- open your thinking to a certain mindset -- incorporate certain elements in your life -- seek to understand the manner in which the Hand of God moves in the lives of men -- endeavourer to learn the Mysteries of God through the higher revelation of the Word -- recognize and overcome your own divided nature -- and, in the wisdom of the ancients: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8 NIV).

Segment 7

In the same way that our modern-day leaders would say to a child: If you desire to be a doctor, a lawyer, a banker, or any other profession, then you must attend certain schools in order to gain the appropriate knowledge, and you must be able to pass certain tests and requirements, and you must then practice your chosen profession, and maintain a certain standard of discipline and behavior. The disciples of the Light who had themselves gained the knowledge of the Kingdom, taught to their own disciples the things they must do in order to embrace their destiny as the mature Sons of God.

In their elevated perception of Life and Creation, the disciples of The Way recognized that this world responds to the manner in which we live it. In the University of Life that God Created, this world reacts to our own personal needs. There are no accidents or random events that victimize us. Whatever events we experience is the direct result of something that we initiated in our own past. Our conditions under which we are born is directly related to what we have accomplished in our own previous lives. In the words of the Church Father Origen: Every soul comes into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of its previous life (Origen, De Principiis). That we do not remember the events of the past that brought about our present circumstances of life, is our own fault. The knowledge to the answers to the test of life is given only to those who become active servants of the Master of The Way.

One of the great keys of understanding is to become aware of our present conditions that we dwell under. The more we become cognizant of the forces that work upon us in the life we live, the more we begin to recognize that we dwell in a world of opposites. The problem is that we embrace and applaud what appears to us as good, and condemn and fail to understand the reason for what we perceive to be evil. In view of the fact that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil existed prior to the Creation of man, and was Created by the Hand of God that brought all things into existence, we must then comprehend that what we call evil and darkness existed from the very beginning -- and more importantly, there is a Divine Reason for the existence of what we judge as evil, and we cannot draw nearer to God until we are able to perceive the forces of Creation and Life from the same perspective as does the Lord Himself.

Segment 8

What this means is that we will be barred from the Knowledge of the Kingdom and the movement and very purpose of Life itself, until we can begin to comprehend the purpose of all that we see and experience in this life. Moreover, we cannot even begin to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life, until we are able to merge the opposite polarities of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil into one harmonious perception of Creation. In the vision of God, all things have a reason and purpose -- and we can never begin to truly know God, without embracing the Divine Vision of Creation.

We begin the process of drawing nearer to God when we become very cognizant of the forces at work upon us and all of life itself. What this means is that we reject the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and instead eat the fruit of the Tree of Life, when we begin to merge the two worlds into One Vision. If we look beyond the symbolism of the scriptures, we see the triune force of creation at work in the two trees. In the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we see the two polarities of Light and darkness that pervades all of Creation. In the Tree of Life, we see the third force -- which force is the polarity of the two brought into harmony in Divine Oneness. If, then, we desire to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life, then we must perceive the Divine Pattern and Vision in such a way, that we no longer perceive good and evil, light and darkness, positive and negative, male and female -- but rather, we must see and understand the harmony, reason and completeness of all aspects of Creation.

When the Bible warns that man in his natural state cannot know or see God, it is because his carnal nature does not permit him to see beyond the barrier of this world. In his congenital state of spiritual blindness caused by his very limited perception of life, it is impossible for him to understand the underlying spiritual reality that moves, initiates, and completes every element and factor of Life and Creation that exists in this realm. In the same way that every aspect of life in this world moves within a series of positive and negative polarities, the polarities of this world are in fact polarities within a polarity -- and these polarities interact with their opposite forces of Creation that is beyond our carnal perception of reality.

Segment 9

What this means is that there is a Divine blueprint and pattern that remains the underlying factor and principle throughout every aspect of Creation. In the same way we can observe the polarities of Creation at work in the universe, the movement of the seasons, day and night, the interaction of male and female, hot and cold, positive and negative, we can find these same polarities at work in the most far reaching vision of Life, right down to their presence in the subatomic world. Once this is understood, then we can begin to contemplate this world in relation to those worlds that are beyond our carnal perception. We accomplish this by understanding that in the same way that these polarities work within this realm, this realm interacts with the unseen (spiritual) worlds within the scope of these same polarities that exist as the Divine Pattern of all of Creation.

Every action -- positive or negative -- in this world, invokes a responding reaction in those (spiritual) realms that are beyond the perception of our physical eyes and senses. Every event that takes place in this world is in direct reaction to a force that -- like a wave -- was initiated by a corresponding force from these (spiritual) realms -- which were in turn initiated by events that previously transpired in this physical realm. What we experience is merely a shift of polarity between the multidimensional reality of Creation -- i.e., an action here begins the movement of a wave that invokes a Spiritual Law, which in turn is brought back into our lives at some future time. The manner in which we react to this event that was/is initiated by the wave invoked by the Laws that control every aspect of life, will be the determining factor with regard to the events that this same wave from our own past continues to initiate in our future.

In the language of our times, these principles can be expressed in the saying: What goes around, comes around. In the scriptures this is expressed in the words: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows (Gal 6:7 NIV). The problem is that, from the perspective of modern Christian doctrine, we place little to no emphasis on this warning of the Apostle. We reason that in the day of judgment, it will be at that time when man will reap what he sows. The defect in our reasoning is immediately brought to light when it is easily demonstrated that this was not the mindset of the people in biblical times -- and our present day doctrines of belief find little support in the scriptures. What the people believed who Jesus himself taught, was that every event and aspect in the life of man is the direct result of his own actions -- good, bad or indifferent -- that were brought about by his own previous actions.

Segment 10

Something that the modern believer does not understand is the fact that, when the Apostle suggests that it is God that returns to man the fruit of his own behavior and conduct, that does not mean that God -- Himself -- sits back orchestrating every event that takes place. The first century followers of Christ were able to comprehend the workings of the organic Laws of Heaven and Earth, because they possessed an illumined mind and an enlightened understanding. They were therefore able to perceive reality beyond the three-dimensional barrier of this world, and see that all things are brought about by the Laws of Creation -- positive, negative, and the third force which is the balance of the two -- within which all of life moves. What we, in our limited carnal vision perceive as evil, is actually the result of a previous action -- controlled and brought about by the Laws of Creation, in direct response to a previous occurrence or action. More important, though, is for us to open our minds to the biblical revelation that, what we perceive as evil, is not only the result of our own actions, but is also for our own good -- and when consciously merged with its opposite polarity through the knowledge of the Mysteries of God, can be channeled in a new direction to bring about our re-entrance into the Kingdom from which we originally emerged.

These truths were in fact the underlying principles of the revelation of the Gospel by Jesus to mankind. The essence of the dynamics of these truths which are invoked by the polarities that control every aspect of life, is seen in the words of the Apostle where he wrote: Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' No, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom 12:19-21 RSV).