WE ARE NOT LEGION ANYMORE
“If the storms of life seem too much to handle… if your day to day has become more like a fight for your life… if you are bored, and tired of being uninspired… then come with me to the “Other Side”.
This essay will be a revelation to you. Much more than simply revealing who, and what the demoniac “Legion” is in scripture. This paper that I am writing this morning for all of you is a key of sorts. A KEY that will open the doors of your understanding.
Matthew 16:19
And I will give unto thee the KEYS of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The “Other Side”, you will find is simply a way of overcoming your present trials. It is to get to the OTHER SIDE of your life. It is to CROSS over from death (which is ignorance) to life (which is wisdom).
There is a great saying that you may or may not have heard of. It basically puts forward the idea that when you are going through a difficult time, or trials in your life, that “you will eventually get to the other side of it”. As if your troubles are a large dangerous mote filled many deadly, and terrifying things, that you simply have to CROSS over to enter the Kingdom on the “other side”.
And this essay will help get you from here to there.
Because today, sadly, that is exactly how life seems to be for “MANY”. One gigantic mountain, or valley, or sea of trouble that you are simply dying to get to the “other side” of.
Does is not at times seem like we only go from one trial to another?
Like our sole purpose for existence is to simply duck and cover and dodge and weave everything that life throws our way.
At times… doesn’t it seem like this is just simply the way it is, and the way it will always be?
Do you ever beat yourself up for not being able to break the chains that this world shackles you with fast enough?
Well, if this is so, know that you are not alone. Because there are MANY like this today.
Never the less, together, I promise you, we are going to get to the “Other Side” of it.
Now, there is a reason I bold/highlighted the word “MANY” above. As we dig into Mark Chapter 4 and 5 we are going to find this word “MANY” to be one of those keys I was bragging about earlier.
So let’s begin…
Mark 4:33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
I have found in my life that I cannot simply go over to people and flat out tell them what is wrong with them. Many times when I counsel people I know they are not ready to face their real problem, much less take responsibility so they can overcome it. And so to these people, I talk in mysteries. Instead of telling them that they are envious and insecure and filled with fear I share a story about myself that relays the dangers of living a life this way. I talk in parables if you will. Much like Jesus. In fact, I believe I got that trick from Jesus.
For example, if someone is an exaggerator instead of flat out telling them this, I might recite “the boy who cried wolf”. Get my point.
Now in verse 33 it is clear Jesus constantly spoke in parable, the question is why?
Well, the answer is simple. They weren’t ready to hear the truth. Just like those people that I counsel at times. And so “all things are explained in parable.”
However, we do find something interesting here… to the disciples… to those that were READY to hear what Jesus had to say… those parables made sense. The spirit of the story gave them life and because of this he no longer needed to MASK his WORDS. This my friends is the day we are entering into now.
When I began sharing my essays years ago, few people were ready for what it was I had to share.
However, today I find things I wrote six or seven years ago are now beginning to become accepted by “many.”
This is why I too am saying to those “disciples of truth” who understand the spirit of what I am sharing, when HARD TIMES come let us pass over to the OTHER SIDE of it.
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
Notice, how Jesus said, “Let us pass over” when the EVENING was come.
At first glance, this may seem innocuous, but I assure you there is treasure in every hill and valley of scripture.
The EVENING, also known as Night or Darkness in scripture, is an allegory of IGNORANCE. You can’t see in the dark. Also, not the safest way to travel if this story is taken literally.
Let us look at this from a different angle as well.
What is the “other side” of Night?
That’s right the answer is DAY!
The “other side” of Darkness is Light.
And of course, the “Other Side” of trouble is peace.
And this my friends is what this essay is about. Getting to that “other side”
Now to DO THIS… you are going to have to change.
The definition of insanity many would say is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.
If you are unhappy, unfulfilled, if you feel stuck and misery keeps you up at night… It is time to change.
The world and those in the world, will lead you to believe that your problems are because of others, outside influence, and while on the surface that may seem to be true, I assure you your problems are your own.
And YOU can get to the Other Side of them.
However, to do so, you cant continue to live the way everyone else does. You can’t be selfish, greedy, condemning, or rude, you MUST die to that way of thinking first.
One must first depart from WHAT EVERYONE ELSE BELIEVES… Those who DON’T want to cross over will stand their ground. But you my friend must journey elsewhere… And if they want to keep you where they are, it is time for you to send them on their way.
You can’t get to the Other Side if you are still with those who don’t want to cross over themselves.
No I warn you, whenever you say, I WANT TO CHANGE MY LIFE many people will not want to go with you. This is why you symbolically must send the multitudes away, as Jesus and the disciples did before crossing over. Because straight and narrow, upright and honest, true and kind, compassionate and forgiving, is the gate… and few there be that find it
Matthew 7:13
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
It is true the ways of the world lead to destruction. Look at our world today. Look at your own life. Is it not filled with bitterness at times? Is it not filled with envy, fear, regret, and anger?
I tell you the truth, for me, at times it is… and that is why I LISTEN WHEN I HEAR THE CALL TO PASS OVER UNTO THE OTHER SIDE.
It doesn’t bother me that I think and act differently from the rest. It used to, but no longer.
It does bother me that a majority of those who claim to know God are some of the most selfish, arrogant, greedy, manipulative, condemning, judgmental people there are.
Straight is the gate and few there be that find it.
However, you are not like everyone else. You are here today reading these words. YOU MY FRIEND ARE A DISCIPLE OF TRUTH… like me. And like me, you too have SENT AWAY the MULTITUDE and carried the TRUTH (Jesus) in your heart to get to the Other side. And in doing so, you, like me, find many others following along, little as they may be.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
I have written on the “Other Side” before, if you want use the search bar to get more eye opening info about this parable.
However, I will touch on a couple of symbols that will help before I continue.
I have to remind you that we must take our eyes off a literal man named Jesus for a second.
Look at Jesus the way he described himself to the “disciples”.
He said “I am the way, the Truth, and the Life.”
So, we must look at Jesus as the TRUTH within each of us.
In this particular story the SHIP or VESSEL carrying the TRUTH must then be seen as our soul, our identity.
So when you read about the WAVES beating against the SHIP and the great STORM of wind below… You understand, YOU are the ship that the TRUTH is traveling in… to get you to the OTHER SIDE.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
YES, these are the storms of life that we, each of us, face. And it can be scary when it seems like all hell has broken loose. But when that happens, we REMEMBER just who and what is traveling with us.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
We WAKE IT up… WE CALL UPON IT…WE SCREAM LORD HELP US… Especially if we believe WE WILL PERISH!
And in that moment, when all hope seems lost, the revelation REVIVES and the WIND (troubling thoughts) is rebuked.
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
The other day, I was delivered some news. This news did not sit well with me, as I have never been a big fan of change, ironic as that may seem.
Ignorantly, I allowed a bit of fear to creep into my heart about this situation. And it wasn’t long before that fear turned into an emotional storm within me, a storm with waves of negative thoughts that somehow seemed to predict the worst of future outcomes.
And as I ignorantly followed after the enemies (carnal mind’s) many temptations I too found myself thinking, “doesn’t anyone care that this could ruin everything?”… It was then, the TRUTH woke up inside me… I even laughed, because I realized I WAS being FEARFUL and that I AT THAT MOMENT HAD FORGOTTEN TO HAVE FAITH.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
And just like Jesus who yelled at the storm, “PEACE BE STILL!” … I too literally, audibly, yelled “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” I told myself, OUT LOUD so I could hear it, because FAITH COMES BY HEARING, “PEACE, BE STILL!”
And IN THAT INSTANT… the storm was gone. No more crazy thoughts running wild in my head. No more negative ideas of what might be, or what I might have to do… “Peace be still!” I yelled… I shook it off… and there was CALM.
This works people… It does. The scriptures state…
James 4:7
… Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
If YOU resist the tormenting LIES in your mind… they will leave you!
Just remember my friends, IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE. We are IN the FLESH. We are an infinite projection in a temporal distortion. We are LIGHTS in vast darkness… so it is not always going to be easy. But if we continue to follow after the truth, it will be much more than simply worth it.
Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Now here is where the story gets interesting.
5 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
THIS LINE RIGHT HERE is a treasure hiding in plain sight.
By now we know the OTHER SIDE is the ANSWER to our PROBLEM. It is then of no coincidence that when the DISCIPLES OF TRUTH came over to the OTHER SIDE the NAME OF THE COUNTRY was GADARENES, which literally means “the Reward At The End”.
Isn’t that something? When you go to the “Other Side” of a problem you find a REWARD AT THE END. This is true for everything in life.
Now let me tell you what you find on the Other Side… You find many, many, people who are hurting and thinking the wrong way. Possessed by the many lies they hear and say. You find that most people, MANY people, are hurting. Their life is more like death. They are often bound by their many problems.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Let me explain what an “unclean spirit is” — it is not some spooky monster or Hollywood demon. An un-clean spirit is simply a thought that is not pure. And if it is not pure it is a lie.
Jesus said, “my words are spirit”. Words/Thoughts these are SPIRITS. And today people are possessed by MANY LIES which is why so MANY PEOPLE are crying out this same way.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
The STONES are religious laws, condemnation, shame, and judgment.
Deuteronomy 27:8
And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.
How many of us cut ourselves with the stones of criticism ourselves? MANY people beat themselves up today thinking they aren’t good enough, etc
Ironically, Legion “The Many” want to be saved, this is why they dwell in tombs. Symbolic of religious ideas and traditions.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, (Matthew 23:29 KJV)
The white washed tombs many dwell near and in are the religions of this world. Which is why they can’t comprehend the plain speak of Jesus or Me. This is why they need the parable. They are lost. The MANY see Jesus Far off.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
Notice that those possessed by the lies of this world and religion SEE (perceive) Jesus FAR OFF…
Meaning, MANY Christian’s today believe Jesus is FAR, FAR AWAY and they are waiting for him to come soon.
Worse then this, they believe THEY, and this JESUS, they worship have nothing in common.
Even though Jesus would say, “As I am in this world So Are You” (we are all in the same lot)
And worse than that… is the MANY/Legion believe this very same Jesus only wants to punish. They see the “savior” as a judge who persecutes and tortures not one who heals.
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
When you come to the OTHER SIDE of your faith and you look around the world you will see MANY people like Legion. For they are MANY. They are living a life of death (ignorance).
The good news is, when the MANY see you… they will WANT to change.
When you show them love instead of condemnation. When you remind them that THEY TOO can get to the other side and find that reward waiting there.
Now not all will want to leave. MANY may want to stay where they are comfortable. That is because lies when cast out of people can still find a home in the swine (unbelievers).
When you cross over the lies that were cast out of you, like eternal torture, a rapture and more, are still welcome elsewhere.
You may find these lies that once possessed us are welcome by the great herd of SWINE (UNBELIEVERS) in the land.
This is the meaning behind the story.
We are not to waste our pearls before swine. Because in the end, it is the only place lies are welcome and the truth is despised.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
However, when one SINNER (person who is ignorant) repents (becomes wise) people WILL talk about it. The SHEPHERDS of the SWINE especially.
When someone who is truly out of their mind, who is truly miserable and depressed, addicted, and stressed, finds REST… PEOPLE TAKE NOTICE.
They say to themselves, how is it possible that this person who was so messed up is FINALLY AT PEACE?
14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Well, that is what happens when you get to the Other Side people.
It happened to me. If it hasn’t yet happened to you, be of good cheer because it will.
And trust me, the SHEPHERDS of the SWINE may not like that. Because there you sit, at peace, IN YOUR RIGHT MIND… and you didn’t eat a word of what they were selling. Because only THE TRUTH sets a person free. And that TRUTH is right there in the hinder parts of your vessel (mind/heart) waiting for you to WAKE HIM UP.
Just like I did, the moment the waves beat against my ship. Because of it, I find peace and joy and truth and I find I am finally in my right mind (righteousness). I am LEGION no more. And soon you will find, neither are you.
I love you. I pray this paper encouraged you. I ask you all humbly to please share this material with others. Comment, like, share, and subscribe, this is the only way for me to reach others. I am not a wealthy man in a worldly sense, but what I offer is a treasure indeed and I refuse to sell it. Have the best week ever, I look forward to hearing from you all. Jacob Israel
P.S. remember the re-launch of THE CALLING, the book of Thomas James is fast approaching. It is the novel I was meant to write. 35,000 new words, new chapters, never before scene poetry and insights that will blow your mind.
JACOB'S LADDER 
Jacob that was an incredible essay. Yes fate indeed brought me here today. I much like yourself have the same understanding of the esoteric contained within the exoteric. Many years have I spent studying the ways of life mastery i.e. acknowledging the darkness within myself and overcoming it and this can only be done by self observation and calling yourself out on the lies.
I recently had a seriously traumatic experience with a close friend and several family members. It caught me by surprise the verosity of their attack. My understanding of that event is just as you write in your article. When you are in your right mind, the sinners are fearful and it seems the only defense to their fear is to berate and tear down your character, malign and defile you and often by projecting their own shameful behavior onto you. I found myself so caught off guard that I too slipped into anger and wrong thinking. I fell from grace. I still have to navigate out of this and your article had assisted in this undertaking. We can fall but we can correct ourselves as well.
Then another situation arose of a similar nature but by a different person this was easier to navigate through despite the pain it caused. I managed to stay upright this time. Your words have further strengthened my resolve and have come at exactly the right time.
I must say that those who seek do find and when you step onto the straight gate much akin to the razors edge then you come under serious Archon attack it seems. The Pistis Sophia comes to mind in the gnostic texts. Have faith and seek the light never stop calling for the light.
Thank you Joseph much sincerely appreciated. I will definately be subscribing and I will also be sharing with those who have ears to hear.
Why the picture of anonymous?
Katey, the idea that we all wear masks … That was the only reason really … Also to inspire the idea of revolution (our thinking) … Thanks for the comment.
Thank you for giving freely your time and your prayers as gifts to humanity.
Katey, I sure am glad you are enjoying the website. Please do subscribe, its free and share it with others. Have the best week ever, Jacob
Hi Jacob, I take a look back at all the articles you have written at least those Ive read. Thoughts create desire an action must happen for that desire to cease. A poem comes to mind written by William Hodgetts.
An Angel’s Feather
An Angel’s feather fell from Heaven
I used it as my pen
I dipped it into the Spirit of Love
To save the souls of men
From every stroke there came a spark
That filled the page with Light
And as the words began to form
They healed my spiritual sight
When the page was done I read it softly
And gone were all my fears
For the words had spoken to my heart
And healed my spiritual ears
‘Go and tell the world my son
And set my children free
Lead them from the silent night
And send them home to me’
I offered back the Angel’s feather
That had opened Heaven’s doors
‘I gave you Love and Truth my son,
the feather? That was yours’
What a beautiful poem – very inspiring. Thanks for sharing this.
Suziaf I am so happy you enjoyed it 🙂 Thank you for commenting and I sure hope you have subscribed. I really am so appreciative for the people here.
That was so awesome that you shared that. I sure appreciate it my friend. Please do keep in touch, and feel free to share any of these essays. Much love Jacob
I wrote a poem when I was sixteen which strangely echoes some of the sentiments above. I was not a Christian, and had never read the bible, but I called the poem ‘Sleeping in the hold’. The ship symbolised my father, enduring the assault of the stormy weather and becoming battered by elements in order to deliver its cargo to safety.
I have lost the poem, but I remember fragments of it – this is the last line:
‘The ship becomes weathered for the sake of its cargo, sleeping soundly in the hold.’
I also wrote a poem when I was very young about how I wished to avoid the hard and painful lessons of experience by acquiring wisdom through observation instead – this is also before I had ever read the bible. I talked about a God who would seem to ‘punish in educating’, and a sun which ‘would shine as happily on the turds, as on the water.’. How strange that your post put these words back into my mind.
I have always, since childhood, been of the belief that we reincarnate here continually until we have learned all we need to know. I just knew this at a very young age, and I think now that i am older that is why we should never judge another person – we are all at different stages of learning, and all bad behaviour stems essentially from the egoic condition of ignorance and fear. We learn to make judgements – as children, we start off merely observing. It is the process of witnessing and experiencing personal judgement ourselves that makes us become judgemental. Hence Jesus’ exclamation to ‘forgive them, for they know not what they do’ before he ‘defeated death’ on the cross. He showed us that the ‘way’ to ‘life’ (ending the cycle of reincarnation) is to discover the ‘truth’.
This, I believe, is also how we can reconcile the old testament mosaic law of ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ (karma – the divine law of perfect justice) with the new testament – the way to overcome karma and end the cycle of reincarnation is through following Jesus example of living a life of unconditional love and self-sacrifice, and overcoming the lower, beastly carnal self through both literal and symbolic, physical and egoic death. Hence, the resurrection, and the assertion that ‘the one who loves his life will lose it, but the one who hates his life will gain it’ – without these trials and hardships in life, we do not get closer to God, because it takes hard experiences to slough off all the layers of false self, persona, illusion, and ego in order to reveal the true spiritual self. The true self is Christ, the non-judgemental observer, and unconditional love personified.
Romans 5:3-5
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
Psalm 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Luke 14:27
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Hebrews 12:11
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
1 Peter 2:19-21
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Hosea 5:15-6:3
I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me. “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”
John 15:1-5
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Romans 8:28-29
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
John 12:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Like you, I believe Satan represents the ego. As you observe in other posts, he is the ‘MAN of sin.
Revelation 13:18
This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
Now here is an interesting thought; Carbon has the atomic number of 6. It has 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons. Carbon is everywhere – we ourselves are carbon-based life-forms. When we think carbon in its most crude form, we think of the soft, black substance graphite. However, with enough time, and enough pressure, graphite turns into a diamond. The fascinating thing about this is that if you look at the structures of both graphite and diamond respectively, you will see that the graphite is a weaker material due to its separate layers, whereas the diamond gets its strength from the fact that it is UNIFIED! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon#/media/File:Eight_Allotropes_of_Carbon.png
So I do find myself wondering, who is Satan, really? We know he was a LIAR from the BEGINNING and there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. As you yourself observed, if something has no truth, then it cannot exist. It is a lie. Throughout antiquity, Satan, the devil, the beast, is depicted as being a (scape)goat. The left-hand path of black magic uses an upside-down pentagram with a goats head inside – this is because this is an inversion of the upright pentagram of divine man. It turns man into beast. Also, goats are symbolic of not only pan-like ‘horny’ sexuality and carnality – they never seem to stop eating, they roam around alone, and they are not herd animals like sheep – but they were also traditionally offered as sacrifices to God for human ‘sins’. It think it is spiritual immaturity which attributes human flaws to a supernatural villain. If Christ is in you, the devil is in you also, but it takes a level of maturity to take full responsibility for yourself. I think we understand these things when we are ready to. I believe Satan is symbolic of the carnal nature that we are here to overcome, or what Jung termed our ‘shadow’. Jesus himself was ‘tempted’ by satan who offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, if he would only bow down and worship him. In the same way he tempts us all, by appealing to our ego with an offer of power over others instead of the Christ path of spiritual power over self. I do believe hell exists (plenty of NDEs to support this) but as a temporary psychological condition we experience after death if we have lived particularly self-centred lives – it is a place where we will reap what we have sown, but we always get drawn back to God. Hell is described as ‘eternal’ because as Near Death Experiencer’s will attest, the afterlife realms are non-temporal – there is no sense of time in any linear fashion, but rather an eternal ‘now’. If hell is a place of eternal fire, then it is the purifying fire of God:
for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:29
Forever punishment for a lifetime’s worth of mistakes is illogical and undermines the notion of a God of love, so it just cannot be true. If it is God’s will that all are saved, then all are saved already. The Gospel is a message of hope, of love, of redemption. There is always redemption once we have paid off our karmic debt whether on earth or in this holding place called hell. We may get thrown in the purifying fire between incarnations, but we will all find our way home in the end as we learn and grow.
It is clear in the Bible that Adam and Eve, who represent mankind, bit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil by CHOICE – the serpent that spoke to eve was actually a voice inside her own head, if you read the original Hebrew text this is clear. This meaning has been lost in translation. I can think of one serpent-like part of our own mind – the part concerned most with survival, and the part which makes us feel afraid: the reptilian brain. Many Christians reject the theory of evolution because they don’t believe it can be reconciled with the biblical account, but I believe the theory of evolution is totally consistent with scripture – I believe man himself is evolving, from carnal Adam to divine Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Our goal on earth is to learn to be like Christ. Christ commanded us to love EVERYONE as ourselves. I don’t think this can be reconciled with the thought that God can’t do the same. If we are God’s children, and God loves us, then everything that happens must come from a place of love. And here freedom enters the picture – when you love someone, you do not try to control them. When you are a wise and loving parent, you allow your child to make mistakes because mistakes are what help them learn. Children are naturally self-correcting, and so are we. We are on a long journey back home to our father, as we come to this school called earth for many terms to learn good from evil (love and non-love), and to build God’s kingdom.
The wages of ‘sin’ (Hebrew meaning: to miss(take) the mark) is ‘death’ (Hebrew meaning: separation), but the gift of God is ‘eternal’ (non temporal) ‘life’ (Hebrew meaning: unity in plurality)
Self and separateness is evil (illusion/false), whereas unity and selflessness is good (reality/the truth). If God hides his face from us, there is a good reason for it. Firstly, we have to ‘fall asleep’, or ‘die’ (spiritually separate) in order for this experience to be immersive enough for us to learn experientially (the greatest form of knowledge) rather than just theoretically. It doesn’t matter what you believe, it matters what you ARE. Life is hard because it is supposed to be hard – because like gold mined from deep in the ground we are put into the fire to be bent, shaped, and made into something beautiful. When we lift heavy weights, it hurts – but the pain results in bigger muscles, greater strength, and more endurance. But we must first endure some pain to achieve this improved strength. And so it is with the spiritual. Secondly, I believe that our own carnal nature and attitude often prevents us from seeing or communing with God, because these lower aspects lead to separation (death/sleep).
I love your insights Jacob. These particularly inspired me in my own search for truth: you observed that Christ was crucified at Golgotha – the place of the skull, and that our MIND and ego murdered our true, spiritual self and replaced it with the false self. You also observed that there are two sons in the bible stories, and one is always killed – that ego kills our spiritual self by separating it from God and making us serve it. Thank you for sharing these insights – they have been highly influential in my own truth-seeking.
I really believe that the Bible preaches universal salvation:
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6)
10 And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10)
John 12:47, Jesus stated:
47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world…
John 12:32, Jesus stated:
32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.
After many years of seeking, I believe that the great secret of the Bible is that it teaches the spiritual evolution of man – it is the alchemical process of the transformation of base metals into gold. The great building work of the bible – the temple, or house of God – is the spiritual work undertaken by all of mankind. The temple is us! We are each a stone in building this temple of peace on earth….
– Suzi x
Suzi, I loved that you shared all of this and I am so happy that anything that I am inspired to share has made a difference if really at all in your life 🙂 Much love to you my friend, Jacob
My site is finally up now. I hope you will come and visit, as you inspired me to do it. 🙂
http://www.secretbible.co.uk/jesus-is-a-loaf-of-bread-why-biblical-literalism-makes-no-sense/
Ciao Jacob, un’altro bel saggio da parte tua, purtroppo ancora ci sono molti che ancora non vogliono passare dall’altro lato, un po per ignoranza, e un po per paura, ma io sono fiducioso e aspetto il cambiamento, che prima ho poi tutti dovranno raggiungere, ogni carne vedrà DIO. Grazie ancora Jacob un abbraccio forte per te da parte mia.
Great post – thank you! 🙂
Jenny, how awesome are you for taking the time to let me know? 🙂 Pretty awesome … I sure hope you check out other essays on here and subscribe, it is free after all. Have the best day ever, jacob
to wire posts that are similar to the message that you are also trying to get out to the world. Looking forward to reading much more of your writing’s
Jacob,
I absolutely loved what you wrote. I follow a few people who has the same beliefs and goals as you and I must say that was about one of the best, heart touching essays I have read! I just signed up for a blog on here I intend
Amanda, that is wonderful to here. I cannot wait to see what the future will bring. Much love to you and yours, jacob
Thank you Jacob Israel thank you for the encouragement! It’s taking a little longer than I expected, but I want to make sure to have the correct facts and God’s word not mine . More will be coming though, I’m just getting started! God Bless