Showing posts with label aeons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aeons. Show all posts

Friday, 8 August 2025

Valentinians and John 1

**Valentinians and John 1**

Valentinians often refer to the prologue of the Gospel of John when it says, *“In the beginning was the Word”* (John 1:1). In their understanding, the “Word” (Logos) corresponds to the divine Mind and Truth. This interpretation is clear in the writings of Theodotus, a prominent Valentinian teacher.

Valentinian cosmology is complex and doctrinal. Unlike some modern spiritual movements that view dogma as limiting, classical Gnostics—including the Valentinians—considered doctrine crucial. For modern Gnostics, understanding these doctrines matters because cosmology (the study of the universe’s origin) directly shapes anthropology (the study of human nature in relation to the divine). Simply put, our view of mankind depends on our view of the cosmos.

Valentinian cosmology arises largely from a study of John’s prologue, which itself is a reflection on creation and divine attributes. Together, these elements constitute the Pleroma.

The Pleroma, meaning “fullness,” does not represent something eternal or unchanging. Rather, it was produced and formed by the Eternal Spirit through a process called emanation. The Pleroma refers to all existence beyond the visible universe — the world of the Aions, the spiritual heavens, or the spiritual universe. Bythos, the spiritual source of all, emanates the Pleroma.

The Pleroma is both the dwelling place and essential nature of the True Ultimate Deity, or Bythos. It is also a state of consciousness.

Different versions of this cosmological myth appear throughout Valentinian texts. The Aions are emanations of the Divine Mind. Unlike some Gnostic systems, Valentinians do not use the terms Barbelo or Yaldabaoth. Instead, the emanations form pairs (syzygy) such as Logos (male) and Zoe (female), Anthropos (male) and Ekklesia (female).

A brief summary of the Valentinian system is this: from the transcendent Deity emanated a male principle called Mind and a female principle called Thought. From these principles emanated others in male-female pairs, making a total of thirty Aions. These Aions collectively form the fullness, or Pleroma — the divine realm, the spiritual world beyond the physical heavens, also called the Third Heaven.

**John 1:1–4** says:
*“In the beginning was the Word (Logos or the first thought or reason of God), and the Word was with God (the Monad, the transcendent Deity), and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”*

From *Excerpta ex Theodoto* (Theodotus), we read:
*“The verse, ‘In the beginning was the Logos and the Logos was with God and the Logos was God,’ the Valentinians understand thus: the ‘beginning’ is the ‘Only Begotten’ and he is also called God. The Logos in the beginning — that is, in the Only Begotten, in the Mind and the Truth — indicates the Christ, the Logos and the Life \[Zoe]. Hence, he also appropriately calls God him who is in God, the Mind. ‘That which came into being in him,’ the Logos, ‘was Life,’ the Companion. Therefore the Lord also says, ‘I am the Life.’”*

This Logos, understood as Mind and Truth, compares with the *Tripartite Tractate*:
*“The Father, in the way mentioned earlier, in an unbegotten way, is the one in whom he knows himself, who begot him having a thought, which is the perception of him... that is, silence and wisdom and grace, if designated properly.”*

Theodotus further explains:
*“Therefore, the Father, being unknown, wished to be known to the Aions, and through his own thought, as if he had known himself, he put forth the Only-Begotten, the spirit of Knowledge which is in Knowledge. So he too who came forth from Knowledge, that is, from the Father’s Thought, became Knowledge, that is, the Son, because ‘through the Son the Father was known.’”*

The first thought is the Logos, also called Mind and Truth. The Father, through that first thought, brings forth the Only Begotten Son.

Valentinian cosmology begins with the primal being, the Monad, meaning the One. The *Valentinian Exposition* states:
*“The Monad who is, the Father, that is, the Root of the All, the Ineffable One. He dwells alone in silence, and silence is tranquility since he was a Monad and no one was before him.”*

From the *Valentinian Exposition*, we see that the primal ineffable Father has two components or aspects: a male called Bythos (Depth) and a female called Sige (Silence). The supreme Deity is incomprehensible, cannot be seen or heard, and is androgynous. This is expressed in the phrase:
*“He dwells in the Dyad and in the Pair, and his Pair is Silence.”*

This dyadic or syzygy consists of the primal Depth (male) and Ennoia or Thought (female).

A biblical parallel appears in **Proverbs 8:22–30**, where Wisdom is personified as being brought forth before creation:
*“Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way... When there were no depths, I was brought forth... When he established the heavens, I was there... Then I was by him, as a master workman; and I was daily his delight.”*

Here, Wisdom is not a separate deity but the personification of God’s attribute of wisdom: truth, justice, value, faithfulness, and eternal companionship.

Thus, from both John 1 and Proverbs 8, the God of the Bible is seen as incorporating masculine and feminine characteristics through these aspects, with the Father creating the universe. This aligns with the Valentinian understanding.

Returning to John’s prologue, Ptolemy’s *Commentary on the Gospel of John* states:
*“The entirety was made through it, and without it was not anything made” (John 1:3). For the Word became the cause of the forming and origination of all the Aions that came after it.”*

From *Excerpta ex Theodoto*:
*“All things were made by him; things both of spirit, mind, and senses, in accordance with the activity proper to the essential Logos. ‘This one explained the bosom of the Father,’ the Saviour... ‘First-Born of all creation.’ But the essential Only-Begotten... is the Light of the Church, which previously was in darkness and ignorance.”*

*“And darkness comprehended him not”: the apostates and the rest of men did not know him, and death did not detain him.”*

Valentinians maintain that the essential Logos is God in God, “in the bosom of the Father,” continuous and undivided — one God.

Ptolemy’s commentary further explains the pair (syzygy):
*“That which came into being in it was Life” (John 1:4). This discloses a pair. The entirety came into being through it, but Life is in it, joined with it and through it bears fruit. Since ‘Life \[Zoe] was the light of human beings,’ John discloses the Church by means of a synonym, so with a single word he might disclose the partnership of the pair.”*

*“From the Word \[Logos] and Life \[Zoe], the Human Being \[Anthropos] and the Church \[Ekklesia] came into being. He called Life the light of human beings because they are enlightened by her, i.e., formed and made visible.”*

John thus reveals the second quartet: Word, Life, Human Being, Church.

Moreover, John discloses the first quartet: Father, Grace, Only-Begotten, Truth. Together, these two quartets form the first octet — the mother of all Aions. The Savior is, according to Irenaeus, the fruit of the entire Pleroma.

In conclusion, the Valentinian reading of John 1 centers on divine emanations — Mind, Truth, Life, Human Being, and Church — as the fundamental components of the spiritual cosmos, formed through emanation from the Monad, the ultimate transcendent Deity. This reading reflects a deeply doctrinal and cosmological vision, affirming the essential importance of dogma in understanding the human condition and our place in the fullness (Pleroma) beyond the material world.

Divine Attributes as Aeons

Divine Attributes as Aeons

In the theology of emanations, the fullness (Pleroma) of the Deity is expressed through distinct realities, called aeons. These are not mere abstractions but living manifestations of the divine attributes, each possessing form and substance within the incorruptible realm. The aeons are the radiations of the Father’s own nature—extensions of His hypostasis into distinct, harmonious expressions. When Scripture describes the qualities of the Deity—love, wisdom, justice, power, holiness—it is not describing impersonal traits, but eternal realities that, in the heavenly order, exist as personal and active manifestations.


Primary Attributes as Aeons

Some of the most fundamental attributes of the Deity are plainly set out in Scripture. “God is love” (1 John 4:8)—love is the self-giving nature of the Father toward His creation, an aeon that binds all other virtues together in perfect unity. “The LORD gives wisdom” (Proverbs 2:6); “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33). Wisdom, in its aeonic form, is the divine intelligence through which all worlds are framed and ordered. Justice, declared in Deuteronomy 32:4 as the foundation of His ways, is the aeon that safeguards equity and righteousness in the divine order. Power, shown in Job 37:23 and Luke 1:35, is the active force that accomplishes all the Father wills.

The Father is also a God “not of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Peace, in its aeonic expression, is not mere absence of conflict but the perfect harmony of all parts of creation under divine order. Holiness, described in Isaiah 6:3, Habakkuk 1:13, and Revelation 4:8, is the incorruptible purity that characterizes the Father’s being and those who share His nature. Happiness (1 Timothy 1:11) and mercy (Exodus 34:6; Luke 6:36) likewise proceed as living emanations from Him.


The Thirteen Attributes from Exodus 34:6–7

When the name of Yahweh was proclaimed to Moses, the Deity revealed Himself by declaring thirteen distinct attributes (Exodus 34:6–7). Each of these, in the aeonic sense, is a perfected reality within the Pleroma:

  1. Yahweh – He who will be: the self-existent One, faithful to His purpose.

  2. Yahweh – The repetition signifies constancy and unchanging nature.

  3. El – Power, the might that undergirds all creation.

  4. Compassionate – Tender regard for the weak and suffering.

  5. Gracious – Freely bestowing favor apart from merit.

  6. Slow to Anger – Measured patience, never ruled by impulse.

  7. Abounding in Loving-kindness – Overflowing covenant loyalty.

  8. Abounding in Truth – Perfect reliability and fidelity.

  9. Keeping Loving-kindness for Thousands – Enduring benevolence to multitudes.

  10. Forgiving Iniquity – Lifting the burden of moral corruption.

  11. Forgiving Transgression – Removing acts of rebellion.

  12. Forgiving Sin – Cleansing moral failure and missing of the mark.

  13. By no Means Clearing the Guilty – Upholding justice, ensuring righteousness prevails.

These are not simply verbal descriptions—they are the names of eternal realities. In the heavenly realm, each of these attributes has its own distinct mode of existence as an aeon, fully in harmony with all others, proceeding from the one divine source.


The Sevenfold Spirit from Isaiah 11:2–3

Isaiah 11:2–3 reveals the “Spirit” that would rest upon the promised Branch, Messiah, in a sevenfold description. Each of these may also be seen as an aeon, proceeding from the Deity and operative within the Son:

  1. The Spirit of Yahweh – The essential divine presence, source of all other emanations.

  2. The Spirit of Wisdom – Insight into the true nature of all things.

  3. The Spirit of Understanding – The ability to discern meaning and purpose.

  4. The Spirit of Counsel – Perfect guidance, leading in the right path.

  5. The Spirit of Might – The power to accomplish divine intent.

  6. The Spirit of Knowledge – Complete acquaintance with truth and reality.

  7. The Spirit of the Fear of Yahweh – Reverent awe, perfect submission to the divine will.

These seven are presented as a unity, “resting” upon the Anointed One. In aeonic terms, they exist as harmonious emanations, fully active in Him and, by extension, in those who share His nature.


Aeonic Harmony and Divine Personality

When Scripture says that “God is love,” “God is light,” or “God is holy,” it is not stating that these are abstract qualities in Him—it is declaring that His entire nature is the fullness of these aeons. The aeons are personal, for they are expressions of a living Being. They are also relational, flowing into one another without conflict, each enhancing the beauty of the whole.

In creation, these aeons are reflected imperfectly. Love is tainted by selfishness; justice is warped by partiality; wisdom is obscured by ignorance. But in the Pleroma, the aeons exist in their original perfection, as the radiant outflow of the incorruptible Spirit-substance of the Deity.


Aeons as the Bridge Between the Father and Creation

The aeons function as the mediating realities between the Father’s unapproachable glory and the creation that proceeds from Him. They are the means by which His nature is communicated without diminishing His essence. For example, the aeon of Wisdom orders the cosmos; the aeon of Justice maintains its moral balance; the aeon of Mercy extends restoration to the fallen. All act in perfect unity because they are all rooted in the one hypostasis of the Deity.

In this way, the divine attributes listed in 1 John 4:8, Proverbs 2:6, Deuteronomy 32:4, Job 37:23, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Isaiah 6:3, 1 Timothy 1:11, and the other passages are more than scriptural descriptions—they are eternal powers in the incorruptible realm, existing as aeons, proceeding from the source of all being.


Conclusion

The attributes of the Deity are not mere adjectives—they are living, personal emanations that constitute the order of the Pleroma. The thirteen revealed in Exodus 34:6–7 and the seven from Isaiah 11:2–3 provide a map of this divine order. Love, wisdom, justice, power, holiness, peace, happiness, and mercy all exist as incorruptible realities, proceeding from the Father, harmonizing perfectly in the eternal fullness. Through these aeons, the Deity is known, creation is sustained, and redemption is accomplished. They are the radiance of His nature—the bridge between the uncreated glory and all that exists.

Saturday, 21 December 2024

How the Divine Name Refers to the Emanation of the 30 Aeons









**How the Divine Name Refers to the Emanation of the 30 Aeons**  


The divine name **Yahweh** (יהוה), composed of four Hebrew letters, is deeply connected to the emanation of the 30 Aeons in Valentinian theology. Each letter of the Tetragrammaton reveals profound truths about God's nature and role in creation while also serving as a framework for understanding the Aeons’ emanation. This connection between the divine name and the Aeons illustrates the interplay of divine attributes and their manifestation in the cosmos.  


### The Pictographic Significance of the Tetragrammaton  


1. **Yod (י)** – The "Hand" or "Arm"  

   The letter **Yod** symbolizes action, power, and creation, representing the active, creative force of God. In the context of the Aeons, **Yod** aligns with **Depth (Bythos)**, the source of all emanation. Depth is the origin of creation, initiating the process through divine intention. Yahweh, as symbolized by **Yod**, is the One who brings forth all things into being, reflecting the foundational role of Depth as the root of all Aeons.  


2. **Hay (ה)** – The "Man with Arms Raised"  

   The first **Hay** signifies "revelation" or "breath," reflecting divine manifestation and communication. This aligns with **Grace (Charis)**, which reveals the benevolent nature of Depth. Grace emanates to manifest the divine will, much as **Hay** expresses the self-revealing nature of Yahweh. The repetition of **Hay** in the Tetragrammaton emphasizes the continuous revelation of God, akin to the eternal unfolding of the Aeons.  


3. **Wav (ו)** – The "Nail" or "Hook"  

   **Wav** symbolizes connection, binding, or joining, representing the link between the spiritual and physical realms. This corresponds to **Mind (Nous)**, which serves as the bridge between Depth and the emanated Aeons. Just as Yahweh connects the eternal with the temporal, **Mind** unites the ineffable Depth with the emanation of Truth and subsequent Aeons.  


4. **Hay (ה)** – The Second Revelation  

   The second **Hay** reiterates the theme of revelation and completeness, corresponding to **Truth (Aletheia)**. Truth embodies the ultimate revelation of divine nature and purpose. In Yahweh, the repetition of **Hay** affirms the fullness of God’s self-disclosure, just as **Truth** completes the first Tetrad of Depth, Grace, Mind, and Truth, serving as the foundation for the emanation of the remaining Aeons.  


### The Tetragrammaton and the Structure of the Aeons  


In Valentinian theology, the Aeons emanate from the divine source in a structured order. The first Tetrad—Depth, Grace, Mind, and Truth—forms the foundation, mirroring the four letters of the divine name. Each letter represents not only a divine attribute but also the progressive unfolding of God's essence.  


Marcus, a Valentinian teacher, provides a detailed explanation of how the Aeons relate to the Name. He describes the divine utterance as composed of four distinct enunciations:  


1. The first utterance consists of **four letters**, corresponding to the first Tetrad (Depth, Grace, Mind, and Truth).  

2. The second utterance also contains **four letters**, reflecting the next syzygy (pairs of Aeons) in the emanative process.  

3. The third utterance encompasses **ten letters**, symbolizing the unfolding complexity of divine attributes.  

4. The final utterance has **twelve letters**, completing the emanation with a total of **thirty letters**, corresponding to the 30 Aeons.  


This structured progression parallels the numerical value of **Yahweh** in Hebrew numerology. The sum of the letters (Yod = 10, Hay = 5, Wav = 6, Hay = 5) equals **26**, which, when combined with the four letters, totals **30**, corresponding to the Aeons.  


### Yahweh as the Source of Emanation  


The divine name Yahweh encapsulates the entire process of emanation. **Yod** represents the initial act of creation by Depth. **Hay** signifies the revelation of divine attributes through Grace and Truth. **Wav** serves as the connecting force, ensuring the coherence and unity of all emanations. The second **Hay** completes the cycle, affirming the continuous revelation and presence of God in creation.  


Through its four letters, the Tetragrammaton embodies the entirety of the Aeonic structure. It reflects the dynamic interplay of divine attributes as they emanate from the ineffable source, sustaining and uniting the cosmos. The divine name Yahweh thus serves as a perfect symbol of the emanation of the 30 Aeons, uniting the mystical and the tangible in one harmonious expression of divine purpose.


**The Numerological Connection: Yahweh and the 30 Aeons**  


The study of numerology, particularly in relation to the divine name **Yahweh** (יהוה), reveals profound insights into the relationship between God and the emanation of creation. The Hebrew letters that compose the name of Yahweh—**Yod (י)**, **Hay (ה)**, **Wav (ו)**, and **Hay (ה)**—carry specific numerical values, which, when summed, yield a total of **26**. This sum, when connected to the larger context of the 30 Aeons, offers a fascinating connection between the divine name and the emanative structure that unfolds the cosmos.  


### The Numerical Value of Yahweh  


In Hebrew numerology, every letter of the alphabet is assigned a numerical value. The divine name **Yahweh** is composed of four letters:  


- **Yod (י)**: The first letter, representing "hand" or "arm," has a numerical value of **10**. It signifies the creative and active power of God, initiating all things.  

- **Hay (ה)**: The second letter, often depicted as "behold" or "revelation," holds a value of **5**. It signifies divine manifestation, the revelation of God's will and nature to creation.  

- **Wav (ו)**: The third letter, symbolizing a "nail" or "hook," carries a value of **6**. It represents the connection or binding force between the spiritual and physical realms, uniting the divine with the created world.  

- **Hay (ה)**: The fourth letter, like the second, also signifies "revelation" and holds a value of **5**, reaffirming the completeness and continuous nature of God's self-disclosure to creation.  


When these values are added together—**10 + 5 + 6 + 5**—the total is **26**. This number is significant not only in the context of the divine name but also in its connection to the larger cosmic structure, particularly the **30 Aeons** in Valentinian theology.  


### Yahweh and the 30 Aeons  


In Valentinian Gnostic thought, the **30 Aeons** represent a series of emanations that proceed from the divine source, **Bythos** (the Depth). The Aeons are arranged in pairs known as **syzygies**, which correspond to various divine attributes, creating the fundamental structure of creation.  


The numerical value of **26**, derived from the letters of the name **Yahweh**, corresponds closely with the **30 Aeons**, and this connection provides insight into the relationship between the divine name and the emanative process that unfolds creation. When we add the four letters of Yahweh to the sum of **26**, we arrive at **30**, directly linking the divine name to the 30 Aeons. This numerological progression suggests that **Yahweh**, as the divine name, is not only the source of creation but also the active principle that initiates and sustains the emanation of the Aeons.  


In the context of the Aeons, the number **30** is of particular importance. As each Aeon represents a specific divine attribute or emanation, the full set of **30 Aeons** signifies the complete expression of the divine nature in the cosmos. The connection between **Yahweh** and the **30 Aeons** implies that the divine name is not just a static label but an active, living force that sustains and governs the entire process of creation.  


### Yahweh as the Source of Emanation  


The link between the **Tetragrammaton** and the **30 Aeons** can be understood as the divine name acting as the foundational principle of emanation. The four letters of Yahweh—**Yod**, **Hay**, **Wav**, and **Hay**—represent different aspects of divine action: creation, revelation, connection, and completion. These correspond to the first four Aeons, the Tetrad, which form the basis for the subsequent emanations.  


In this structure, **Yod** (10) represents the first emanation from the depth of the divine, while **Hay** (5) emphasizes the revelation of the divine will. **Wav** (6) represents the binding force between the divine and the created realms, and the second **Hay** (5) completes the cycle by reaffirming the ongoing nature of divine revelation. Together, these four letters correspond to the first four Aeons, which serve as the foundational structure of creation.  


By adding the four letters of the name **Yahweh** to the sum of **26**, the total becomes **30**, directly corresponding to the number of Aeons in Valentinian theology. This suggests that the entire process of creation and the unfolding of the Aeons is inseparable from the divine name, with **Yahweh** as the origin and sustainer of all emanations. The numerical connection between **Yahweh** and the **30 Aeons** highlights the deep, inherent unity between the divine name and the emanative structure of the cosmos.  


### Conclusion  


The numerological connection between **Yahweh** and the **30 Aeons** is a powerful reminder of the intimate relationship between God and creation. Through the letters of His divine name, **Yahweh** embodies the active, creative force that sustains the universe and the emanative flow of divine attributes. The total of **30**, when derived from the letters of **Yahweh**, underscores the inseparable link between the divine name and the Aeons, revealing the profound and dynamic nature of the divine in relation to creation. Thus, the numerological significance of **Yahweh** not only reflects His self-existence but also points to His active role in the unfolding of the cosmos and the emanation of divine attributes throughout creation.

Thursday, 30 May 2019

The Gospel of Judas Indicated Trouble Ahead for the Papacy

Prophecy in the Gospel of Judas

The Gospel of Judas Indicated Trouble Ahead for the Papacy





The disciples report a vision of the Jerusalem temple or possibly a visit to the temple (
 John 2:13–16) and Jesus uses the occasion to interpret the account of the disciples prophetically

Jesus explains both a vision that the Twelve had concerning the temple and the priesthood

THE DISCIPLES SEE THE TEMPLE AND DISCUSS IT

They [said, “We have seen] a great [house (Ezekiel 8:6) with a large] altar [in it, and] twelve men (Ezekiel 8:11,16)— they are the priests, we would say—and a name; and a crowd of people is waiting at that altar, [until] the priests [… and receive] the offerings. [But] we kept waiting.” [Jesus said], “What are [the priests] like?” They [said, “Some …] two weeks; [some] sacrifice their own children, others their wives, in praise [and] humility with each other; some sleep with men; some are involved in [slaughter]; some commit a multitude of sins and deeds of lawlessness. And the men who stand [before] the altar invoke your [name], [39] and in all the deeds of their deficiency, the sacrifices are brought to completion […].” After they said this, they were quiet, for they were troubled.




JESUS OFFERS AN ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION OF THE TEMPLE


Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? Truly I say to you, all the priests who stand before that altar invoke my name. Again I say to you, my name has been written on this […] of the generations of the stars through the human generations. [And they] have planted trees without fruit, in my name, in a shameful manner.” Jesus said to them, “Those you have seen receiving the offerings at the altar—that is who you are. That is the god you serve, (2 Thess 2:3,4) and you are those twelve men you have seen. The cattle you have seen brought for sacrifice are the many people you lead astray [40] before that altar. […] will stand and make use of my name in this way, and generations of the pious will remain loyal to him. After him another man will stand there from [the fornicators], and another [will] stand there from the slayers of children, and another from those who sleep with men, and those who abstain, and the rest of the people of pollution and lawlessness and error, and those who say, ‘We are like angels’; they are the stars that bring everything to its conclusion. For to the human generations it has been said, ‘Look, God has received your sacrifice from the hands of a priest’—that is, a minister of error. But it is the Lord, the Lord of the universe, who commands, ‘On the last day they will be put to shame.’” [41] Jesus said [to them], “Stop sac[rificing …] which you have […] over the altar, since they are over your stars and your angels and have already come to their conclusion there. So let them be [ensnared] before you, and let them go [—about 15 lines missing—] generations […]. A baker cannot feed all creation [42] under [heaven]. And […] to them […] and […] to us and […]. Jesus said to them, “Stop struggling with me. Each of you has his own star, (Jude 13) and every[body—about 17 lines missing—] [43] in […] who has come [… spring] for the tree […] of this aeon […] for a time […] but he has come to water God’s paradise, and the [generation] that will last, because [he] will not defile the [walk of life of] that generation, but […] for all eternity.”


what the disciples have seen in Jerusalem is interpreted as a foreshadowing of the emerging Catholic church

The vision of the temple and twelve priests should first be understood from an historical point of view.

The only copy of it known to exist is a Coptic language text that has been carbon dated to AD 280, plus or minus 60 years.

This would place the Gospel of Judas within a type of Novatianism or 
Donatism schism both groups refused to   submit to the bishop of Rome, they were labeled by Rome as schismatics

we've all heard of Christian martyrs. But the Gospel of Judas challenges the idea that God wants people to die as martyrs—just as it challenges the idea that God wanted Jesus to die. Whoever wrote this gospel—and the author is anonymous—is challenging church leaders who teach that.

The Testimony of Truth

The foolish - thinking in their heart that if they confess, "We are Christians," in word only (but) not with power, while giving themselves over to ignorance, to a human death, not knowing where they are going nor who Christ is, thinking that they will live, when they are (really) in error - hasten towards the principalities and authorities. They fall into their clutches because of the ignorance that is in them. For (if) only words which bear testimony were effecting salvation, the whole world would endure this thing and would be saved. But it is in this way that they drew error to themselves. ...
... (3 lines unrecoverable)... they do not know that they will destroy themselves. If the Father were to desire a human sacrifice, he would become vainglorious.

For the Son of Man clothed himself with their first-fruits; he went down to Hades and performed many mighty works. He raised the dead therein; and the world-rulers of darkness became envious of him, for they did not find sin in him. But he also destroyed their works from among men, so that the lame, the blind, the paralytic, the dumb, (and) the demon-possessed were granted healing. And he walked upon the waters of the sea. For this reason he destroyed his flesh from [...] which he [...]. And he became [...] salvation [...] his death ...
... (4 lines unrecoverable)
... everyone [...] how many they are! They are blind guides, like the disciples. They boarded the ship; at about thirty stadies, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. These are empty martyrs, since they bear witness only to themselves. And yet they are sick, and they are not able to raise themselves.

But when they are "perfected" with a (martyr's) death, this is the thought that they have within them: "If we deliver ourselves over to death for the sake of the Name we will be saved." These matters are not settled in this way. But through the agency of the wandering stars they say they have "completed" their futile "course", and [...] say, [...]. But these [...] they have delivered themselves ...
... (7 lines unrecoverable)


... but they resemble [...] them. They do not have the word which gives life. (The Testimony of Truth)



 In a vision the Twelve Apostles see the temple and twelve immoral and vicious priests. Jesus tells them that they are these priests leading people astray as ministers of error.


the Gospel of Judas shows "the twelve disciples"—stand-ins for church leaders—offering human sacrifice on the altar—and doing this in the name of Jesus!


First  the Gospel of Judas is recording the moral decay and corruption of the church as a prophecy 


Second, the Gospel of Judas Indicated Trouble Ahead for the Papacy


[some] sacrifice their own children, others their wives (martyr historical crusades and inquisition prophecy), in praise [and] humility with each other; some sleep with men; some are involved in [slaughter]; some commit a multitude of sins and deeds of lawlessness. And the men who stand [before] the altar invoke your [name



if this was the state of the church in the 3rd and 4th centuries things got a lot worest in the dark ages 



"Temple/house" may signify the literal temple at Jerusalem (Mat 23:16), this may indicate that at the time of writing the Gospel of Judas the Temple was still very much in use. 


It was upon the necessity of continuing worship at this Temple that the first-century Judaizing element in the -- ecclesias made its stand. 

The word Temple/house may also signify the spiritual "temple" of believers -- the ecclesia itself (1Co 3:16,17; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:21). The first-century apostasy, opposed strenuously by Paul, had set itself up as an integral part of the ecclesias.


In like fashion, the Roman Catholic apostasy, which had its beginnings in the church, came at last to enthrone itself in the most "beautiful" and "glorious" and elaborate of all "temples" ever built -- St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

The Pope takes his seat in the "Temple of God" (a false claim, of course) when, gorgeously arrayed, he is carried on the shoulders of his cardinals, to the papal chair in St. Peter's. It is from this chair only, and in this temple only, that he may make "ex cathedra" infallible pronouncements as to the faith of his millions of followers.

Since he is a hypocrite, a false teacher claiming to be Christian, he “sits down in the temple of The God,” that is, what such false teachers claim to be that temple.—2Th 2:4.

An Impostor. The apostle Paul, in warning of the apostasy to come, spoke of “the man of lawlessness” as setting himself up “so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.” (2Th 2:3, 4) This “man of lawlessness” is an apostate, a false teacher, so he actually seats himself only in what he falsely claims to be that temple.

Among these bazaars of Romish saints, St. Peter's, the temple of the Roman God, holds the first rank, being the largest temple in the world. It is 666 feet long, 284 wide, and its magnificent cupola rises to the height of 408 feet. It was 200 years in building. It is the temple of "the god of the earth", before whom, in belligerent antagonism, the saints and witnesses of Jesus stood; prophesying in sackcloths 1260 years (Dan. 11:39; Rev. 18:2; 11:3). It is the temple in which is worshipped "the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition," styled also "the Lawless One"; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called a god or is reverenced: so that, as a god, he sits in the temple of the god, publicly exhibiting himself that he is a god" (2 Thess. 2:4). Such are the capital and chief temple of the apocalyptic Sodom and Egypt; the Queen City of the Gentiles, and most holy sanctuary of Satan. 

Wednesday, 6 March 2019

What is the Great Image of Daniel Chapter 2

What is the great image of Daniel chapter 2. The great image is the same as Nebuchadnezzar’s golden Image of chapter 3 whose height was sixty cubits and its width was six cubits and 6 musical instruments are used in its worship this adds up to 666 the number of the beast which is a man’s number because man was made on the 6th day

So the great image represents the entire body a collective consciousness or a society It is society as an organism.  It is "a mortal god" - a gigantic human figure composed of a multitude of human figures  a society which is against the will of God  The different materials  represent different stages of human consciousness and development of world history  they are  called ages (Greek aeons) because they rule for a limited time.  The Golden Age is the time of high human consciousness. however every age that follows human society has gone from bad to worst. the Stone that struck the image, becomes a large mountain and fills the whole earth. That is the spiritual kingdom becomes established in the whole consciousness, and the Christ Mind is enthroned in the twelve centers of consciousness, 

The “image” represents the entire body. What are the other metals which make up the image they are kingdoms which for a time, rule over the consciousness.  They are states of consciousness that have established themselves in the human brain that forms a collective consciousness or a society. It is society as an organism.  It is "a mortal god" - a gigantic human figure composed of a multitude of human figures.  The different materials  represent different stages of human consciousness and development of world history  they are  called ages (Greek aeons) because they rule for a limited time.  The Golden Age is the time of high human consciousness. however every age that follows human society has gone from bad to worst. 

the different stages of world history are called ages theses are the lower aeons. The High aeons or ages are those of God the age of the law which lasted for around 2000 years ending in 70AD. Around 29 or 33 AD Jesus started the gospel age which is to be followed be the Kingdom age these ages are sometimes called Heavens the gospel age is itself made up of 12 aeons  1 faith, 2 hope, 3 love, 4 promises, 5 grace, 6 repentance, 7 forgiveness, 8 baptism, 9 anointing,, 10 wisdom, 11 Eucharist 12 logos 


Why do not these various minor kingdoms endure? They do not endure because of the lack of coalition or unification.

How shall all these kingdoms be unified? They shall be unified by the acknowledgement of the good news as stated by Jesus: John 14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.


When this acknowledgement is made by a believer, what is the result? the Stone that struck the image, becomes a large mountain and fills the whole earth. That is the spiritual kingdom becomes established in the whole consciousness, and the Christ Mind through its attributes of 1 light 2 fire 3 love 4 Beloved 5 Grace 6 Truth 7 Wisdom 8 understanding 9 perception 10 perfection 11 peace 12 logos these attributes are the 12 aeons which are enthroned at the twelve centers of consciousness, and there come to pass the words of Jesus : Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration: when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”


So the great image represents the entire body a collective consciousness or a society It is society as an organism.  It is "a mortal god" - a gigantic human figure composed of a multitude of human figures  a society which is against the will of God  The different materials  represent different stages of human consciousness and development of world history  they are  called ages (Greek aeons) because they rule for a limited time.  The Golden Age is the time of high human consciousness. however every age that follows human society has gone from bad to worst. the Stone that struck the image, becomes a large mountain and fills the whole earth. That is the spiritual kingdom becomes established in the whole consciousness, and the Christ Mind is enthroned in the twelve centers of consciousness, 

Friday, 14 September 2018

the Heavenlies in Christ

"God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace" (Eph 2:6,7).

IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS: A present situation -- having access with God (cp Eph 2:4,5,7,18). Our heavenly calling (Heb 3:1), by a heavenly Father (Mat 18:35), through a heavenly word (Joh 3:12), presents to us a heavenly status (Eph 2:6), as we await a heavenly image (1Co 15:48,49), to be a heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22), in a heavenly country (Heb 11:16), within a heavenly kingdom (2Ti 4:18). All this constitutes Christ's brethren as a heavenly people of God!

the Heavenlies in Christ are not luoghi, heux, or places, but STATES

There are 2 types of Heavenlies when he speaks of the heavenlies in which "the spirituals of wickedness" are found he omits the phrase "in Christ Hence, the two kinds of supernal states are characterized by being "in Christ" or not in Christ; which is equivalent to being out of Christ - outside,

Paul tells the saints in Ephesus, that he with them were "blessed with all spiritual blessings" in these heavenlies; in which they and Christ, though the latter is at the Right Hand of the Divine Majesty, and they in Ephesus and elsewhere, were regarded as sitting together (Eph. 1:20; 2:6). A heavenly is a constituted supernal state. It may be Divinely constituted, or constituted by human authority. We have these two kinds of heaven-ies in Paul's letter to the saints in Ephesus. In ch. 6:12, he alludes to the heavenlies constituted by human authority.

The heavenlies in Christ are 3 states answering to the 3 places of the tabernacle of Moses, the  outer court, holy place and the most holy place these 3 places in the tabernacle correspond to the 3 spiritual realm of Olam/Aeon

These apocalyptic temple states answer to the Altar-Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy within the Vail of the Mosaic Building. The apocalyptic Altar-Court and the Holy Place are what Paul styles in Eph. i. 3, "the Heavenlies in Christ." They are constituted of "the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus," who are partakers with the Altar, and worshippers therein (1 Cor. ix. 13; x. 18; Heb. xiii. 10; Apoc. xi. 1).

yet the saints, not sinners, who are quickened with him, and raised with him, sit together in both with him, and He with them. Now the solution of this mystery turns wholly upon the meaning of the phrase "in him."

 in Deity the Father, and the Lord Jesus Anointed. The saints are all in this manifestation of Deity. Being in Jesus and the Father, they must be, in a certain sense, where Jesus and the Father are. Alluding to this fact, Paul says in Heb. 12:23, "22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.",

But Paul says that Jesus is at the Father's own Right Hand. True; but he also says, that "being justified by faith, we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." In other words, we have admission to the Father in heaven by faith; and when a person is permitted access to a place, and avails himself of the permission, he is in some sense certainly there; and when there in this certain sense, he is "dwelling in the heaven" in the presence of "the Judge of all."

 entrance into the tabernacle gate is by faith For it is the domain of faith,

How, then, does a sinner come to "dwell in the heaven?" By being "transformed in the renewing of his mind" "by knowledge" (Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10); that he may discern and do "that good and acceptable and Perfect will of the Deity." In other words, by believing the gospel of the Kingdom and Name; and being immersed into and upon that Name. In so doing, he enters into the Holy Heavenly State. By faith in "the truth as it is in Jesus," and obedience, he puts on Christ, and is therefore, "in Him;" and being in him, he is constitutionally holy or a saint; and sitting together with him in the Most Holy, not personally, or corporeally rather; but by faith. This is his present adoption through Jesus Christ, by which he becomes a son of Deity, of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, and a brother of Christ himself (Gal. 3:26-29); and a "dweller in the heaven.

An Ecclesia of Christ is, apocalyptically speaking, "the Altar and them that worship therein." They who constitute it have all been "cleansed in the Laver of the Water with doctrine;" and in passing through the water have passed into the Christ-Altar, and become one with it. When they die, they lie under the Altar, or "sleep in Jesus;" when they are slain for the word of the Deity and for their testimony, they are blood-souls under the Altar, crying for vengeance. But while they are living in the present state of tribulation and patience waiting for Christ, they are Altar-worshippers "having access by faith into" the heavenlies where Christ sits at the right hand of Power (Eph. i. 20; Rom. v.

It is synonymous with "the Name," and "them dwelling in the heaven;" for all the constituents of the tabernacle are constituents of the Name, having been all immersed into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and they "dwell in the heaven," in the sense that "the Deity hath made them to sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus" (Eph. ii. 6).


But Christ and the Saints are not only the Name and Tabernacle of the Deity, but they are also, "those who dwell in the heaven."

Paul wrote, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is aeonian (2 Cor 4: 18). The word aeonian describes those things human eyes have not seen, and ears have not heard, because they belong to the unseen realm of the kingdom of God.

They will receive you into aeonian dwellings (Luke 16: 9  And I to you say: Make you to yourselves friends out of the mammon of the unjust; that, when you may fail, they may receive you into the age-lasting tabernacles.). We have a building from God, an aeonian house in heaven, not built by human hands (2 Cor 5: 1 ¶  For we know that if our earthly tabernacle house be destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.). I am going to prepare a place for you, so that you also may be where I am (John 14: 3).

The natural mind thinks about living in a physical house made of brick or stone. Solomon even built a physical house of stone where God could live. Jesus did not go to prepare a mansion in the sky for his followers to enjoy after they died. Rather he prepared an invisible, spiritual place for them and us to inhabit immediately here and now.

This was and is life on a totally new and higher plane. Physical life is visible and temporary and destructible. Spiritual life is unseen and permanent and indestructible. All this is implied in the word aeonian.

Whoever believes in the Son has aeonian life (John 3: 36) In this and many other verses, we find not the future tense, but the present. Not will have aeonian life, but has aeonian life. Aeonian life is not an infinitely prolonged extension of this life after we die. It is a new, spiritual life which we receive from Jesus when we receive him.





















 "The Man Christ Jesus" is a real man. When on earth he was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and sinless," as to character; yet imperfect as to his material nature. He is now perfect - a perfect man "justified by spirit," and therefore incorruptible and immortal - a perfect character or moral nature, developed by Divine power, or spirit, into a perfect material nature. But Christ is also an allegorical man, as Hagar and Sarah were two allegorical women; the former representing the Mosaic Covenant; the latter, the New, or Abrahamic, Covenant. From the days of Moses until the Day of Pentecost, A.D. 34, the whole twelve tribes were constitutionally in their mother Hagar, or the Jerusalem system then in existence, and in bondage with her children. But on that celebrated day a new system was initiatorily developed, the Sarah Covenant, styled "the Jerusalem above the Mother of us all." Isaac was Sarah's son, and allegorically slain, and allegorically raised. The saints are all in Isaac; for "in Isaac shall thy seed be called." This seed is Christ; not Jesus only; but that great multitude also which no man can number. This "One Body" of people headed up in Deity is the allegorical or figurative Christ. They are the children of the promise as Isaac was; the free-born sons of Sarah the free woman. This is their state, without regard to the place or country of earth or heaven, where they might be supposed to be. But, if there had been no literal or personal Christ, there could have been no such Christ-State for Jews and Gentiles. Jesus of Nazareth was allegorically "a number which no man could number." He himself taught this, saying, "he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:" and, "Father, I pray for them who shall believe into me (eis eme) through the apostles' word: that they all may be one in us" (John 10:5; 17:20,21). Though few compared with the whole race of man, it is a great company absolutely - a people taken out from all the generations and the nations for the Divine Name. "He shall increase," said John the Immerser; "but I must decrease." Jesus increased, or grew, into a Divine and "chosen generation;" while John has dwindled down into a mere Baptist Denomination, which is either ignorant of, or opposed to "the truth as it is in Jesus."



Now the two places of the Mosaic tabernacle were the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, which were divided the one from the other by the Vail. Even so it is with "the holies", the true tabernacle which the Lord pitches, and not man (Heb. 8:2). There are the Holy Heavenly State and the Most Holy Heavenly State, divided by the Flesh. The Holy must be entered before the Most Holy can be reached; and to pass corporeally from one into the other, the individual must put on incorruptibility and become immortal; for, so long as he is in mortal flesh he is outside, or rather, an element of the Vail which must be rent; though by faith and constitution in Christ, he is within it.

How, then, does a sinner come to "dwell in the heaven?" By being "transformed in the renewing of his mind" "by knowledge" (Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10); that he may discern and do "that good and acceptable and Perfect will of the Deity." In other words, by believing the gospel of the Kingdom and Name; and being immersed into and upon that Name. In so doing, he enters into the Holy Heavenly State. By faith in "the truth as it is in Jesus," and obedience, he puts on Christ, and is therefore, "in Him;" and being in him, he is constitutionally holy or a saint; and sitting together with him in the Most Holy, not personally, or corporeally rather; but by faith. This is his present adoption through Jesus Christ, by which he becomes a son of Deity, of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, and a brother of Christ himself (Gal. 3:26-29); and a "dweller in the heaven."

But there are heavenlies beyond the pale of the Christ-Body. These are Supernal States in which Paul locates principalities, powers, world-rulers of the darkness of the times of the Gentiles, which he styles "this aeon," and the spirituals of the wickedness enthroned throughout the earth. These heavenlies are constituted providentially or instrumentally by human authority and power after "the course of this world;" and are the tabernacle of "the Prince of the power of the Air, the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). This Prince-power and Spirit of the Air is Sin's Flesh; whose spirit pervades all sublunary human constitutions, styled "thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers,'' which Paul specifies as ''things in the heaven" or "the Air'' (Col. 1:16). In such an unclean heaven as this, are found the Ten-Horned, and Two-Horned, Beasts, the Name of Blasphemy, the Lion-Mouth, and the Image of the Beast, or False Prophet, the God of the Earth - all things of power, in short, emanating from falsehood and superstition. The dwellers in this Air, or Heaven, are not the Saints. In their days of Apocalyptic prophecy the two witnessing prophets had power to shut this heaven that there should be no rain from it; and as often as they willed during 1260 years, to turn the popular waters into blood, and to smite the earth with all war-plagues (ch. 11:6). The dwellers in this Aerial are the civil and ecclesiastical orders of society; such as, emperors, kings, diplomatists, nobles spiritual and racial, legislators, magistrates, priests, clergymen, parsons, and all of that class, styled by the apostle "spirituals of the wickedness" which reigns in "the Court of the Gentiles without the temple." Between this heaven and "the Heavenlies in Christ" there is implacable and uncompromising hostility. No peace can be permanently established in the earth till one or other of these heavens be suppressed or subjugated: and who can doubt which of these heavens shall be shaken, be rolled up as a scroll, and be made to pass away with the great tumult of war? The heavenlies, or high places, of this world are decreed to Yahweh and his Anointed Body; who, by the thunders and lightnings issuing from the throne newly set in the heaven, shall take the dominion under the whole heaven, and possess it during the Olahm and beyond (ch. 11:15; 4:1-5; Dan. 7:18,22,27). This is the fiat of Eternal Wisdom and Power. The Seventh Vial, the last blast of the Seventh Trumpet, is to pour out its fury upon the Air, the secular and spiritual constitution of which will thereby be thoroughly and radically changed. The things now in the Air will be transferred to "them who dwell in the heaven" in Christ; who, having passed through the Vail of the Flesh which divides the Heavenlies, in the putting on of immortality, will be manifested as the Most Holy Heavenly in Christ; and the Air, filled with their glory, will become the New Heavens, in which righteousness will dwell forever. The Air will then no longer be malarious with the pestiferousness of secular and spiritual demagogues, who "with good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." The Prince of the Power of the Air will then be the Spirit that works in the children of obedience - the truth incarnated gloriously in Jesus and his Brethren; who, in the highest sense, will be those who dwell in the heaven.

These apocalyptic temple states answer to the Altar-Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy within the Vail of the Mosaic Building. The apocalyptic Altar-Court and the Holy Place are what Paul styles in Eph. i. 3, "the Heavenlies in Christ." They are constituted of "the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus," who are partakers with the Altar, and worshippers therein (1 Cor. ix. 13; x. 18; Heb. xiii. 10; Apoc. xi. 1). An Ecclesia of Christ is, apocalyptically speaking, "the Altar and them that worship therein." They who constitute it have all been "cleansed in the Laver of the Water with doctrine;" and in passing through the water have passed into the Christ-Altar, and become one with it. When they die, they lie under the Altar, or "sleep in Jesus;" when they are slain for the word of the Deity and for their testimony, they are blood-souls under the Altar, crying for vengeance. But while they are living in the present state of tribulation and patience waiting for Christ, they are Altar-worshippers "having access by faith into" the heavenlies where Christ sits at the right hand of Power (Eph. i. 20; Rom. v. 2).

). 



I

But the Heavenlies in Christ are not luoghi, heux, or places, but STATES, the foundation of which is laid in Jesus Christ - Deity manifested in the Flesh. "The Man Christ Jesus" is a real man. When on earth he was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and sinless," as to character; yet imperfect as to his material nature. He is now perfect - a perfect man "justified by spirit," and therefore incorruptible and immortal - a perfect character or moral nature, developed by Divine power, or spirit, into a perfect material nature. But Christ is also an allegorical man, as Hagar and Sarah were two allegorical women; the former representing the Mosaic Covenant; the latter, the New, or Abrahamic, Covenant. From the days of Moses until the Day of Pentecost, A.D. 34, the whole twelve tribes were constitutionally in their mother Hagar, or the Jerusalem system then in existence, and in bondage with her children. But on that celebrated day a new system was initiatorily developed, the Sarah Covenant, styled "the Jerusalem above the Mother of us all." Isaac was Sarah's son, and allegorically slain, and allegorically raised. The saints are all in Isaac; for "in Isaac shall thy seed be called." This seed is Christ; not Jesus only; but that great multitude also which no man can number. This "One Body" of people headed up in Deity is the allegorical or figurative Christ. They are the children of the promise as Isaac was; the free-born sons of Sarah the free woman. This is their state, without regard to the place or country of earth or heaven, where they might be supposed to be. But, if there had been no literal or personal Christ, there could have been no such Christ-State for Jews and Gentiles. Jesus of Nazareth was allegorically "a number which no man could number." He himself taught this, saying, "he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:" and, "Father, I pray for them who shall believe into me (eis eme) through the apostles' word: that they all may be one in us" (John 10:5; 17:20,21). Though few compared with the whole race of man, it is a great company absolutely - a people taken out from all the generations and the nations for the Divine Name. "He shall increase," said John the Immerser; "but I must decrease." Jesus increased, or grew, into a Divine and "chosen generation;" while John has dwindled down into a mere Baptist Denomination, which is either ignorant of, or opposed to "the truth as it is in Jesus."

The heavenlies in Christ are two states answering to the two places of the tabernacle of Moses. One of these states is not yet manifested on earth; the other is. Hence, one may be said to be visible, and the other invisible; yet the saints, not sinners, who are quickened with him, and raised with him, sit together in both with him, and He with them. Now the solution of this mystery turns wholly upon the meaning of the phrase "in him." What is it then, to be in him? It is to be where Paul places the saints in Thessalonica, namely, en Theo patri, kai Kuno Iesou Christo, in Deity the Father, and the Lord Jesus Anointed. The saints are all in this manifestation of Deity. Being in Jesus and the Father, they must be, in a certain sense, where Jesus and the Father are. Alluding to this fact, Paul says in Heb. 12:23, "We are come to the Deity the Judge of all, and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant", and so forth. But Paul says that Jesus is at the Father's own Right Hand. True; but he also says, that "being justified by faith, we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." In other words, we have admission to the Father in heaven by faith; and when a person is permitted access to a place, and avails himself of the permission, he is in some sense certainly there; and when there in this certain sense, he is "dwelling in the heaven" in the presence of "the Judge of all."

Now the two places of the Mosaic tabernacle were the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, which were divided the one from the other by the Vail. Even so it is with "the holies", the true tabernacle which the Lord pitches, and not man (Heb. 8:2). There are the Holy Heavenly State and the Most Holy Heavenly State, divided by the Flesh. The Holy must be entered before the Most Holy can be reached; and to pass corporeally from one into the other, the individual must put on incorruptibility and become immortal; for, so long as he is in mortal flesh he is outside, or rather, an element of the Vail which must be rent; though by faith and constitution in Christ, he is within it.

How, then, does a sinner come to "dwell in the heaven?" By being "transformed in the renewing of his mind" "by knowledge" (Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10); that he may discern and do "that good and acceptable and Perfect will of the Deity." In other words, by believing the gospel of the Kingdom and Name; and being immersed into and upon that Name. In so doing, he enters into the Holy Heavenly State. By faith in "the truth as it is in Jesus," and obedience, he puts on Christ, and is therefore, "in Him;" and being in him, he is constitutionally holy or a saint; and sitting together with him in the Most Holy, not personally, or corporeally rather; but by faith. This is his present adoption through Jesus Christ, by which he becomes a son of Deity, of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, and a brother of Christ himself (Gal. 3:26-29); and a "dweller in the heaven."

But there are heavenlies beyond the pale of the Christ-Body. These are Supernal States in which Paul locates principalities, powers, world-rulers of the darkness of the times of the Gentiles, which he styles "this aeon," and the spirituals of the wickedness enthroned throughout the earth. These heavenlies are constituted providentially or instrumentally by human authority and power after "the course of this world;" and are the tabernacle of "the Prince of the power of the Air, the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). This Prince-power and Spirit of the Air is Sin's Flesh; whose spirit pervades all sublunary human constitutions, styled "thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers,'' which Paul specifies as ''things in the heaven" or "the Air'' (Col. 1:16). In such an unclean heaven as this, are found the Ten-Horned, and Two-Horned, Beasts, the Name of Blasphemy, the Lion-Mouth, and the Image of the Beast, or False Prophet, the God of the Earth - all things of power, in short, emanating from falsehood and superstition. The dwellers in this Air, or Heaven, are not the Saints. In their days of Apocalyptic prophecy the two witnessing prophets had power to shut this heaven that there should be no rain from it; and as often as they willed during 1260 years, to turn the popular waters into blood, and to smite the earth with all war-plagues (ch. 11:6). The dwellers in this Aerial are the civil and ecclesiastical orders of society; such as, emperors, kings, diplomatists, nobles spiritual and racial, legislators, magistrates, priests, clergymen, parsons, and all of that class, styled by the apostle "spirituals of the wickedness" which reigns in "the Court of the Gentiles without the temple." Between this heaven and "the Heavenlies in Christ" there is implacable and uncompromising hostility. No peace can be permanently established in the earth till one or other of these heavens be suppressed or subjugated: and who can doubt which of these heavens shall be shaken, be rolled up as a scroll, and be made to pass away with the great tumult of war? The heavenlies, or high places, of this world are decreed to Yahweh and his Anointed Body; who, by the thunders and lightnings issuing from the throne newly set in the heaven, shall take the dominion under the whole heaven, and possess it during the Olahm and beyond (ch. 11:15; 4:1-5; Dan. 7:18,22,27). This is the fiat of Eternal Wisdom and Power. The Seventh Vial, the last blast of the Seventh Trumpet, is to pour out its fury upon the Air, the secular and spiritual constitution of which will thereby be thoroughly and radically changed. The things now in the Air will be transferred to "them who dwell in the heaven" in Christ; who, having passed through the Vail of the Flesh which divides the Heavenlies, in the putting on of immortality, will be manifested as the Most Holy Heavenly in Christ; and the Air, filled with their glory, will become the New Heavens, in which righteousness will dwell forever. The Air will then no longer be malarious with the pestiferousness of secular and spiritual demagogues, who "with good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." The Prince of the Power of the Air will then be the Spirit that works in the children of obedience - the truth incarnated gloriously in Jesus and his Brethren; who, in the highest sense, will be those who dwell in the heaven.

It was against the Saints, who, in the times of the Gentiles, constitute the Name, the Tabernacle, and them who dwelt in the Heaven in Christ, that the Ten-Horned Beast opens his Leo-Babylonian Mouth in blasphemy; and makes war, till the end of the Forty and Two Months of Years. In blaspheming Jesus and his Brethren, he blasphemes the Deity, on the principle laid down by Christ, that what is done to, for, or against, his brethren, is done to, for, or against him. The Lion-Mouth of the Apocalyptic Babylon spoke evil of them in words of the most acrid bitterness. He denounced them as heretics, accursed, the children of the Devil, the spawn of hell - not a blasphemous epithet was there that the pope and his agents did not heap upon them. The prophetic writings, though set aside for the purposes of truth and edification, were resorted to for names of infamy by which to make them odious to those who worship the beast and his image; and the evil symbols and appellations therein employed by the Spirit to prefigure the Apostasy and its "spirituals of the wickedness," this Mouth of Blasphemy applied to the Saints. In this it blasphemed the Deity himself. This principle is well illustrated in Ezek. 35, where a statement made by Edom concerning Israel and their country is styled blasphemy against the mountains of Israel, because it was false. Edom said, as he also says to this day, "these two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it, though Yahweh were there." Now, He had promised the land to Jacob, and to him he will give it for an everlasting inheritance. Hence, every saying subversive of this purpose is blasphemy against the country, and blasphemy and boasting against the Eternal Spirit: for, if Edom's purpose of possession could possibly be established, the Deity's veracity would be destroyed, and his character for faithfulness overthrown. "Thus," in making false statements concerning the destiny of Israel, Judah, and their country, O Edom, saith Yahweh, "with your mouth ye have boasted against Me, and have multiplied your words against Me; I have heard: so that when the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate." By Edom is here represented what John symbolizes by the Beast and his Image, etc. Hence, to blaspheme or speak evil and injuriously of God's people, and promises, is regarded by Him as blasphemy against Himself.


The Nave, or Most Holy Place, of the Mosaic Tabernacle, which was "the figure of the true," "which the Lord pitches, and not man" (Heb. 9:24; 8:2), was the enclosure containing the Ark of the Testimony, the Cherubim, and the smoking and flaming Glory of the Deity. In the true Holies which the Lord pitches, similar arrangements obtain. The tabernacle Moses erected was built of wood, curtains, gold, and so forth; but the building the Lord erects is raised up of living and enlightened beings, created in his own image, and after his own intellectual and moral likeness (1 Cor. 3:9,16; Eph .2:20,22; Heb. 3:2). These are the heavenlies in Christ" (Eph. 1:3)). The first is the heavenly, or the holy body, consisting of "the faithful in Christ Jesus," in the times preceding the advent of the Ancient of Days. The second is the most holy heavenly body, constituted of all who shall be accounted worthy to pass through the Vail, into incorruptibility and deathlessness; by being clothed upon with the "fine linen pure and bright;" and girded around the breast with the "golden girdle". Thus, we have the ONE BOD in two states - as it is before the Ancient of Days comes; and as it will be after that appearing.







Paul wrote, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is aeonian (2 Cor 4: 18). The word aeonian describes those things human eyes have not seen, and ears have not heard, because they belong to the unseen realm of the kingdom of God.

They will receive you into aeonian dwellings (Luke 16: 9  And I to you say: Make you to yourselves friends out of the mammon of the unjust; that, when you may fail, they may receive you into the age-lasting tabernacles.). We have a building from God, an aeonian house in heaven, not built by human hands (2 Cor 5: 1 ¶  For we know that if our earthly tabernacle house be destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.). I am going to prepare a place for you, so that you also may be where I am (John 14: 3).

The natural mind thinks about living in a physical house made of brick or stone. Solomon even built a physical house of stone where God could live. Jesus did not go to prepare a mansion in the sky for his followers to enjoy after they died. Rather he prepared an invisible, spiritual place for them and us to inhabit immediately here and now.

This was and is life on a totally new and higher plane. Physical life is visible and temporary and destructible. Spiritual life is unseen and permanent and indestructible. All this is implied in the word aeonian.

Whoever believes in the Son has auonian life (John 3: 36) In this and many other verses, we find not the future tense, but the present. Not will have aeonian life, but has aeonian life. Aeonian life is not an infinitely prolonged extension of this life after we die. It is a new, spiritual life which we receive from Jesus when we receive him.


The dwellings, tabernacles, and mansions are built upon a foundation. The foundation of which is laid in Jesus Christ - Deity manifested in the Flesh. "The Man Christ Jesus" is a real man. When on earth he was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and sinless," as to character; yet imperfect as to his material nature. He is now perfect - a perfect man "justified by spirit," and therefore incorruptible and immortal - a perfect character or moral nature, developed by Divine power, or spirit, into a perfect material nature. But Christ is also an allegorical man, as Hagar and Sarah were two allegorical women; the former representing the Mosaic Covenant; the latter, the New, or Abrahamic, Covenant. From the days of Moses until the Day of Pentecost, A.D. 34, the whole twelve tribes were constitutionally in their mother Hagar, or the Jerusalem system then in existence, and in bondage with her children. But on that celebrated day a new system was initiatorily developed, the Sarah Covenant, styled "the Jerusalem above the Mother of us all." Isaac was Sarah's son, and allegorically slain, and allegorically raised. The saints are all in Isaac; for "in Isaac shall thy seed be called." This seed is Christ; not Jesus only; but that great multitude also which no man can number. This "One Body" of people headed up in Deity is the allegorical or figurative Christ.

But, if there had been no literal or personal Christ, there could have been no such Christ-State for Jews and Gentiles. Jesus of Nazareth was allegorically "a number which no man could number." He himself taught this, saying, "he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:" and, "Father, I pray for them who shall believe into me (eis eme) through the apostles' word: that they all may be one in us" (John 10:5; 17:20,21).

Sunday, 26 August 2018

The Heavenly Places in Christ

Ap James 15.13-23. And when we had passed beyond that place, we sent our mind(s) farther upwards and saw with our eyes and heard with our ears hymns and angelic benedictions and angelic rejoicing. And heavenly majesties were singing praise, and we too rejoiced.

In this text, the disciples mentally ascend to heaven, where they join the heavenly worship.

Disc. 8-9, 56.22—57.9. Lord, grant us a wisdom from your power that reaches us, so that we may describe to ourselves the vision off the eighth and the ninth. We have already advanced to the seventh, since we are pious and walk in your law. . . . Lord, grant us the truth in the image. Allow us through the spirit to see the form of the image that has no deficiency, and receive the reflection of the pleroma from us through our praise.

Here, the speakers pray for the ability to ascend to the eighth and ninth heavens so that they may have the heavenly vision of God



How can persons in “heavenly places” still be on earth?

When in His teaching Jesus likened the "kingdom of the heavens" (see Emphatic Diaglott) to various conditions in the earth, He was explaining, in terms that the outer man could grasp, the various laws and relations of the spiritual realm, or the "kingdom of the heavens."

The kingdom of heaven is the orderly adjustment of divine ideas in man's mind and body.

Jesus definitely located the kingdom of God (heaven) when He said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here ! or, There ! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20, 21).

In order to find this kingdom, man must become conscious of Divine Mind and its realm of divine ideas, and be willing to adjust his thoughts to the divine standard

"God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace" (Eph 2:6,7).

The apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians speaks of Christians then living on earth as though they were in heaven, being raised up and “seated . . . together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 1:3; 2:6) The context shows that true believers are so viewed by God because of his having ‘assigned them an inheritance’ with his Son in the restored Kingdom on earth.

They have been exalted, or ‘lifted up,’ by faith into the heavenly places. (Eph 1:11, 18-20; 2:4-7, 22) With this in mind it helps us to understand the figurative visions in the book of Revelation 11:12.

Likewise it provides a key for understanding the symbolic vision in Daniel 8:9-12, where the goat which has previously been shown to signify a political power is spoken of as “getting greater all the way to the army of the heavens,” and even causing some of that army and of the stars to fall to the earth.

Note, too, the symbolic use of stars in the book of Revelation, chapters 1 through 3, where the context shows that such “stars” refer to persons who are obviously living on earth and undergoing earthly experiences and temptations, these “stars” being responsible for churches under their care.—Reve 1:20; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14.

IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS: A present situation -- having access with God (cp Eph 2:4,5,7,18). Our heavenly calling (Heb 3:1), from the heavenly Father (Mat 18:35), through a heavenly word (John 3:12), presents to us a heavenly status (Eph 2:6), as we await a heavenly image (1Co 15:48,49), to be a heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22), in a heavenly country (Heb 11:16), within a heavenly kingdom (2Tim 4:18). All this constitutes Christ's brethren as a heavenly people of God! they are the congregation of the chosen ones

the Heavenlies in Christ are not luoghi, heux, or places, but STATES. the Christ consciousness bestows states of joy, peace, and happiness to those who enter into it. All these are heavenly “places” or conditions of mind and soul.

There are 2 types of Heavenlies when he speaks of the heavenlies in which "the spirituals of wickedness" are found he omits the phrase "in Christ Hence, the two kinds of consciousness states are characterized by being "in Christ" or not in Christ; which is equivalent to being out of Christ - outside,

Paul tells the saints in Ephesus, that he with them were "blessed with all spiritual blessings" in these heavenlies; in which they and Christ, though the latter is at the Right Hand of the Divine Majesty, and they in Ephesus and elsewhere, were regarded as sitting together (Eph. 1:20; 2:6). A heavenly is a constituted consciousness state. It may be Divinely constituted, or constituted by human authority. We have these two kinds of heaven-ies in Paul's letter to the saints in Ephesus. In ch. 6:12, he alludes to the heavenlies constituted by human authority.

The heavenlies in Christ are 3 states answering to the 3 places of the tabernacle of Moses, the  outer court, holy place and the most holy place these 3 places in the tabernacle correspond to the 3 spiritual realm of Olam/Aeon

These apocalyptic temple states answer to the Altar-Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy within the Vail of the Mosaic Building. The apocalyptic Altar-Court and the Holy Place are what Paul styles in Eph. i. 3, "the Heavenlies in Christ." They are constituted of "the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus," who are partakers with the Altar, and worshippers therein (1 Cor. ix. 13; x. 18; Heb. xiii. 10; Apoc. xi. 1).


 Being in Jesus and the Father, they must be, in a certain sense, where Jesus and the Father are. Alluding to this fact, Paul says in Heb. 12:23, "22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.",


But Paul says that Jesus is at the Father's own Right Hand. True; but he also says, that "being justified by faith, we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." In other words, we have admission to the Father in heaven by faith; and when a person is permitted access to a place, and avails himself of the permission, he is in some sense certainly there; and when there in this certain sense, he is "dwelling in the heaven" in the presence of "the Judge of all."

 entrance into the tabernacle gate is by faith For it is the domain of faith,


How, then, does a sinner come to "dwell in the heavens"? By being "transformed in the renewing of his mind" "by knowledge" (Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10); that he may discern and do "that good and acceptable and Perfect will of the Deity." In other words, by believing the gospel of the Kingdom and Name; and being immersed into and upon that Name. In so doing, he enters into the Holy Heavenly State.

By faith in "the truth as it is in Jesus," and obedience, he puts on Christ, and is therefore, "in Him;" and being in him, he is constituted holy or a saint; and sitting together with him in the Most Holy, not personally, or corporeally rather; but by faith. This is his present adoption through Jesus Christ, by which he becomes a son of Deity, of Abraham, and a brother of Christ himself (Gal. 3:26-29); and a "dweller in the heavens."

Our spiritual man is not limited by the bonds of space. Thus Paul was bodily absent from Corinth, " but present in spirit" (1 Cor. 5:3), i.e. his spiritual man was present with them. It was the same with Colosse: " I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit" (Col. 2:5). When our spiritual man groans, Christ groans too in Heaven, an infinite distance away (Rom. 8:23 cp. 26). There is no time barrier, either. Thus our spiritual man is in close fellowship with " the spirits of just men made perfect" , having died many years ago (Heb. 12:23). This is the glorious unity of the Spirit; we are not just connected with all living saints, wherever they may be, but with the spiritual characters of all true saints throughout history.