Life called Matter

Man was created from organic life called matter.
Soul came into being through Wisdom & mingled with the instinctual spirit of life.
Ego came forth from this mingle.
Animals and little children do not have ego.
From the psyche of the flesh did Ego come forth called he.
And he imagined his mold
idolized and created himself larger than life.

Seeking to live forever -
Was never for him to live forever;
Ego is a catalyst for soul to come out of
Ignorant is the light in this world called darkness
Choose the life everlasting over death fleeting.
Ego is stuck - soul comes to life - everything hidden in this material world comes into the light.

Sin is in the flesh

Sin is in the flesh

Sin is in the flesh, the flesh is as the cloths we wear; the vessel, the shell - kept alive by the spirit, soul cannot keep organic life alive like a sperm cannot produce the egg, sperm must find the egg, going through a tiny bit of darkness and only one enters in. The flesh is sinful in nature, because of soul and is this souls fault? No. Yet soul is captive within the flesh of man. Soul is the higher intelligence of man and when soul mingles with the instinctual spirit of life, ego is manifested from the flesh, and is ego is blame. No. This is where all the gods came from, the imaginations of the ego through the soul who's come from the light. Soul is drawn by ego to image its the spirit having a human experience, this is not so. Soul is the true child of the Father. Its time for soul to awaken within I hope everyone's ready for the Lord wants none to perish.

renounce power Gospel of Thomas Saying 81

Saying 81

(81) Jesus said: He who has become rich, let him become king, and he who has power, let him renounce (it).

This passage seems a little odd and even contradictory. What we would expect Jesus to say is “Let the wealthy give up his money and the powerful to give up his power.” However, assuming this passage is an accurate account of what Jesus said, it is possible that he is saying let those who have acquired great spiritual wealth reign over the earth, and then the powerful will lose their control. I think it is apparent that many of theses passages have little structured sequencing or context, which makes it more difficult to ascertain the true intent of Jesus’ teachings. Our most important guide is finding logical and spiritual harmony in the framework of God’s love and sovereignty. By the way, this is how we should view the world as well. In light of everything else Jesus taught then it makes perfect sense to see that Jesus is saying the meek will inherit the earth. The meek of this world have become spiritually rich because they have stored up great wealth in heaven. 

The wealthy ones are they having knowledge, understanding and wisdom as a crown on their heads a jewelled crown of light, truth-consciousness. One who is wealthy in this way shall become a king in the age to come. But those who are powerful or have power should give it up and become poor to become rich. Just as for kings have life wisdom to you so you should leave the world to them.

81) Jesus said, "Let him who has grown rich [finding true wealth of the higher/inward (spiritual) teachings] be king [find life that he might pass it on to others], and let him who possesses power [over the world as a result] renounce it [in the Kingdom of God, the Kings and Priests are there to serve not be served]."

atonement

atonement

atonement--Reconciliation between God and man through Christ; the uniting of our consciousness with the higher consciousness. Jesus became the way by which all who accept Him may "pass over" to the higher consciousness. We have atonement through Him.

To comprehend the atonement requires a deeper insight into creative processes than the average man and the average woman have attained; not because they lack the ability to understand, but because they have submerged their thinking power in a grosser thought stratum. So only those who study Being from the standpoint of pure mind can come into an understanding of the atonement and the part that Jesus played in opening the way for humanity to enter into the glory that was theirs before the world was formed.

By reading the letter of the Bible and accepting it as authority, men have formed erroneous ideas regarding the atonement. The Spirit of truth alone can reveal the true meaning of Jesus Christ's mission and work. The atonement as it has been understood by Christian people in the past has not taken sin, suffering, and death from the world; therefore it must be that their understanding has fallen short of the Truth. Spiritual understanding of the atonement shows the way to deliverance from sin and consequently from all the effects of sin. In proportion as people understand and have faith in Jesus Christ as their actual Savior from sin, they are set free from appetite, passion, jealousy, prejudice, and all selfishness; wholeness of mind and body is the result. The ultimate of this knowledge and of daily practice in overcoming (even as Jesus Himself overcame) will be a new race that will demonstrate eternal life--the lifting up of the whole man--spirit, soul, and body--into the Christ consciousness of oneness with the Father. By means of the atonement--reconciliation, or atone-ment--that Jesus Christ reestablished between God and man, we can regain our original estate as sons of God, here upon earth. "Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).

atonement can mean at-one-ment 

Knowing oneness with what is, the eternal present. In oneness, actor, act and acted upon is experienced as the same. Perceiver, perceived and perceiving as well

The basic principle of Truth is that the mind of each individual may be consciously unified with Divine Mind through the indwelling Christ. By affirming at-one-ment with God-Mind, we eventually realize that perfect mind which was in Christ Jesus.

Truth, source of--God is a special, personal Father to all His children, and from no other source can they get absolute Truth.

truth, Spirit of--God's thought projecting into our mind ideas that will build spiritual consciousness like that of Jesus. The Spirit of truth watches every detail of our life. When we ask and by affirmation proclaim its presence, it brings new life into both mind and body and moves us to observe spiritual and physical laws that restore health.

Gnostic Teaching On The Serpent

Gnostic Teaching On The Serpent

Serpent: There exist two distinct Gnostic interpretations concerning the serpent in the Genesis narrative. The Ophites and the Naasenes, both sects within Gnosticism, held the serpent in reverence. Conversely, when we examine the Nag Hammadi Scriptures, we encounter a Gnostic interpretation that aligns more closely with the traditional biblical understanding.

Note 

The names Ophites and Naassenes, both derived from words for serpent or snake, are used to refer to Gnostic sects. 

The Naassenes sect whose name derives from nahash, Hebrew for "serpent."
The Ophites are Gnostics given a similar name, from ophis, Greek for "serpent." 

The Book of Baruch by the Gnostic Justin 

Justin or Justinus was an early Gnostic Christian from the 2nd century AD He is counted among the earliest Gnostic schools, among Simon Magus, Menander, Saturninus and Dositheus

According to Justin, there were three primordial, eternal entities. Reigning supreme was the male Good One, owner of foreknowledge (identified with the Monad and the creator of the universe, as well as the Greek Priapus), under which there were the male Elohim (the Jewish god and Demiurge or creator of the world) and the female Edem (identified with Gaia and described as a "half virgin, half viper" being similar to Echidna).

As the drama unfolds and Edem brings out her angels, including the serpent Naas (from nahash, Hebrew for "serpent"), to fight against what is left of Elohim's spirit on earth, Baruch, a top angel of the Good, sends a series of liberators—Moses, Herakles, prophets, and finally Jesus—to ensure redemption and return

Baruch (Hebrew for "blessed") is the good tree of life and the chief paternal angel, and Naas (from nahash, Hebrew for "serpent") is the evil tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the chief maternal angel.

Note that Naas is both the tree of knowledge and (since his name derives from the Hebrew nahash, "snake") the serpent of seduction to eat from the tree.

Eden is many: garden, earth, Israel, a symbol of Eve, and them earth mother.

Naas Maternal angel of Edem, identified with the evil tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, in the Book of Baruch. The term derives from nahash, Hebrew for "serpent" (as with Naassenes).

The Apocryphon of John

And to I said to the savior, "Lord, was it not the serpent that taught Adam to eat?" The savior

smiled and said, "The serpent taught them to eat from wickedness of begetting, lust, (and)

destruction, that he (Adam) might be useful to him. And he (Adam) knew that he was disobedient to him (the chief archon) due to light of the Epinoia which is in him, which made him more correct in his thinking than the chief archon. And (the latter) wanted to bring about the power which he himself had given him. And he brought a forgetfulness over Adam."  (The Apocryphon of John, Translated by Frederik Wisse)

The Apocryphon of John dismisses any (even vaguely) favourable connotation to the serpent, it brings about the consequences of eating from the tree, as set out in Genesis 3:16. According to Moses, childbearing and sexual desire are in accordance with God’s orders, but here these things are forced upon people (represented by Adam) by Yaldabaoth (represented by the serpent).

Valentinians

The Valentinans understanding of the Serpent comes from the book of Genesis  

The first human being is a mixed formation, and a mixed creation, and a deposit of those of the left and those of the right, and a spiritual word whose attention is divided between each of the two substances from which he takes his being. Therefore, it is said that a paradise was planted for him, so that he might eat of the food of three kinds of tree, since it is a garden of the threefold order, and since it is that which gives enjoyment.
The noble elect substance which is in him was more exalted. It created and it did not wound them. Therefore they issued a command, making a threat and bringing upon him a great danger, which is death. Only the enjoyment of the things which are evil did he allow him to taste, and from the other tree with the double (fruit) he did not allow him to eat, much less from the tree of life, so that they would not acquire honor [...] them, and so that they would not be [...] by the evil power which is called "the serpent." And he is more cunning than all the evil powers. He led man astray through the determination of those things which belong to the thought and the desires. <He> made him transgress the command, so that he would die. And he was expelled from every enjoyment of that place.

In the text from the Tripartite Tractate we have two different groups the first human, the other group the evil powers, the serpent is one of the evil powers "by the evil power which is called "the serpent." And he is more cunning than all the evil powers."

Here in the Tripartite Tractate the Serpent is given the standard biblical interpretation it actually led Adam and Eve to sin, introducing death’s control over humankind

In the Tripartite Tractate the serpent is the agent of the carnal powers, material passions, which through their seduction of man force him to suffer the conditions of their own, corporeal existence

The hyllc ruler represents the power which keeps the chaotic activities of the hylic powers in check: cf. 97:36-98:5, 99:9-11.15-16.

Note that this figure, the chief of the hylic powers, is not regarded as essentially a chaotic and evil power; on the contrary his function is positive, since he is a tool employed by the superior powers to give shape to the realm of matter

The Serpent is Symbolic 

The Serpent symbolic of Sin

.

The serpent in the garden should be understood symbolically this can be seen from the works of Philo of Alexandria:

And these statements appear to me to be dictated by a philosophy which is symbolical rather than strictly accurate. For no trees of life or of knowledge have ever at any previous time appeared upon the earth, nor is it likely that any will appear hereafter. (Philo of Alexandria On the Creation of the world)

that the aforesaid serpent is the symbol of pleasure, because in the first place he is destitute of feet, and crawls on his belly with his face downwards. In the second place, because he uses lumps of clay for food. Thirdly, because he bears poison in his teeth, by which it is his nature to kill those who are bitten by him. (Philo of Alexandria On the Creation of the world)

serpent--Sense consciousness or the desire of carnal mind for pleasure. He seeks satisfaction through the appetite. By listening to the serpent of sense, man falls to his lowest estate.

The testimony of Truth

It is written in the Law concerning this, when God gave a command to Adam, "From every tree you may eat, but from the tree which is in the midst of Paradise do not eat, for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die." But the serpent was wiser than all the animals that were in Paradise, and he persuaded Eve, saying, "On the day when you eat from the tree which is in the midst of Paradise, the eyes of your mind will be opened." And Eve obeyed, and she stretched forth her hand; she took from the tree and ate; she also gave to her husband with her. And immediately they knew that they were naked, and they took some fig-leaves (and) put them on as girdles. But God came at the time of evening, walking in the midst of Paradise. When Adam saw him, he hid himself. And he said, "Adam, where are you?" He answered (and) said, "I have come under the fig tree." And at that very moment, God knew that he had eaten from the tree of which he had commanded him, "Do not eat of it." And he said to him, "Who is it who has instructed you?" And Adam answered, "The woman whom you have given me." And the woman said, "It is the serpent who instructed me." And he (God) cursed the serpent, and called him "devil." And he said, "Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing evil and good." Then he said, "Let us cast him out of paradise, lest he take from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever." (The Testimony of Truth)

And in one place, Moses writes, "He made the devil a serpent <for> those whom he has in his generation." Also, in the book which is called "Exodus," it is written thus: "He contended against the magicians, when the place was full of serpents according to their wickedness; and the rod which was in the hand of Moses became a serpent, (and) it swallowed the serpents of the magicians."
Again it is written (Nm 21:9), "He made a serpent of bronze (and) hung it upon a pole ...
... (1 line unrecoverable)

... which [...] for the one who will gaze upon this bronze serpent, none will destroy him, and the one who will believe in this bronze serpent will be saved." For this is Christ; those who believed in him have received life. Those who did not believe will die. (The Testimony of Truth)

The "serpent" of the garden of Eden is sense consciousness. It may also be called desire, and pleasure (sin), or the activity of life in an external expression, apart from the Source of life. When the life is lifted to the realization that it is Spirit, it becomes healing, as illustrated by Moses' lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. Those who had been bitten by the fiery serpents (lustful expressions of life) were healed when they looked upon the serpent that was lifted up by Moses at the command of God. They looked up, or perceived the truth about divine life, and their minds and bodies were cleansed

VERSE8

"And Yahweh said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent" — In appearance, this brazen serpent looked like those on the ground, but it lacked their poisonous venom. In Hebrew, the word "serpent" does not appear in this verse, only the word saraph. Saraph sigifies to consume by burning. The verb is frequently used for complete and utter burning (Exod. 12:10; 29:14; Lev. 4:19,21; 8:32 etc.), particularly in sacrifice when the flesh was consumed by fire. Hence the serpent on the pole represented flesh purified, having gone through the fire, where- as the serpents on the ground represented

the flesh in active sin. Yahweh provided a saraph of copper to heal the deadly infection caused by the venom of the fiery

serpents. The Scriptures say of the Lord: "With his stripes we are healed . . . Yah- weh laid on him the iniquity of us all" vIsa. 53:5-6; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3). Flesh puri- fied will conquer the undiscipled world eventually (Isa. 6:6-7), hence the re- ference to the Seraphim in Scripture (Isa. 6:2; Rev. 4:8).

The brazen serpent typed the sacrifice of the Lord, as he declared:"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15. See also John 12:32,33). Christ came in "the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3), but he conquered its power. The brazen serpent on the pole, therefore, represented flesh crucified. It testified to the Israelites that they had to figuratively crucify the flesh if they would be saved

from the death that was even then working through their members (Gal. 5:24).

"And set it upon a pole" — The word is nes. The same word is sometimes used to describe an ensign designed to call the people together (Isa. 11:12). The serpent on the pole, therefore, represented a public exhibition of sin's flesh silenced, conquered and crucified. Paul explained to the Galatian brethren that "Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you" (Gal. 3:1). His words signify that the crucified Lord Jesus had been publicly exhibited or placarded before humanity for the purpose of saving them from their sins. A similar exhibition was provided at this time of crisis in the wilderness.

"And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten" — Those who felt the serpent's bite were invited to view the brazen serpent. This is the first essential to salvation to this day. A person must recognise his need of Christ, must realise that he is death-doomed and sinful, and so understand the urgency of his case, in order to acceptably approach God for salvation. In the wilderness, those who felt the effect of

the venom working through their bodies realised the urgency of their need and

hastened to seek the salvation offered by Yahweh. The same urgency must be instilled into those who are drawn by the Gospel today.

"When he looked upon it shall live" — Those bitten by the serpents were taught

by God's Word to look upon the brazen serpent. They did not dispute what they should do, because they realised that time was critical, and their opportunity to escape death was limited. Immediate obedience to the instructions was imperative if

they were to live. The same urgency remains today. On the day of Pentecost, Peter spake many words making that

point: "With many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40). In effect, he was repeating Moses' appeal.

However, it must be recognised that

there was no magic in the serpent. The efficacy did not come from it, for it was lifeless and unable to help. The efficacy came from within the onlooker who had to exercise faith in the power of Yahweh to save. In the serpent on the pole they saw represented what was required of them: putting to death the desires and deeds of

the flesh; a typical crucifixion of it as the way to life. It was the flesh that was re- sponsible for the faithless murmuring that

had brought the Israelites to the point of

der.th: and it had to be repudiated. Those "bitten" by the serpent had been made conscious of personal sin, and therfore humbled to seek the help of Yahweh through Moses. They realised that they did not conform to the harmlessness of the serpent on the pole, but manifested venom in their tongues like those on the ground. They had "sharpened their tongues like a serpent: adders' poison was under their lips" and they murmured

against Moses and against God (Psa. 140:3). They had to learn to crucify the flesh, to overcome it whilst seeking the forgiveness of Yahweh.

VERSE 9

"And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole" — The metal would have had to go through the fire in order to be shaped, and in doing so would have been purified (Num. 31:23; 16:38). This pointed forward to the Lord Jesus of whom it is written: "he learned obedience by the things which he suffered" (Heb. 5:8). The "things he suffered" were elements in his purification. In regard to the serpent in the wilderness, it is questioned as to whether the metal was bronze or copper. Both were known to the ancients. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Bronze utensils have been found at Lachish and at Troy, showing that it was in use in ancient times. It is suggested that such bronze was made directly from a copper ore containing tin long before the two metals were artificially mixed. See The Cambridge Bible. The Hebrew word nechosheth signifies "copper" in Job 28:2, where it is described as a metal smelted directly from the ore.

"And it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived." — Rotherham renders this: "As soon as he directed his look unto the serpent of brass . . ." A deliberate seeking of the serpent was required, not an accidental glance at it as the A.V. rendition might suggest. The Heb- rew word "beheld" is nabat and signifies to scan, to look intently at. One can imagine the long, steady look that would be given by those bitten by the serpents, and who felt "the answer of death in themselves". "Look unto Me, and be ye saved", is the appeal of Yahweh (Isa. 45:22); "Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith" (Heb. 12:2). The eyes of those who would be saved must be earnestly centred upon the Lord, must consider him as revealed in the Word, pondering his character and ways (see John 6:40), "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world", proclaimed John (John 1:29). Israel after the flesh will be compelled to do this at his second coming (Zech. 12:10). This drama in the wilderness taught the new generation of Israelites the need of disciplining self, and of seeking in faith the redemption that they could obtain in Yah- weh. They were clearly shown that the healing power was not in the brazen serpent itself, but in Yahweh Who had ordered the whole process. When the afflicted

Israelites looked at the serpent, they did so in obedience to God and in faith that it

would heal. So with redemption in Christ. Christ is powerless to heal stricken humanity in the absence of a personal faith (Heb. 11:6). The whole process of redemption in Him is Divine, and must be according to God's requirements. It is God motivated, and witnesses to the love of God: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). That statement is made on the background of reference to the serpent in the wilderness. Love, faith and action are all fused to bring about redemption.

The brazen serpent was preserved until the time of Hezekiah, who destroyed it

because it had become an object of wor- ship, which was idolatry (2 Kings 18:4). This taught that it was not in the type, but in the reality, that the work of redemption is effected. See Paul's comment in 1 Cor. 10:9

What is Evil? Isaiah 45:7

What is Evil? 

Come to hate hypocrisy and the evil thought; for it is the thought that gives birth to hypocrisy; but hypocrisy is far from truth." (The Apocryphon Gospel of James)

evil--That which is not of the Deity; unreality; error thought; a product of the fallen human consciousness; negation.

'Evil' in the New Testament can denote three things-misleading standards (stoichiea) like henos anthropos; wrong disposition in the sense of a materialistic world-view; and dehumanizing acts. For Paul, evil is not associated with demons in the sense of supernatural beings. He clearly supports this in Gal 4:8-9 when he says, "stoichieas [daemons] are not gods."

Isaiah 45:7 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace [national well-being] and I create [physical] evil (calamity); I am the Lord, Who does all these things.

Moral evil proceeds from the will of men, but physical evil proceeds from the will of God

.

Sin and evil are as cause and effect. God is the author of evil, but not of sin; for the evil is the punishment of sin. "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I, Yahweh, do all these things." (Isa. 45:7) "Shall there be evil in a city, and Yahweh has not done it?" (Amos 3:6) The evil then to which man is subjected is Yahweh's doing. War, famine, pestilence, flood, earthquake, disease, and death, are the terrible evils which God inflicts upon mankind for their transgressions. Nations cannot go to war when they please, any more than they can shake the earth at their will and pleasure; neither can they preserve peace, when He proclaims war. Evil is the artillery with which He combats the enemies of His law, and of His the holy ones; consequently, there will be neither peace nor blessedness for the nations, until sin is put down, His people avenged, and truth and righteousness be established in the earth. 

Apparent evil is the result of ignorance, and when Truth is presented the error disappears.

Evil appears in the world because man is not in spiritual understanding.

evil, overcoming--Evil must be overcome with good. We must dwell in the good so wholly that all the substance of our thoughts and our being is given over to the promotion of the good. This is a mental process in which all negation (evil) is denied, and creative, fearless affirmation of God's perfect good is steadfastly adhered to.

The Carnal Mind?

THE CARNAL MIND.
"The thinking of the flesh is enmity against God."
When the Lord God bestowed the faculty of speech upon the serpent, He enabled it to give utterance to its thoughts. The possession of this power did not, however, confer upon it moral accountability. This depends on a different constitution of "the flesh." Where no "moral sentiments" exist as a part of "the flesh," or brain, there is no ability in the creature to render an account for its aberrations from the requirements of moral, or spiritual institutions. Speech only enabled it to utter the thinkings of its unsentimentalized intellect. It spoke like Balaam's ass, under the impulse of the sensations excited by what it had seen and heard. The thinkings of its flesh could not ascend to faith, being destitute of the organic ability to believe; therefore its speech could express only fleshly thoughts. Faith was too high an attainment for it. The light of God's law could not shine into it. Like all the inferior animals, it was a creature of mere sensation, and could utter only sentences formed of combinations resulting from the impressions of sensible objects transmitted to its sensorium by the five senses; it transcended them, however, in being more observant and reasoning than they.
The carnal mind is an expression used by Paul; or rather, it is the translation of words used by him, in his epistle to the Romans. It is not so explicit as the original. The words he wrote are to fronhma thV sarkoV the thinking of the flesh. In this phrase, he intimates to us, that the flesh is the thinking substance, that is, the brain; which, in another place, he terms "the fleshly tablet of the heart." The kind of thinking, therefore, depends upon the conformation of this organ. Hence, the more elaborate and perfect its mechanism, the more precise and comprehensive the thought; and vice versa. It is upon this principle such a diversity of mental manifestation is observable among men and other animals; but after all, how diverse soever they may be, they are all referable to one and the same thing -- the thinking of the flesh, whose elaborations are excited by the propensities, and the sensible phenomena of the world.

Now, the law of God is given, that the thinking of the flesh, instead of being excited by the propensities within, and the world without, may be conducted according to its direction. So long as Adam and Eve yielded to its guidance, they were happy and contented. Their thoughts were the result of right thinking, and obedience was the consequence. But when they adopted the serpent's reasonings as their own, these, being at variance with the truth, caused an "enmity" against it in their thinkings, which is equivalent to "enmity against God." When their sin was perfected, the propensities, or lusts, having been inflamed, became "a law in their members;" and because it was implanted in their flesh by transgression, it is styled "the law of sin;" and death being the wages of sin, it is also termed, "the law of sin and death;" but by philosophy, "the law of nature."

The Gospel of Thomas Saying 104

The Gospel of Thomas Saying 104

[104]. They said [to him:] "Come, let us pray and fast today!" Jesus says: "What then is the sin that I have committed, or in what have I been at fault? But when the bridegroom comes out of the bridal chamber, then they must fast and pray!"

Notice that “they” rather than “you” is the form used here, so that Jesus is implicitly is speaking about people outside the immediate audience of the saying that is the Pharisees.  

"Jesus is asked to pray and fast (see Sayings 5 and 14). Since he has committed no sin, he refuses

Although we do not know the particulars regarding this fast, it seems from Jesus’ response, that Jesus is telling these Pharisees that he had no personal reason to fast on that day. In addition, Jesus indicates that their timing for the fast was inappropriate. But when  the bridegroom comes out of the bridal chamber at the second coming than the false believers will fast and pray"


104) They [the Pharisees] said [to Jesus], "Come, let us pray today and let us fast [thinking in their fleshly minds that these lower/outward forms of worship are beneficial]." Jesus said, "What is the sin that I have committed [that I should join with you in prayer], or wherein have I been defeated [when was I overcome by the flesh]? But when the bridegroom [the Word] leaves the bridal chamber [of your heart - as a result of turning back to the rudiments of the world], then let them [those who have fallen to the robbers losing the Keys of Knowledge] fast and pray." (Lk 5:33-39; Mt 9:14-17; etc..)

Star Wars Good vs Evil

Star Wars Good vs Evil

Star Wars, Episode One has been a great commercial success. Some critics were less than complimentary, especially in Science Fiction circles and Star Wars purists are quick to point out anomalies with the other Star Wars films. Yet despite all this, George Lucas had another hit on his hands and two further "prequels" followed.

What is the secret of this success? What is the formula? Well obviously the special effects played their part, and also the Characters. Yet the prime factor is likely to be that the film tells the age-old story of Good versus Evil. Evil is defeated and the world can breathe a sigh of relief.

This battle is one that every one can relate to, whatever culture they belong to; north, south, east, west, white, black, brown, yellow, rich or poor; we all understand this battle. When we watch the News or read the papers, the battle is there for us to see, yet identifying Good and Evil is not always clear-cut. In Westerns, the Baddies wore black hats and Goodies wore white. The difference was plain.

Of course, life is not that simple and in many ways, Star Wars reflects that. Han Solo, although a "Goodie", is not without his flaws (a little smuggling, for example). Darth Vader, came good at the end of his life, by saving his son, Luke from the evil emperor. We learn also that Anakin (as he once was) was intrinsically good, yet had a capacity to go either way (the Force or the Dark Side). Luke, being only good, was a much less believable character as a result.

There are no Good people or Bad people. All of us are a mixture or both. Some are more good than others, that is all. Those of us who wish to be better people then have a battle on our hands, the battle between Good and Evil going on in our hearts. This battle is described by someone called Paul (a real-life Obi Wan Kenobi, perhaps?):

Romans 7:19-25 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

There is a real-life battle between Good and Evil, not only going on inside us, but also in the World around us.

We cannot totally defeat evil within us, let alone in the World at large, but ultimately, Good will prevail. The only truly good man the world has ever seen will return to establish a state of peace that will last forever.








Many sects of Christendom, along with many other religions, believe that there is a being or monster called the Devil or Satan who is the originator of the problems which are in the world and in our own lives, and who is responsible for the sin which we commit. The Bible clearly teaches that God is all-powerful. We have seen in Study 1.4 that the Angels cannot sin. If we truly believe these things, then it is impossible that there is any supernatural being at work in this universe that is opposed to Almighty God. If we believe that such a being does exist, then surely we are questioning the supremacy of God Almighty. This issue is so important that the correct understanding of the devil and satan must be considered a vital doctrine. We are told in Heb.2:14 that Jesus destroyed the devil by his death; therefore unless we have a correct understanding of the devil, we cannot understand the work or nature of Jesus.

In the world generally, especially in the so-called 'Christian' world, there is the idea that the good things in life come from God and the bad things from the Devil or Satan. This is not a new idea; it is not even an idea only limited to apostate Christianity. The Babylonians, for example, believed there were two gods, a god of good and light, and a god of evil and darkness, and that those two were locked in mortal combat. Cyrus, the great King of Persia, believed just this. Therefore God told him, "I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me...I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil (N.I.V. "disaster"): I the Lord do all these things" (Is.45:5-7,22). God creates peace and He creates evil, or disaster. God is the author, the creator of "evil" in this sense. In this sense there is a difference between "evil" and sin, which is man's fault; it entered the world as a result of man, not God (Rom.5:12).
God tells Cyrus and the people of Babylon that "there is no (other) God beside me". The Hebrew word 'el' translated "God" fundamentally means 'strength, or source of power'. God is saying that there is no source of power in existence apart from Him. This is the reason why a true believer in God cannot accept the idea of a supernatural devil or demons.


God: The Creator Of Disaster
The Bible abounds with examples of God bringing "evil" into people's lives and into this world. Am.3:6 says that if there is evil in a city, God has done it. If, for example, there is an earthquake in a city, it is often felt that 'the devil' had designs on that city, and had brought about the calamity. But the true believer must understand that it is God who is responsible for this. Thus Mic.1:12 says that "evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem". In the book of Job we read how Job, a righteous man, lost the things which he had in this life. The book teaches that the experience of 'evil' in a person's life is not directly proportional to their obedience or disobedience to God. Job recognized that "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away" (Job 1:21). He does not say 'The Lord gave and Satan took away'.He commented to his wife: "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not (also) receive evil?" (Job 2:10). At the end of the book, Job's friends comforted him over "all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him" (Job 42:11 cp. 19:21; 8:4). Thus God is the source of "evil" in the sense of being the ultimate permitter of the problems that we have in our lives.
"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth...If ye endure chastening...afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Heb.12:6-11), this shows that the trials which God gives us lead eventually to our spiritual growth. It is setting the word of God against itself to say that the devil is a being which forces us to sin and be unrighteous, whilst at the same time he supposedly brings problems into our lives which lead to our developing "the peaceable fruit of righteousness". The orthodox idea of the devil runs into serious problems here. Especially serious for it are passages which speak of delivering a man to satan "that the spirit may be saved", or "that he may learn not to blaspheme" (1 Cor.5:5; 1 Tim.1:20). If Satan is really a being bent on causing men to sin and having a negative spiritual effect upon people, why do these passages speak of 'Satan' in a positive light? The answer lies in the fact that an adversary, a "Satan" or difficulty in life, can often result in positive spiritual effects in a believer's life.
If we accept that evil comes from God, then we can pray to God to do something about the problems which we have, e.g. to take them away. If He doesn't, then we know that they are sent from God for our spiritual good. Now if we believe that there is some evil being called the devil or satan causing our problems, then there is no way of coming to terms with them. Disability, illness, sudden death or calamity have to be taken as just bad luck. If the devil is some powerful, sinful Angel, then he will be much more powerful than us, and we will have no choice but to suffer at his hand. By contrast, we are comforted that under God's control, "all things (in life) work together for good" to the believers (Rom.8:28). There is therefore no such thing as 'luck' in the life of a believer.

The Matrix films

The Matrix films

Have you seen the Matrix films?

They chart the attempts of one man, Neo, to overcome the present worldly system and find the Truth. In doing so, he gets into a position to be able to help others and lead them towards the city of Zion, where they can be truly free.


The film is full of imagery and symbolism, but where does it come from? And what does it point to? Could the films actually be pointing to a real situation?


Now for a Greek lesson. Neo means "new" and is also an anagram of "One". "Ander" means "Man". Therefore, Neo's surname "Anderson", means "Son of Man". This is a title of Jesus. Nebuchadnezzar, the name of Neo's ship was also the name of a Biblical king who had dreams concerning the "Last Days". So the imagery of the film borrows strongly from the Bible. Neo's girlfriend is called Trinity, which although not a Biblical term or concept, is nevertheless central to the beliefs of Christendom.

Jesus overcame his human nature to become the Saviour or Chosen One. Following his baptism (which symbolises the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new) he was given extensive powers. Just as Neo dies and is brought back to life, Jesus died and was raised up by his Father, God.

The Bible teaches that this world is but a "shadow of things to come". The Bible also talks of the New Jerusalem (Zion) coming to the earth as the capital of the Kingdom of God.


"The LORD has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge." (Isaiah 14:32)

Once Jesus has finished restoring the world, Yahweh God himself will dwell with Man.

Zechariah 8:3

This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."


We all have a choice - to continue living in this shadow world or to find the Truth. Jesus taught:


"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

Gnosticism, though, has perhaps been best represented in popular culture by the Wachowski brothers’ film The Matrix, which, again, seems to owe its world view at least in part to Philip K Dick and, by extension, to the Gnostics.The film tells the story of a computer
hacker known as Neo (Keanu Reeves), who comes into the knowledge that the world is in fact a giant computer simulation, designed to keep human beings in a state of slavery to the machines which designed it.We later learn that these machines were originally given artificial intelligence by humans, but then rebelled against their creators, imprisoning them and feeding off their energy.

Although the film contains elements drawn from mainstream Christian tradition – Neo is referred to repeatedly as ‘the One’ (a redeemer figure long prophesied), the rebels’ ship is called the Nebuchadnezzar and their stronghold Zion – the film seems to draw more on Gnostic sources. Indeed, near the beginning of the film, Neo falls asleep in front of his computer. He is woken by a mysterious message that appears on the screen, which reads ‘Wake up, Neo.’This is essentially the theme of the film, and needless to say, it is Gnostic. Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) are, as they instruct and aid Neo in waking up, playing aeonic roles as opposed to the archonic Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), who attempts to keep Neo inside the Matrix and therefore asleep to ultimate reality.The film employs terms that are also found in Gnostic texts, such as blindness, sleep, ignorance, dreaming, darkness and night which stand in opposition to seeing,waking, knowing and light. It is these latter states to which Neo travels and ultimately attains

The Fall in the Tripartite Tractate

The Logos in the Tripartite Tractate

The Tripartite Tractate view of the Fall

First a quote from the Tripartite Tractate

The intent, then, of the Logos, who is this one, was good. When he had come forth, he gave glory to the Father, even if it led to something beyond possibility, since he had wanted to bring forth one who is perfect, from an agreement in which he had not been, and without having the command.
This aeon was last to have <been> brought forth by mutual assistance, and he was small in magnitude. And before he begot anything else for the glory of the will and in agreement with the Totalities, he acted, magnanimously, from an abundant love, and set out toward that which surrounds the perfect glory, for it was not without the will of the Father that the Logos was produced, which is to say, not without it will he go forth. But he, the Father, had brought him forth for those about whom he knew that it was fitting that they should come into being.
The Father and the Totalities drew away from him, so that the limit which the Father had set might be established - for it is not from grasping the incomprehensibility but by the will of the Father, - and furthermore, (they withdrew) so that the things which have come to be might become an organization which would come into being. If it were to come, it would not come into being by the manifestation of the Pleroma. Therefore, it is not fitting to criticize the movement which is the Logos, but it is fitting that we should say about the movement of the Logos that it is a cause of an organization which has been destined to come about.
The Logos himself caused it to happen, being complete and unitary, for the glory of the Father, whom he desired, and (he did so) being content with it, but those whom he wished to take hold of firmly he begot in shadows and copies and likenesses. For, he was not able to bear the sight of the light, but he looked into the depth and he doubted. Out of this there was a division - he became deeply troubled - and a turning away because of his self-doubt and division, forgetfulness and ignorance of himself and <of that> which is.

What does Irenaeus say about the Fall of Sophia

Irenaeus against heresies: How can it be regarded as otherwise ridiculous, that (wisdom) was involved in ignorance, corruption, and passion? For these things are alien and contrary to wisdom, nor can they ever be qualities belonging to it. For wherever there is a lack of any thing beneficial and an ignorance of knowledge, there wisdom does not exist. Let them therefore no longer call this suffering Aeon, Sophia, but let them give up either her name or her sufferings. And let them, moreover, not call their entire Pleroma spiritual, if this Aeon had a place within it when she was involved in such a tumult of passion. For even a vigorous soul, not to say a spiritual substance, would not pass through any such experience.
the tripartite tractate contens an early form of Christian Gnosticism which differs complets from other Gnostic texts when it comes to the Fall

Now let's a look at the bible's use of Logos 

3056 λόγος logos log’-os 

some of the meanings of the word 

 its use as respect to the MIND alone 
2a) reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating 
2b) account, i.e. regard, consideration 
2c) account, i.e. reckoning, score its use as respect to the MIND alone 
2a) reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating 
2b) account, i.e. regard, consideration 
2c) account, i.e. reckoning, score

decree, mandate or order reason, cause, ground, 


Mt 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause <3056> of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Mt 22:15  Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk <3056>.

Lu 16:2  And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account <3056> of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

60 ¶  Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying <3056>; who can hear it?
66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Act 19:40  For we are in danger to be called in question for this day’s uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account <3056> of this concourse.

Looking at these Bible quotes we can see that there are many uses of the word logos not all of them referring to the divine logos

The tripartite tractate associate the fall with logos and not with Sophia.  In fact, the fallen aeon is not called Sophia at all, but simply a logos, or word (logos being used as a generic name for the aeons).

I've always felt it wrong that sophia (wisdom) in Gnosticism is the bad guy that created sin that's just really absurd and it complete doesn't make any sense at all

In the Bible Eve is not responsible for sin Adam is, we see this in Paul’s statement at Romans 5:12-19, which places the responsibility for sin upon Adam. Compare tripartite tractate 107.20–108.12

“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

This gives no indication that Eve deceived Adam or seduced him into eating.  In fact, Adam is partially blaming God for the woman's presence.  At the same time he was trying to place the responsibility on Eve for HIS disobedience.  Yet there is NOT ONE accusation against Eve throughout the scriptures, except to state that she, being deceived, was in the transgression (1 Timothy 2:13-15 “For Adam was First formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.  Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”)

Eve was deceived by the Serpent, but “Adam was not deceived,” says the apostle Paul. (1Tim 2:14) With full knowledge Adam willfully and deliberately chose to disobey and then as a criminal he tried to hide. When brought to trial, instead of showing sorrow or regret or asking for forgiveness, Adam attempted to justify himself and pass the responsibility off on others, even blaming God for his own willful sin. “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree and so I ate.” (Gem 3:7-12)

Tri. Trac. 107.20–108.12: This is the expulsion which was made for him, when he was expelled from the enjoyments of the things which belong to the likeness and those of the representation. It was a work of providence, so that it might be found that it is a short time until man will receive the enjoyment of the things which are eternally good, in which is the place of rest. This the spirit ordained when he first planned that man should experience the great evil, which is death, that is complete ignorance of the Totality, and that he should experience all the evils which come from this and, after the deprivations and cares which are in these, that he should receive of the greatest good, which is life eternal, that is, firm knowledge of the Totalities and the reception of all good things. Because of the transgression of the first man, death ruled. (Romans 5:17) It was accustomed to slay every man in the manifestation of its domination, which had been given it as a kingdom because of the organization of the Father's will, of which we spoke previously.

Therefore since sin came by one man it stands to reason that Sophia is not responsible for the fall the Logos is

The account in the Gospel of Truth is also extrememly relevant here. The opening paragraphs of the Gospel of Truth describe the Fall. It contains no explicit references to mythological figures familiar from other Valentinian texts (e.g. Sophia, the demiurge, etc.). However, these passages do refer to a semi-personified "error."

Both Error and Logos fail in their quest to find the Father.

"He is the lord of all of them, that is, the countenance which the logos (i.e. Error) brought forth in his thought as a representation of the Father of the Totalities. Therefore, he is adorned with every name which is a representation of him, since he is characterized by every property and glorious quality. For he too is called 'father' and 'god' and 'demiurge' and 'king' and 'judge' and 'place' and 'dwelling' and 'law'" (Tripartite Tractate 100:21-30).


Ptolemy interprets the same passage in terms of the Aeons in the Fullness (pleroma) in his Commentary on the Prologue of John quoted in Irenaeus Against Heresies1:8:5 (cf also Excerpts of Theodotus 6:4). In this case, Ptolemy interprets the passage to refer to the Aeon Word (logos) who, along with his partner Life (zoe), is the one who is responsible for the creation of all subsequent Aeons

Heracleon a Valentinian teacher describes the the demiurge in relatively positive terms as the logos's agent and hence ultimately the Father's agent in creation 

Fragments from a Commentary on the Gospel of John by Heracleon Fragment 1, on John 1:3 (In John 1:3, “All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made.”) The sentence: "All things were made through him" means the world and what is in it. It excludes what is better than the world. The Aeon (i.e. the Fullness), and the things in it, were not made by the Word; they came into existence before the Word. . . “Without him, nothing was made” of what is in the world and the creation. . . "All things were made through Him," means that it was the Word who caused the Craftsman (Demiurge) to make the world, that is it was not the Word “from whom” or “by whom,” but the one “through whom (all things were made).”. . . It was not the Word who made all things, as if he were energized by another, for "through whom" means that another made them and the Word provided the energy. 

The Father the single One created the universe 52.4-6 It is, then, only the Father and God in the proper sense that no one else begot. As for the Totalities, he is the one who begot them and created them. He is without beginning and without end.

However, the perpetuation of the cosmos through the creation of physical bodies is accomplished through the logos



Now this Logos is different than the Son. or this first thought in the tripartite tractate
the Gospel of John the logos and the Son of God are one and the same

The point made may be a distinction between the logos as willed by the Father and as originating in him, cf. 75:23-24.

What is the Serpent

What is the Serpent?

 the word “serpent” immediately suggests an animal, so it Is NATURALLY taken LITERALLY. Understood SPIRITUALLY it is a FIGURE OF SPEECH.

XV. (53) "And they were both naked, both Adam and his wife, and they were not ashamed; but the serpent was the most subtle of all the beasts that were upon the earth, which the Lord God had Made:"{11}{#ge 2:25; 3:1.}--the mind is naked, which is clothed neither with vice nor with virtue, but which is really stripped of both: just as the soul of an infant child, which has no share in either virtue or vice, is stripped of all coverings, and is completely naked: for these things are the coverings of the soul, by which it is enveloped and concealed, good being the garment of the virtuous soul, and evil the robe of the wicked soul. (54) And the soul is made naked in these ways. Once, when it is in an unchangeable state, and is entirely free from all vices, and has discarded and laid aside the covering of all the passions. Philo of Alexandria

XVIII. (71) "Now the serpent was the most subtle of all the beasts which are upon the earth, which the Lord God Made."{21}{#ge 3:1.} Two things having been previously created, that is, mind and outward sense, and these also having been stripped naked in the manner which has already been shown, it follows of necessity that pleasure, which brings these two together, must be the third, for the purpose of facilitating the comprehension of the objects of intellect and of outward sense: for neither could the mind, without the outward sense, be able to comprehend the nature of any animal or of any plant, or of a stone or of a piece of wood, or, in short, of any substance whatever; nor could the outward sense exercise its proper faculties without the mind. Philo of Alexandria

the aforesaid serpent is the symbol of pleasure, because in the first place he is destitute of feet, and crawls on his belly with his face downwards. In the second place, because he uses lumps of clay for food. Thirdly, because he bears poison in his teeth, by which it is his nature to kill those who are bitten by him.

The serpent In whose mouth Is the poison of death, signifies a sinful person according to God's definition (given in Psalm 140:1-3; Romans 3:12-13; Matthew 12:34).

 The name “serpent” was attributed to those MEN who Jesus and John the Baptist had encountered (Matthew 3:7; 12:34; Luke 3:7).  Hence when the word serpent is used to indicate an intelligent  reasoning creature having guile (deceit) in his mouth, It SIGNIFIES a man exhibiting such characteristics.

The serpent a symbol of the Sense consciousness or the desire of unspiritualized man for sensation. He seeks satisfaction through the appetite. By listening to the serpent of sense, man falls to his lowest estate.

The "serpent" of the garden of Eden is the outward senses of consciousness or the carnal mind. The serpent is the symbol of pleasure. It may also be called desire, and sensation, or the activity of life in an external expression, apart from the Source of life.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil

There are two trees in the midst of paradise. From one of them originate animals, from another — men. Adam ate of the tree which originates animals. And he became an animal and then brought forth animals.
Therefore at present, the animals like Adam are held in respect.
So, the tree of which Adam ate a fruit is the tree of animals. This is why his children became so numerous. And all of them also ate the fruits of the tree of animals. (The Gospel of Philip)

To understand what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is we must first understand the symbolic understanding of trees in the Bible

Trees and leaves are sometimes used as symbols to describe the righteous (see Psa. 1:3; 92:12; Isa. 60:21; 65:22).

we know from the book of revelation that trees are symbolic of people

Rev 22:2 down the middle of its broad way. And on this side of the river and on that side [there were] trees of life producing twelve crops of fruit, yielding their fruits each month. And the leaves of the trees [were] for the curing of the nations. (NWT 1983)

Rev 22:2 Then it flowed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the riverare trees that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations. (Contemporary English Version)

It would not be possible to have a single tree both inside the city, and on either side of a river that flows therefrom. The word xulon can relate to a wood, or a forest of trees; and that, obviously, is its meaning here twelve crops of fruit, yielding their fruits each month

This, again, shows that John saw a forest of trees, and not a single tree. Some of the "fruits" to be produced through the influence of the water of life are outlined in Prov. 3:16-18; Gal. 5:22. The number twelve identifies the fruit with the hope of Israel, and suggests the monthly pilgrimages and services that will form part of the ministry of saints in the age to come (see Isa. 66:23)

also the Lord's saying, "I am the vine: ye are the branches" (John 15). He is the tree of life, and the Paradise is the Kingdom of God in the Holy Land (Ezek. 36:35).

He is "the tree of life" symbolized from the beginning by the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. His body of "many members" is represented by the "very many trees" of the Ezekiel Paradise (Ezek. 47:7), which literally "beautify the place of God's sanctuary" (Is. 60:13). He and they are the substance of the symbol in this place

So the tree of life is symbolic of Jesus's gospel message or logos teachings it is logical to conclude that the tree of knowledge of good and evil is also symbolic

The tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil are a Figure of speech

also from the book of Provbers we lean that wisdom (wise thinking.) is a tree of life

She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is everyone that retaineth her" (Prov 3:14,18).

Since wisdom is understood to be the tree of life it is logical to conclude that the tree of knowledge of good and evil is also symbolic.

the trees could be symbolic of the angels according to Justin the gnostic who's most important work, Baruch comes from Hyppolytus says

angels are the Trees of Paradise: the Tree of Life is Baruch, the third angel of the Father, and the Tree of Knowledge is the third angel of the Mother, Naas the Snake (Hebr. nafash).

In the garden of Eden, God employed two trees for symbolic purposes: “the tree of life” and “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” Failure to respect God’s decree concerning the latter brought man’s fall.—Ge 2:9, 16, 17; 3:1-24.

By God’s pronouncement decreeing it to be out-of-bounds for the human pair, the tree became a symbol of God’s right to determine or set the standards for man as to what is “good” (approved by God) and what is “bad” (condemned by God). It thus constituted a test of man’s respect for his Creator’s position and his willingness to remain within the area of freedom decreed by God, an area that was by no means cramped and that allowed for the greatest enjoyment of human life. Therefore, to violate the boundaries of the prohibited area by eating of “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad” would be an invasion of or a revolt against God’s domain and authority

The Tree of Life occupied a place in the "midst of the garden" with the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" (cp. Gen. 3:3). Here were symbolically provided the two choices for mankind: obedience or sin; life or death.

"And the tree of knowledge of good and evil" — Good and evil represent the extremes of knowledge and thus serve as an idiom for completeness, comprehending all within the two opposites. In Deut. 1:39 and Isa. 7:14-17, lack of knowing good and evil indicates immaturity, whereas in 2 Sam. 14:17; 1 Kings 3:9 knowledge of such denotes maturity. In 2 Sam. 19:35 the expression is used with regard to the virility of the body to respond and enjoy such experiences. The ability to discern between good and evil is treated as a Divine attribute (2 Sam. 14:17; 1 Kings 3:9; Prov.15:3).

In Genesis 2:9 – 15 we read a description of the garden in Eden. It was a pleasant place with all kinds of trees and plants and the garden was watered naturally by a river. Within this pleasant garden Yahweh Elohim placed two trees which were symbolic of his relationship with mankind. The tree of life was symbolic of God’s promise of immortal life to those who chose to follow his ways rather than the way of human nature. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was in the garden as a test for mankind and to allow free will. They could follow God’s way or the way of human nature looking for instant pleasure.

We talked about the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as it was the only fruit that Adam was forbidden to eat. In Genesis 2:16 – 17 we see that this was God’s first commandment. Until this time the idea of death had not been part of human experience. There had been no need for the killing of animals as a sacrifice for sins.


The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is symbolic of our sinful desire

Yahweh says, "the cedars in the garden of God could not hide him; nor was any tree in the garden of God like unto him in his beauty. I made him fair by the multitude of his branches; so that all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied him" (Ezek 31:3,8-9). These trees (Dan 4:20-22) are symbolic of the negative thoughts of the mind which Syria (intellectual pride), and Assyria ( reasoning according to the outward senses) shall be abolished (Isa 37:12-13).

The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" represents the discerning capacity of mind. Man first becomes aware of knowledge; then he must discern the relation of ideas before activity is set up within him.

God told Adam to avoid the tree whose fruit was a knowledge of good and evil, "for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." It is evident that this tree is closely related to individual free will, which is in direct touch with the "serpent" or selfhood. In that state of consciousness, or day, the individual shall surely die.

The branch that separates itself from the tree withers away and dies. So a belief by the ego that its life, substance, and intelligence are self-derived cuts off the source of supply, and the ego begins to revolve in a mental vortex whose dominant tones are good and evil, birth and death--duality.

It is through the affections, the feminine in us, that we partake of both good and evil. The soul, or woman, was given to man by Yahweh, and is the avenue through which the inspirations of Spirit come. When the I AM assumes mastery over the soul it brings forth only good.

"tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:9)--Indicates a dual state of consciousness, a belief in both good and error, which eventually drives man out of the garden (his body temple).

There are two trees in the midst of paradise. From one of them originate animals, from another — men. Adam ate of the tree which originates animals. And he became an animal and then brought forth animals.
Therefore at present, the animals like Adam are held in respect.
So, the tree of which Adam ate a fruit is the tree of animals. This is why his children became so numerous. And all of them also ate the fruits of the tree of animals. (The Gospel of Philip)


As a result, the fruits of the tree of animals begot numerous people-animals who now honor only man-animal.

There are two trees growing in Paradise. The one bears animals [the tree of knowledge of good and evil which leads to death], the other bears men [the tree of life]. Adam ate from the tree which bore animals. He became an animal [after going according to his own will] and he brought forth animals [all of his sons are brought forth in the same condition of separation from the Father and eat from this tree (this is the first death]. For this reason the children of Adam worship animals [who continue to “lord it over them” in their unreasoning minds]. The tree [...] fruit is [...] increased. [...] ate the [...] fruit of the [...] bears men, [...] man. [...] God created man. [...] men create God. That is the way it is in the world - men make gods [by choosing for themselves kings and/or governments or men to rule over them; also by setting up selfishness as ruler over their own temple] and worship their creation [bow down to their own man-made constitutions]. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men [all men are created in the image of God and are “sons of the Most High” with all power of creation that the Father has bestowed upon them if they would just turn to Him, but in ignorance they keep following those that are not gods – this is idolatry whether it be government, idealism, religion etc. for they all result in spiritual thievery]!