Sodom and Gomorrah
Destroyed [Genisis 19; 12-29]
12 "Then the men said to Lot,
“Have you anyone else here?
Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the
city—bring them
out of the place. 13For we are about to destroy this place, because the
outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the
LORD
has sent us to destroy it.” 14So Lot went out and said to his
sons-in-law,
who were to marry his daughters, “Up, get out of this place;
for the LORD
is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his
sons-in-law to be jesting.
15When morning dawned, the
angels urged Lot, saying,
“Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here,
or else you
will be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16But he
lingered; so
the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the
LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and left him
outside
the city. 17When they had brought them outside, they£ said,
“Flee
for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to
the hills, or else you will be consumed.” 18And Lot said to
them, “Oh,
no, my lords; 19your servant has found favor with you, and you have
shown
me great kindness in saving my life; but I cannot flee to the hills,
for
fear the disaster will overtake me and I die. 20Look, that city is near
enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape
there—is it not
a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21He said
to him, “Very well,
I grant you this favor too, and will not overthrow the city of which
you
have spoken. 22Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you
arrive
there.” Therefore the city was called Zoar. £ 23The
sun had risen
on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
24Then the LORD rained on Sodom
and Gomorrah sulfur and
fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25and he overthrew those cities, and
all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on
the ground. 26But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and
she became a
pillar of salt.
27Abraham went early in the
morning to the place where
he had stood before the LORD; 28and he looked down toward Sodom and
Gomorrah
and toward all the land of the Plain and saw the smoke of the land
going
up like the smoke of a furnace.
29So it was that, when God
destroyed the cities of the
Plain, God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the
overthrow,
when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had settled."
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...
I
AM WHO I AM [Exodus
3:13-18 (NKJ)]
13Then
Moses said to God, “Indeed,
when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The
God of your
fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me,
‘What is His name?’ what
shall I say to them?” 14And God said to Moses, “I
AM WHO I AM.” And He
said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel,
‘I AM has sent me
to you.’” 15Moreover God said to Moses,
“Thus you shall say to the children
of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,
the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name
forever,
and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16Go and gather
the elders
of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The LORD God of your
fathers, the
God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying,
“I have
surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17and I have
said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of
the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and
the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and
honey.”’
18Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the
elders
of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him,
‘The LORD God
of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three
days’
journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our
God.’
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Book
of John, Chapter 1 (NRSV)
1
In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He
was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing
came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the
life
was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and
the
darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose
name
was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all
might
believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to
testify
to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming
into
the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being
through
him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own,
and
his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who
believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who
were
born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man,
but
of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have
seen
his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace
and truth.
15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom
I said, ‘He
who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before
me.’”) 16 From
his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed
was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18
No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the
Father’s
heart, who has made him known.
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...Self
is the lord of self, who else could be the lord?
With
self well subdued, a man finds a lord such as few can find.
The
evil done by ones's self, self-forgotten, self-bred,
crushes
the foolish as a diamond breaks even a precious stone.
By
one's self is evil done, by one's self one suffers;
by
one's self evil is left undone, by one's self one is purified.
The
pure and the impure stand and fall by themselves,
no
one can purify another.
Let
no man forget his own duty for the sake of another's, however great;
let
a man, after he has discerned his own duty,
be
always attentive to his duty."
The
Dhammapada
Buddha
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Out
of the night that covers
me,
Black
as the pit from pole to
pole,
I
thank whatever gods there
be
for
my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I
have not winced nor cried
aloud;
Under
the bludgeoning of chance
My
head is bloody but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and
tears,
Looms
the horror of the shade;
And
yet the menace of years
Finds
and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the
gate,
How
charged with punishments
the scroll,
I
am the master of my fate;
I
am the captain of my soul.
William E. Henley
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THOSE WITH EYES LET THEM
SEE, THOSE WITH EARS LET THEM HEAR:
These barriers are placed because the ability to discern the Spiritual Truth [ultimate Spiritual Personal Power behind the material world by someone whose has not fully and convincingly repudiated and controlled all ego needs and desires for worldly power and control, dare not be trusted to Know the Spiritual Truth behind their experience of material reality.
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1 Corinthians,
13 (RIV)
1
If I speak in the tongues of mortals
and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging
cymbal.
2
And if I have prophetic powers,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all
faith,
so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3
If I give away all my possessions,
and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I
gain nothing.
4
Love is patient; love is kind;
love is not envious or boastful or arrogant
5
or rude. It does not insist on
its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6
it does not rejoice in wrongdoing,
but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes
all things, endures all things.
8
Love never ends. But as for prophecies,
they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for
knowledge,
it will come to an end.
9
For we know only in part, and
we prophesy only in part;
10
but when the complete comes,
the partial will come to an end.
11
When I was a child, I spoke
like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I
became
an adult, I put an end to childish ways.
12
For now we see in a mirror,
dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in
part;
then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13
And now faith, hope, and love
abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
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Matthew 7: 13-14 [NRSV]
“Enter
through the narrow [i.e., Spiritual
discipline] gate; for the gate
is wide and the road
is easy [i.e., the sensate consciousness] that leads
to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow
and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
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..
..
Faith without
Works Is Dead, James, Chapter 2: 14-26
(By
their deeds they shall be known)
"14 What good is it, my brothers
and sisters, if
you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If
a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you
says
to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your
fill,” and yet you do not
supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith
by itself,
if it has no works, is dead. 18 But someone will say,
“You have faith and
I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and
I by my works
will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well.
Even
the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown,
you senseless
person, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not our ancestor
Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was
brought
to completion by the works. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that
says,
“Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as
righteousness,” and
he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified
by works and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the
prostitute
also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them
out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the
spirit is dead,
so faith without works is also dead." [emphasis
added]
3 “Blessed are the poor
in spirit, For theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who
mourn, For they shall be
comforted.
5 Blessed are the
meek, For they shall inherit
the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the
merciful, For they shall obtain
mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in
heart, For they shall
see God.
9 Blessed are the
peacemakers, For they shall be
called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness’
sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you
when they revile and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly
glad, for great is your
reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.
13 “You are the salt
of the earth; but if the salt loses
its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but
to
be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light
of the world. A city that is set
on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and
put it under a basket,
but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
[NKJV]
Prologue
"These are the secret sayings
that the living Jesus spoke
and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded...
3 Jesus said, "If your
leaders say to you, 'Look, the
(Father's) imperial rule is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will
precede you.
2 If they say to you, 'It is in
the sea,' then the fish
will precede you.
3 Rather, the (Father's)
imperial rule is inside you
and outside you.
4 When you know yourselves, then
you will be known, and
you will understand that you are children of the living Father.
5 But
if you do not know yourselves, then
you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."
[emphasis
added]
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"And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven [the Presence within you]. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah [Jesus' teachings, the voice of the inner Presence that reaches your mental consciousness.] The greatest [dominant ego] among you will be your servant [submit to your Spiritual Truth]. All who exalt themselves [serving their ego needs] will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted [convert the ego's mental consciousness into Spiritual Consciousness]. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees [lawyers of that day,] hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven [seduce them from their Spiritual focus with appeals to their ego consciousness]. For you do not go in [achieve a Spiritual Awakening] yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them [diverting their Spiritual commitment to ego investments.] Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert [to their ego driven values and goals,] and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell [belief in the illusions of the ego mind] as yourselves." [Matt 23: 9-15]I apply this scripture to understand the activities of the religionists of today. See Fillmore's metaphysical definition of hell
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LORD,
Make
me an instrument of thy peace,
Where
there is hatred, let me sow
Love,
Where
there is injury, pardon.
Where
there is doubt, faith.
Where
there is desoair, hope.
Where
there is darkness, light.
Where
there is sadness, joy.
O DIVINE MASTER,
grant
that I may not so much seek
To
be consoled as to console.
To
be understood as to understand.
To
be Loved as to Love.
FOR
It
is in giving, that we recieve.
It
is in pardoning that we are
pardoned.
It
is in dying that we are
Born
to Eternal Life.
Rev 9: 7-11 In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped for battle [to conquer all obstructions to the intllectual ego.] On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold [illusion of the primacy of intellectual dominance]; their faces were like human faces [we trust our own] , their hair like women’s hair [seductive to masculine thoughts], and their teeth like lions’ teeth [masculine dominance] ; they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses [the cacophany of conflicting ideas] rushing into battle. They have tails like scorpions, with stingers, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, [emblem of destructive ideas] and in Greek he is called Apollyon [land of the dead.]
Rev 20: 1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2He seized the dragon [symbol of overwhelming material (sensate) force], that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years [mystical span of time,] and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, [sealed off the delusional power of the sensate ego intellect] so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.
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22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. 23Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the LORD; the god who answers by fire [purifying power of TRUTH]is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.”
26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. [demonstration of the emptiness and powerlessness of the ego's material investments no matter how persistent or intense]
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; [collection of undiciplined material thoughts to come closer to the I AM source] and all the people came closer to him. First, he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down; 31 Elijah took twelve stones [symol of the Christ Consciounsess that cannot be moved by external forces], according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, [the twelve powers of man] to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, “Israel shall be your name” [the Divine Spiritual Body (Soul) within the physical body, and the Spiritual Consciousness that empowers it.]; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. [seeds are elemental throughts that give promise of a Spiritual awakening.] 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time [water in this context symbolizes flexibility, its cleansing potential and its empowering mental potency], 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.
36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” [demonstration of denying the ego self and instead, turning toward the empowering Spiritual source in the LAW] 38 Then the fire [purifying and cleansing energy] of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD indeed is God; the LORD indeed is God.” 40 Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.”[take control of all aspects of ego and imprison them] Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, [hardened place of difficulty, external impulses of ego] and killed them there.[destroyed the life that had diverted mind energy away from Spiritual matters to material things.] 1 kings 18: 20-40
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Placing
Spiritual Priorities
first. [In Matthew 6: 25-34,
NRSV]
25“
Therefore I tell you, do not
worry [take no thought]
about your life, what you
will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you
will
wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26Look
at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than
they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span
of
life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you,
even
Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if
God
so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is
thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of
little faith?
31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we
eat?’ or ‘What will we
drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it
is the Gentiles [persons
without Spiritual thoughts] who strive
for all these things;
and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But
strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these
things will be given to you as well. 34“So do not
worry [take
no thought] about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will bring worries
of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
also:
Recipe for implementing Spiritual
priorities [In Luke 6:
27-38, NRSV]
27“But
I say to you who hear: Love
your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse
you,
and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29To him who strikes you on
the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your
cloak,
do not withhold your tunic either. 30Give to everyone who asks of you.
And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31And just
as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32“But
if you love those who love
you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love
them.
33And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that
to
you? For even sinners do the same. 34And if you lend to those from whom
you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners
lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35But love your enemies, do
good,
and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great,
and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful
and evil. 36Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
37“Judge
not, and you shall not
be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and
you
will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you: good measure,
pressed
down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For
with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.[evidence
of Karma]”
[brackets and emphasis added]
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"Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.£ 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You£ must be born from above.’£ 8The wind£ blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” [NKJV]
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...
Parable of the Prodigal
Son (Luk 15: 11-32) Interpreted
Metaphysically:
"Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had
two sons. [custodians to transmit father's Spiritual legacy
into the future] 12The younger
of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the
property
[legacy
of Spiritual Truth] that will belong to me.’ So he
divided his property
between them. 13A few days later the younger son gathered all he had
and
traveled to a distant country [depart from Spiritual
Consciousness],
and there he squandered his property [legacy of Spiritual
Truth]
in dissolute
living. 14When he had spent everything, a severe famine
[effects of
absent Spiritual Consciousness] took place throughout that
country,
and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to one
of
the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the
pigs.
[ultimate
material disgrace]
16He would gladly have filled himself with the pods
that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17But when he
came to himself [remembered his Source of Spiritual Truth]
he said,
‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread
enough and to spare, but
here I am dying of hunger! 18I will get up and go to my father, and I
will
say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven [Spiritual
LAW] and before
you; 19I am
no longer worthy to be called your son [trustee of father's
Spiritual Truth]; treat me like one of your hired
hands.”[submission of ego, willingness to
acknowledge error and ask
forgiveness] ’
20So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off,
his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his
arms
around him and kissed him. 21Then the son said to him,
‘Father, I have
sinned [betrayed my Spiritual gifts and potential]
against heaven
and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. [next
custodian as Father, Source of Spiritual Truth] ’
22But the father said
to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe [cloak
of Wisdom]—the
best one—and put it on him; put a ring [symbol of
Holistic Unity]
on his finger and sandals [new Spiritual thoughts]
on his
feet. 23And get
the fatted calf [symbol of ultimate potential, fulfillment]
and
kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24for this son of mine was dead
[of
Spiritual Consciousness] and is alive again; he was lost [to
the
material world and its ego owned and operated illusory rational
intellect] and is
found!’ And they began
to celebrate. 25“Now his elder son was in the
field; and when he
came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26He called
one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27He replied,
‘Your brother
has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has
got
him back safe and sound.’ 28Then he became angry and refused
to go in.
His father came out and began to plead with him. 29But he answered his
father,[speaking from the trap of the rational mind with
reference to the
material
world] ‘Listen! For all these years I have
been working like a
slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have
never
given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.
30But
when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with
prostitutes,
you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31Then the father said
to him, [speaking
from the Spiritual Consciousness] ‘Son,
you are always with me,
and all that is mine is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and rejoice,
because
this brother of yours was dead [trapped in intellectual
consciousness and a slave to his ego vested in the material world]
and
has come to life [restored access to an awakened Spiritual
Consciousness]; he
was lost [to Spiritual Consciousness] and has been
found.’”
[explanatory brackets added]
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...
OPTIMUM GOVERNMENT
ACCORDING TO LAOTSE & THE APHORISMS
OF CONFUCIUS
When Baron K'ang Ch'i asked if it was proper to kill off the bad citizens of his realm, Confucius replied, "...What is the need of killing off people on the part of the ruler of a country? If you desire what is good, the people will become good also. The character of the ruler is like the wind, and the character of the common people is like grass, and the grass bends in the direction of the wind...A nation cannot exist without confidence in its ruler"[Yutang, Lyn, (trans,) "The Aphorisms of Confucius;" p 839]
"...Going back to one's destiny is to find the Eternal Law.
To know the Eternal Law is Enlightenment.
And not to know the Eternal Law,
Is to court disaster.He who knows the Eternal Law is tolerant;
Being tolerant he is impartial;
Being impartial he is kingly;
Being kingly he is in accord with Nature;
Being in accord with nature; he is in accord with the Tao [GOD PRINCIPLE]
Being in accord with the Tao, he is eternal;
And his whole life is preserved from harm.""Of the best rulers
The people (only) know that they exist;
The next best they love and praise;
The next they fear;
And the next they revile."[Yutang, Lyn, Laotse, (trans,) "The Book of Tao." p 591-592, brackets added]
"After Tao is lost, then (arises the doctrine of) kindness,
After kindness is lost, then (arises the doctrine of) justice,
After justice is lost, then (arises the doctrine of) Li, [ritual order and control]
Now Li is the thinning out of loyalty and honesty of heart,
And the beginning of chaos."[Yutang, Lyn, Laotse, (trans,) "The Book of Tao." p 604, brackets added]
"I have three treasures;
Guard them and keep them safe:
The first is Love.
The second is Never too much."
The third is, Never be the first in the world.
Through Love, one has no fear;
Through not doing too much, one has amplitude (of reserve power);
Through not presuming to be the first in the world,
One can develop one's talent and let it mature."[Yutang, Lyn, Laotse, (trans,) "The Book of Tao." p 618]
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. "[NRSV]
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"His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Do you now believe? Indeed
the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each
to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because
the
Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you
may
have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer,
I have overcome the world.”
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“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another."
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“My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. [John 18:36-37]
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. [John 15:12-13]
"After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. " [John 17: 1-5]
[NRSV, emphasis added]
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"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."
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..
See Fillmore, 1959/1990, p 146
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...
Karma--A
Tree and Its Fruit (Mat
14: 33-37)
“Either
make the tree good, and
its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree
is
known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things,
when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaks.
The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil
person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the
day
of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word
you
utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you
will
be condemned.”
Psalm 78
WRATH OF GOD vs "Thou shall not kill." Just one
example from scripture:
| 9
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle. 10 They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law, 11 And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them. *************** 17
But they sinned even more against HimBy rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. 18 And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy. 19 Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? 20 Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?” 21 Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel, 22 Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation. 23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven, 24 Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven. 25 Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full. 26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens; And by His power He brought in the south wind. 27 He also rained meat on them like the dust, Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas; 28 And He let them fall in the midst of their camp, All around their dwellings. 29 So they ate and were well filled, For He gave them their own desire. 30 They were not deprived of their craving; But while their food was still in their mouths, 31 The wrath of God came against them, And slew the stoutest of them, And struck down the choice men of Israel. 32 In spite of this they still sinned, And did not believe in His wondrous works. 33 Therefore their days He consumed in futility, And their years in fear. 34 When He slew them, then they sought Him; And they returned and sought earnestly for God. 35 Then they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. 36 Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue; 37 For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant. 41 Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy, 43 When He worked His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan; | 44
Turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, that they could not drink. 45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them. 46 He also gave their crops to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust. 47 He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore trees with frost. 48 He also gave up their cattle to the hail, And their flocks to fiery lightning. 49 He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, Wrath, indignation, and trouble, By sending angels of destruction among them. 50 He made a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave their life over to the plague, 51 And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, The first of their strength in the tents of Ham. 52 But He made His own people go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; 53 And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54 And He brought them to His holy border, This mountain which His right hand had acquired. 55 He also drove out the nations before them, Allotted them an inheritance by survey, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents. 38 But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, And did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, And did not stir up all His wrath; 39 For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again. 40 How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert! ***************** 56
Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,And did not keep His testimonies, 57 But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. 58 For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images. 59 When God heard this, He was furious, And greatly abhorred Israel, 60 So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men, 61 And delivered His strength into captivity, And His glory into the enemy’s hand. 62 He also gave His people over to the sword, And was furious with His inheritance. 63 The fire consumed their young men, And their maidens were not given in marriage. 64 Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation. ******************** The moral of this story?
Don't f**k with God. He can be as ruthless and
depraved as your worst human enemy!! |
The Parable of the Good
Samaritan: Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 25–37 [NRSV]
25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.£ “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan [the most despised class in Jewish culture at that time] while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii,£ gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” [emphasis added]
Current update on October 3, 2008
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