Secret Intelligence

Jesus already said, “Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, thither ye cannot come.” Thus Jesus prophesied about the theology-intoxicated modern Christians who seek Christ in the wrong theological way and do not find him. Because they do not, by meditation, lift their consciousness from the physical plane to the plane of Christ Consciousness, they never reach there.

Theological Christians picture Jesus Christ as limited by a form and the beauties of a human figure, but souls who have identified their consciousness by meditation with the universal, omnipresent consciousness which was manifest in Jesus Christ behold the cosmos as the body of Christ and the energy in it as his life and the secret Intelligence in it as his Christ Consciousness.

It is by worshipping Christ in the self-erected temple of meditation and Self-

Realization that one can be a true Christian, and be able to bring the Christ Consciousness which was in Jesus to a “second coming” within one’s own soul.

"The Pharisees therefore said unto him, 'Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.' Jesus answered and said unto them, 'though I bear record myself;

yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but

ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. ye judge after the

flesh; I judge no man.'

“'And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.'”

                                                                                                 (John 8:13-18)

The Universal Christ

“But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become

Sons of God.”

(John 1:12)

As a small cup cannot hold an ocean within it, no matter how willing it

may be to do so, likewise the cup of material human consciousness cannot

grasp the universal Christ Consciousness, no matter how desirous it is, but

when the student, by Concentration and Meditation, enlarges his consciousness in (Christ Consciousness) within his own. This is what is meant by “received Him”.

Thus, according to Jesus, all souls who can actually find their souls one with Christ Consciousness, by intuitive Self-Realization, can be called the “Sons of God”. 

The Underlying Causes of Disease

Naturopathic and Ayurvedic doctors, consider these four primary underlying causes of illness:

1.     Deficiency

2.     Toxicity

3.     Pathogens

4.     Stressors

In the most basic and essential sense, health results from proper nourishment of body, mind and spirit, elimination of harmful toxins, a strong immune system, a healthy adaptation to stress, and a strong vital force.  While these ideas are simple, it is often difficult in today’s day and age to accomplish all of these health goals.  Naturopathic Physicians, believe in the body’s ability to heal itself. Yet, if any one or a combination of the aforementioned causes of illness occur, our ability to self-heal is compromised.

Let’s break down these 4 causes in more detail:

Deficiency

Our bodies need health promoting nutrients.  We like to quantify this as more than just vitamins and minerals.  Proper nutrition is absolutely essential, but often hard to attain given how devitalized our food and water supply has become in the last hundred years.  Nutrient deficiency is common, in our opinion.  Beyond diet, however, we also categorize critical elements such as sleep and purpose in the category of deficiency.  It goes without saying how our health suffers if we aren’t sleeping well, but we propose that the same can be said for a life without purpose and direction.  Frustration and apathy may serve as examples of deficiency.

Toxicity

Toxicity receives a lot of attention in the media today, and deservedly so, The argument can be made that over time, we accumulate toxins and toxic stressors that lead to a total body burden upon our health.  Observations such as these are why detoxification and allergy elimination are often suggested by Naturopathic doctors in helping to eliminate toxins from the body in the quest to address underlying causes of illness.

Pathogens

Pathogens may cause a chronic infections .Essentially, pathogenic microorganisms like viruses or bacteria may secretly persist in our bodies causing chronic illness.  While we are always exposed to trillions upon trillions of microbes, long term health is dependent upon our immune system strength to fight off pathogens and their toxic effects.

Stressors

Stressors may come in many shapes and sizes.  Health, relationships, money, our jobs, our families, responsibilities, these are a few of the examples people cite when listing the things that stress them out.  A physical, mental, or emotional trauma may strike (or worse, persist).  All of these by themselves or in combination stress us and demand that we draw upon our reserves.  If we are not able to adapt to the stress, our health likely suffers for it.

A perspective for people on the spiritual path

For all people on the spiritual path attention needs to be paid in three areas, in order to make progress.

On the sense plane, there is the material and moral struggle between good and evil, right and wrong action.

On the psychological level we are confronted with the mind (manas) pulling the life and consciousness outward toward matter, and the pure discriminative tendencies of intelligence (buddhi), drawing the life and consciousness toward the soul.

On the spiritual level we need to overcome lower states of consciousness and dissolve all ego and sense separation from God in samadhi, the union of soul and Spirit in cosmic consciousness. We do this through devotion, prayer and meditation.

Our awareness and activity needs to be spirit or soul, rather than ego guided. We know that when spirit or soul guided we are focused on the well being of all, whereas when ego guided we primarily maintain self interest in our activities. Wisdom and bliss are the soul’s essential nature. We are made in the image and likeness of God. At times we may block this image through the misuse of our free choice, but the burden of ignorance cannot destroy God’s immortal imprint in us.

We are known by our deeds. Our actions are determined in several ways. We may be guided by free choice, by the influence of the sub-conscious mind which in yoga is referred to as karma, heredity or by our environment.

In life, we can observe anomalies between rich unhealthy and poor healthy people; some live long lives, others die at an early age; some succeed at everything they touch, others fail repeatedly; some are naturally peaceful, while others are full of anxiety. Yoga would suggest that all is the result of prenatal and postnatal influences. For example, a business person, an artist, a dogmatic, an intellectual, a lacy person, a person of Self realization, is all self-made. Very few people however use exclusively their God given power of free choice in making themselves the person they want to be. The majority of people allow their characteristics to change passively according to the patterns of passing moods caused by specific environments, or according to the helpful or harmful influence of prenatal or prenatal habits.

Prenatal habits establish themselves in the sub-conscious mind and try to influence the discriminative power of the conscious mind. We need to remember, that it is best to perform good actions primarily through the inspiration of the free choice of the soul. We know what right action is, if we take time to reflect.

In addition, we should not allow our judgment to be dictated by poor habits acquired in life. Most people do not consider the consequences of their actions until they suffer bodily pain or heartbreaking anguish.

Also to remember is that no action, inner or outer, is possible without the energizing power of our will. Will power changes thought into energy. Right intension brings right results. Thus, we need to be intentional in our activities and use our free will effectively.

Concurrently linked to our senses and habits is desire. Some saints call this the greatest enemy; because it is desire that ties the soul to delusion, the belief that sense indulgence leads to happiness.

Being without desire does not mean an ambitionless existence. It means to work for the highest and noblest goals without attachment. The desire to destroy poverty and illness is commendable and to be encourage. But, after gaining riches and health, we have to still rise above the material to ultimately reach spirit.

Yoga, an elaboration

Yoga reminds us of our spiritual practices, such as prayer, contemplation and meditation, in contrast to our everyday responsibilities and activities. In meditation we frequently refer to our inner being, the plane of the cerebrospinal axis and the seven subtle centres (chakras) in which the spiritual activity of yoga (union) takes place for the purpose of soul or Self realization.

Interfering with meditation are two opposing forces: the discriminative intelligence (buddhi) and the sense conscious mind (manas).

Buddhi or intelligence draws the consciousness toward the soul, Self; manas or the sense mind engages in external sensory activities of the body, and thus with the world of delusive relativities, or maya.

On the spiritual path we need to go past the ego. We can do this in part by impartial intuitive self analysis. We need to be able to stand aside and observe ourselves without any prejudice as we evaluate our thoughts and actions accurately.

Introspection is the power of intuition by which the consciousness can watch the thoughts. In other words, it is the impartial witness.

Intuition does not reason, it feels, not with biased emotion, but with clear, calm intention.

The awakening practicing yogi is not only confronted with the external world, which is the experience of everyone, but also with the internal restless forces arising from the mind and his desire and effort to still the mind in order to meditate.

The yogi meditates with the purpose to re-establish himself in the soul’s inner world, the subtle centres of life and consciousness in the spine and brain.

“Neither shall they say, Lo here or lo there, behold the kingdom of God is within you”. (Luke 17:21) KJV

In practical terms, it is suggested that people on the path to higher conscious living practice nightly introspection, for the purpose of living in harmony with themselves and the divine plan to draw souls back to Itself and to discern whether the benevolent or malevolent forces have won the day

The organization of the human body

The human body and mind reveals in its detailed perfection, the presence of a divine plan.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The Spirit of God, His reflection in man, is the soul. The soul according to yoga makes its entry into matter as a spark of life and consciousness when by the sperm and ovum unite. As the body develops, this original seat of life remains in the medulla oblongata, which is referred to as the mouth of God, or the gateway through which the soul makes its entrance into the body.

According to yoga, the soul is imprinted with karmically designed patterns of various phases of life to come.

When the soul enters, it is wearing two subtle bodies, a causal form which in turn is encased in an astral form. The causal body is the cause of the astral or subtle body and the physical body.

According to Sankhya Yoga, the instruments, by which we think and emote, are formed of 19 principles of the subtle or astral body.

They are:

Intelligence (Buddhi), ego (ahamkara), feeling (chitta), mind (manus sense consciousness);

5 instruments of knowledge (the subtle counterparts of the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch;

5 instruments of action: the ability to procreate, excrete, talk, walk, and exercise or manual skills;

5 instruments of prana: crystallization, assimilation, elimination, metabolization and the circulatory functions of the physical body.

These 19 powers of the astral body are what build, maintain and enliven the gross physical form.

The centres of life and consciousness from which these powers function is the astral brain (the thousand petaled lotus) of light and the astral cerebrospinal axis or Sushumna (also referred to as path of God), containing six subtle centres or chakras. These centres are located in relation to the physical body in the medulla and in the five centres in the spine: The cervical opposite the throat, dorsal opposite the heart, lumbar opposite the naval, sacral opposite the generative organs and the coccygeal, at the base of the spine.

From these centres of life and consciousness in the medulla, the seat between the eyebrows in the frontal part of the brain, one can experience Universal or Cosmic Consciousness, It is from here where the soul reigns supremely, but when the soul descends into the body consciousness and comes under the influence of maya (cosmic delusion) and avidya (individual delusion) which creates ego consciousness and separation, it takes on all the limitations of the body.

In the macrocosm of creation a struggle between Spirit and Nature is also going on. Everywhere on earth we are witnessing the silent clash between perfection and imperfection. The flawless patterns of Spirit strive ceaselessly against the distortions of maya (delusion).

Similarly in the microcosm the human body and mind are the battleground between wisdom and avidya (ignorance).

The following will illustrate the interaction between Spirit and Nature.

Purusha or Spirit and Prakriti, Nature or Energy

Purusha or Spirit is Pure Consciousness, Existence, Passive Awareness, and Bliss.

Prakriti, Nature, Energy or Maya which veils Purusha is the creative force of the universe, the first manifestation out of Purusha.

Individually Purusha is the Self in us, or the Atman in Sanskrit.

The World is not part of Purusha, as Purusha or Spirit has no parts. The World is subject to change, Purusha is changeless.

What does this tell us?

It implies that Purusha is unaffected, as a witness, by all manifestations of this energy of Prakriti or Maya.

Purusha is the sole changeless Reality.

A question we may ask is, how does a subject/object distinction exist if Prakriti or Nature is one?

Example: a person driving a car sees himself (subject) distinct from the car (object).

The answer is that the distinction is unreal, as both the person and the car are part of Maya (illusion).

We are so used thinking that the phenomenal world and all the objects in it are the only reality. But in Reality according to Yoga, only that is real which is permanent and changeless, Spirit.

It is important that we grasp this concept which indicates, that when we are in the ego state, we see ourselves as being separate from the source or Spirit (Purusha), we also see ourselves and everything else, separate from us. We need to realize, that everything in the phenomenal world is part of Maya, or is not what it appears to be.

The yogi who is fully liberated and immersed in God can say that all actions belong to the domain of delusion and should be surrendered, keeping the soul in an unbroken ecstasy with God.

In complete liberation with Spirit, all forms and action can be spoken of as delusive, for Spirit in the unmanifest state is beyond all vibrations and hence beyond all action.

The ultimate reality of all things is Purusha, is Spirit and by knowing it, all distinctions and separations vanish.

“I and the Father are one”.

                                                           John 10:30

In the above state of consciousness, good and evil becomes a figment of the ego. The Spirit (Purusha) stands as the witness. On realizing the Purusha (Spirit) or (Self) there is no creation, nor destruction. There is only One, the Infinite, God transcendent.

Our purpose is to awaken from illusion to Self and God realization, by identifying with our true nature, which is spirit rather than matter, (body, mind and ego).

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

                                                        John 3:5

What does the Bible say about the Second Coming of Christ?

Let us first take a look at Different Theological Positions

Preterism

Preterism (from the Latin praeteritus, meaning "gone by") is an approach which sees prophecy as chiefly being fulfilled in the past, especially (in the case of the Book of Revelation) during the first century

Historicism

Historicism is an approach which sees prophecy as being fulfilled in the past, present and future, including (in the case of the Book of Revelation) during the previous two millennia.

Futurism

In Futurism, parallels may be drawn with historical events, but most eschatological prophecies are chiefly referring to events which have not yet been fulfilled, but will take place at the end of the age and the end of the world.

Idealism

In Idealism, also known as "spiritual" or "nonliteral" approach, the Book of Revelation and other eschatological materials are interpreted symbolically. Different authors may interpret the judgments and resurrections on a more existential level, argue that the Beast and Babylon represent a variety of social injustices (including any corrupt or even all mortal governments, or view the recreation of the earth and the establishment of the kingdom of heaven as the general improvement of society.

The Bible states:

     

         Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:9-11)

Many, but not all, Christians believe:

    The coming of Christ will be instantaneous and worldwide. "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Matthew 24:27)

    The coming of Christ will be visible to all. "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30)

    The coming of Christ will be audible. "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."(Matthew 24:31).

    The resurrection of the righteous will occur. "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

    In one single event, the saved who are alive at Christ's coming will be caught up together with the resurrected to meet the Lord in the air. "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

In Matthew 24 Jesus states:

        For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:21, 24 NKJV)

These false Christs will perform great signs and are no ordinary people "For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." (Revelation 16:14) Satan's angels will also appear as godly clergymen, and Satan will appear as an angel of light. "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) "As his crowning miracle, Satan will claim to be Jesus" (Matthew 24:23, 24).

        As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Savior’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. (Revelation 1:13-15).

Lamb of God

After Jesus meets his followers "in the air", the marriage of the Lamb takes place: "Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Rev 19:7-8) Christ is represented throughout Revelation as "the Lamb", symbolizing the giving of his life as an atoning sacrifice for the people of the world, just as lambs were sacrificed on the altar for the sins of Israel. His "wife" appears to represent the people of God, for she is dressed in the "righteous acts of the saints". As the marriage takes place, there is a great celebration in heaven which involves a "great multitude." (Rev 19:6)

Notes on Millennialism

Two Resurrections of the dead

An interpretation of the New Testament is the understanding that there will be two resurrections. Revelation says: "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him a thousand years." (Rev 20:6) The rest of the dead "did not live again until the thousand years were finished". (Rev 20:5)

Despite this, there are various interpretations:

    According to the premillennial post-tribulational position there will two physical resurrections, separated by a literal thousand years (one in the Second Coming along with the Rapture, another after a literal 1,000 year reign);

    According to premillennial mid-tribulationists there will be three physical resurrections too (one in the rapture at the middle of tribulation, another in the Second Coming at the finale of tribulation, the last one after a literal 1,000 year reign), the first resurrection would be the resurrection in the Rapture and the resurrection in the Second Coming, the second resurrection would be after the 1,000 year reign.

   

Armageddon

The Book of Revelation states: "I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and with righteousness he judges and makes war." (Rev 19:11) We now see Christ, not as a lamb, but as a warrior, ready to make war against the forces of evil. There is a passage in Zechariah which is identified with this event: "I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped… Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations… Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with you." (Zech 14:2-5) In Matthew, Jesus says, "The sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30)

The army of heaven is described in similar terms as the resurrected and raptured believers: "The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses."(Rev 19:14) Revelation continues: "I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army." (Rev 19:19) Isaiah also speaks of such a battle: "The Lord will come with fire and with his chariots, like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword the Lord will judge all flesh, and the slain of the Lord will be many." (Isaiah 66:15-16)

In the end, according to Revelation, the Lamb and his armies are victorious and the Beast, generally identified as the Antichrist, is captured and thrown into the lake of fire, while his battle casualties are left as food for the birds. Satan, the spiritual driving force behind the beast and his armies, is imprisoned:

        I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. (Rev 20:1-3)

While only Revelation speaks of a period of a thousand years for Christ's rule on Earth, there are numerous other prophecies in both testaments concerning a future age of peace. Isaiah speaks of such a time and describes it in Edenic (a state of perfect happiness or bliss) terms (Isaiah 11):

        The wolf will dwell with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the young goat; the calf, and the young lion, and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze; their young ones will lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the cobra's hole; and the weaned child will put his hand in the viper's den. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:5-9)

Just as the physical bodies of people are changed into spiritual bodies in the resurrection , so Isaiah implies that animals will undergo a transformation which enables them to live in peace with human beings and with each other. There is no more killing, either in the human or the animal kingdoms. God reverses the covenant made with Noah in which he said, "The fear and the dread of you will be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that moves on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea." (Gen 9:2) If the passage in Isaiah is interpreted literally, a return to the vegetarian diet of Eden seems to be a natural conclusion. Gen 1:29-30

Micah expresses similarly lofty thoughts, adding that Jerusalem will be the Lord's capital in those days:

        Out of Zion the word of the law will go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation; neither will they learn war any more. But everyone will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one will make them afraid. (Micah 4:2-4)

The End of the World and the Last Judgment Satan released

According to the Bible, the millennial age of peace all but closes the history of planet Earth. However, the story is not yet finished: "When the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea." (Rev 20:7-8)

There is continuing discussion over the identity of Gog and Magog. In the context of the passage, they seem to equate to something like "east and west". There is a passage in Ezekiel, however, where God says to the prophet, "Set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshach, and Tubal, and prophesy against him." (Ezek 38:2) Gog, in this instance, is the name of a person of the land of Magog, who is ruler ("prince") over the regions of Rosh, Meshach, and Tubal. Ezekiel says of him: "You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many people with you."( Ezek 38:2)

Despite this huge show of force, the battle will be short-lived, for Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation all say that this last desperate attempt to destroy the people and the city of God will end in disaster: "I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed. I will rain down on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him: flooding rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone." (Ezek 38:22) Revelation concurs: "Fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them." ([Rev 20:9) It may be that the images of fire raining down are an ancient vision of modern weapons, others would say a supernatural intervention by God, yet others that they refer to events in history, and some would say they are symbolic of larger ideas and should not be interpreted literally.

The Last Judgment

Last Judgment

Following the defeat of Gog, the last judgment begins: "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Rev 20:10) Satan will join the Antichrist and the False Prophet, who were condemned to the lake of fire at the beginning of the Millennium.

Following Satan's consignment to the lake of fire, his followers come up for judgment. This is the "second resurrection", and all those who were not a part of the first resurrection at the coming of Christ now rise up for judgment:

    I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. And Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:11, 13-15)

John had earlier written, "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power." (Rev 20:6) Those who are included in the Resurrection and the Rapture are excluded from the final judgment, and are not subject to the second death. Due to the description of the seat upon which the Lord sits, this final judgment is often referred to as the Great White Throne Judgment.

New Jerusalem

In Isaiah, God promises a new heaven and earth: "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former will not be remembered nor come to mind." (Isa 65:17) The author of Revelation has a corresponding vision: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." (Rev 21:0)

The focus turns to one city in particular, the New Jerusalem. Once again, we see the imagery of the marriage: "I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev 21:2) In the New Jerusalem, God "will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."(Rev 21:3) As a result, there is "no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple". Nor is there a need for the sun to give its light, "for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light". (Rev 21:22-23])The city will also be a place of great peace and joy, for "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there will be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Rev 21:4)

Description

The city itself has a large wall with twelve gates in it which are never shut, and which have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on them. Each of the gates is made of a single pearl, and there is an angel standing in each one. The wall also has twelve foundations which are adorned with precious stones, and upon the foundations are written the names of the twelve apostles. The gates and foundations are often interpreted (by whom ) as symbolizing the people of God before and after Christ.

The city and its streets are pure gold, but not like the gold we know, for this gold is described as being like clear glass. The city is square in shape, and is twelve thousand furlongs long and wide (fifteen hundred miles). If these are comparable to earthly measurements, the city will cover an area about half the size of the contiguous United States. The height is the same as the length and breadth, and although this has led most people to conclude that it is shaped like a cube, it could also be a pyramid.

The Tree of Life

The city has a river which proceeds "out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." (Rev 22:1) Next to the river is the tree of life, which bears twelve fruits and yields its fruit every month. The last time we saw the tree of life was in the Garden of Eden. (Gen 2:9) God drove Adam and Eve out from the garden, guarding it with cherubim and a flaming sword, because it gave eternal life to those who ate of it. (Gen 3:22) In the New Jerusalem, the tree of life reappears, and everyone in the city has access to it. Genesis says that the earth was cursed because of Adam's sin, (Gen 3:1)] but the author of John writes that in the New Jerusalem, "there will be no more curse." (Rev 22:3)

    The rich symbolism reaches beyond our finest imaginings, not only to the beatific vision but to a renewed, joyous, industrious, orderly, holy, loving, eternal, and abundant existence. Perhaps the most moving element in the description is what is missing: there is no temple in the New Jerusalem, 'because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.' Vastly outstripping the expectations of Judaism, this stated omission signals the ultimate reconciliation.

The Major theological positions

There are diverse opinions concerning the thousand years of peace (Millennium) described in Revelation and the events associated with it.

 Some interpret a literal, future, thousand-year time period in which Christ will rule over the Earth, a time which will be characterized by peace and harmony.

 Others understand a literal age of peace, but think the "thousand years" is a figure of speech.

Still others see the Millennium as symbolic of a spiritual ideal, with no corresponding earthly condition. All of these positions fall into the category of millennialism, a broad term which includes any and all ideas relating to the millennium of Biblical prophecy.

The Dark night of the Soul according to St. John of the Cross

Saint John of the Cross  Born: June 24, 1542, was a major figure of the Counter-Reformation, a Spanish mystic, a Roman Catholic saint, a Carmelite friar and a priest.

The dark night narrates the journey of the soul to mystical union with God. St. John calls it dark night because the destination is unknowable. The mystical path to union between the soul and God follows three stages: the cleansing or purifying stage, the path to enlightenment or illumination, and the stage of union. These are difficult paths that require the soul to purge itself of its sins and appetites and discard the worldly activity of the senses and the flesh.  Only then can the soul, now purified experience the bliss of divine union.

 As in the 14 century classic, “The Cloud of Unknowing”, the text points to a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer.

Christian contemplation refers to several practices with the aim at looking at, or gazing at, being aware of God or the Divine.

Some theologians see meditation as distinct from prayer, but others do not; those who make a distinction define meditation as inwardly directed, and prayer as directed to something outside the self.

In the Christian tradition the goal of contemplative practices is moral purification and a deeper understanding of the Bible; or a closer intimacy with God/Christ, for the mystic stream of the tradition.

Contemplative prayer usually involves the silent repetition of sacred words or sentences, with focus and devotion.

Contemplative reading or contemplation involves thinking deeply about the teachings and events in the Bible.

Sitting with God is silent meditation, usually precedes contemplation or reading, in which one focus his mind, heart and soul on the presence of God.

Christian meditation aims to heighten the personal relationship based on the love of God that marks Christian communion.

Christian meditation aims to fill the mind with thoughts related to biblical pages of Christian devotion.

The bible mentions meditation about 20 times, fifteen times in the book of Psalms.

In Eastern traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Daoism) meditation is usually practiced with the purpose of transcending the mind and attaining enlightenment.

Returning to the Cloud of Unknowing.

The Cloud of unknowing was written around the year 1380 by an anonymous English monk.

The underlying message of this text is that the way to God is to abandon consideration of God’s particular activities and attributes and to surrender one’s mind and ego to God, the Realm of Unknowing, at which point one may begin to glimpse the nature of God.

If we want to have a relationship with God's love, we have to come from the heart. Being smart or well educated helps us to know about God, but God responds to humility and love, not to pride.

Between us and God, there is a cloud of unknowing. We cannot know God with words or ideas. We can only know God with love.  We have to humble ourselves and seek God with the prayer of one’s heart. We were created in God's image and prayer of the heart will inspire our relationship with Him.

If our prayer is not from humility and love, our relationship will be a fantasy that will exist only in our imagination.

When we come to this cloud of unknowing in prayer, the author suggests that we put everything and everybody we know under a cloud of forgetting, and focus our thoughts on the Lord himself and his love and our relationship with him.

When we are in love with someone, we are not thinking about what we are going to get from them. So forget about anything God is going to do for us. We need to forget about God making us rich, or happy, or healing our ailments, or our relationships. We need to put all these ideas behind a cloud of forgetting. God is a lot smarter than we are, and if we turn our life over to Him and trust Him, He will do a much better job of running our life than we ever can.

Only prayers of love from your heart can pierce the cloud of unknowing. If any thoughts pass through our mind ignore them! Love doesn't use words. Love just wants to enjoy the presence of the lover. If we have trouble keeping thoughts out of our mind, we need a word, such as love, to keep our mind busy. We need to repeat the word Love or the word God every time we find that our mind is wandering, and then our prayer comes back into focus.

What about good thoughts you may say? Ignore them! Our own thoughts come between us and God. If we let a good thought take root in our mind, our mind will start to wander into all sorts of places. Focus on the relationship with Him and His love. His love will purify our heart and heal us. Our relationship with God is everything.

There's a story in the bible where Jesus is having a meal at the home of two sisters. Martha was rushing around making sure everything was perfect, and her sister Mary was just sitting at his feet enjoying his presence. Martha started complaining that her sister was being lazy and not helping, and Jesus interrupted. He said to Martha: "don't criticize your sister, she has chosen the better thing". Our relationship with God is everything.

If we want to have a relationship with God we have to spend time with Him. And the more time we spend with Him, the more His love spills over and fills our heart. And the more of God's love we have in our heart, the more it spills over and flows into the hearts of our spouses, friends and neighbors.

God's love does not criticize, but is patient with our shortcomings, and takes every opportunity to lift us up when we fall down in order to make our life better. So the more of God's

love we have in our heart, the more patient we will be with our shortcomings and the people around us. And the more we will find opportunities to make their lives better. Then we'll find that people will respond to us in the same manner. So every time we find yourself criticizing someone’s behavior, remember God's patience with us, and just love them. A perfect lover only remembers love.

Sometimes in this prayer, we will experience feelings of bliss, and all sorts of wondrous things. Yet we need to ignore them, not be attached to them, otherwise it engages our mind and makes it wander.

Feelings, miracles, and the thoughts are often imaginations of our brain and mind; they all belong to the earth, to matter. They do not belong to Spirit. They can only distract us from our relationship or union with God. They can also lead to pride. They come between us and God and separate us from His love. We need to look past them, and seek God for Himself and His love and His relationship with us.

So where is God? Does he sit on his throne beyond the stars? Is this cloud of unknowing in the sky somewhere? The author implies, don't strain your imagination thinking about this. Forget time, place, and your own body. Don't look for God beyond the stars or within your heart or anywhere! When you forget what time it is, where you are, and forget your own body -- spiritually you are everywhere! For God is beyond the beyond, and if you are to find him, you are going to have to go into the nowhere, into silence. So when you pray, find God in the nowhere and stay there as long as you are able.

Ascent to Higher Realities

The apparent complexity of the ascent of the soul from the darkness of matter to Spirit resolves itself into a single-pointed vision. Once we take up a correct perspective, a perspective which leads to divine union, our attachment to the material is laid to rest.

This union cannot be achieved through sense knowledge, or by one’s spiritual ideas and feelings about God. For this reason, we need to analyze how our attachment to worldly things and even spiritual good can hinder our attainment of God union. In fact, it is the attachment to spiritual blessings in the form of the consolation of prayer, visions and revelations that can pose the most dangerous obstacles to us, because they are felt to be a blessing and for this reason we attach ourselves to them.

We need to embrace a complete detachment from all that is not God and realize that what we give up is replaced by something much better. It is the giving up of temporal and worldly desires and replacing them with spiritual aspirations. Finally we must give up even our spiritual desires in order to attain to full liberation. This is the prelude to the beginning of contemplation and meditation, leading one to Divine union.

Some teachers try to tell us that the cause of the deluded soul is attributable to the fact that the soul is like a tabula rasa (a clean slate) when God infuses it into the body. It would be ignorant without the knowledge it receives through its senses, because no knowledge is communicated to it from any other source. But in fact we experience the darkness or sadness of the soul when it identifies itself with the body. It’s like the presence of a prisoner in a dark dungeon, which knows no more than what he manages to behold through the windows of his prison and has nowhere else to turn if he sees nothing through them.

The reason why the mortification of desire is so important is that a disordered desire creates a likeness between the person and what he desires, for love effects a likeness between the lover and the object loved. If a person has inordinate desires for things other than God, he or she becomes made over in their likeness and cannot be made in the likeness of God. This dual affection cannot exist because two contraries cannot coexist in one person; darkness which is affection set upon the material and light which is God are contrary to each other.

The conclusion is that if a man becomes like the limited object of his desire, he cannot realize his potential to be transformed into the likeness of the infinite God. Such transformation demands that the will of man be completely in accord with the will of God, and any voluntary imperfection is enough to create an obstacle to this transformation.

This concept forms the general context to the beginning of contemplation and meditation, the way of dispelling the dark through the inner way of one’s being. The denial of the appetites of sense pleasure in all things leads to attainment of the divine union with God.

We need to come to the understanding that our soul once united with the Spirit of God is eternally free and that we do not have to die for this to occur. But prior to this we need to be clear that rather than identifying with our body and mind, we need to identify with the Spirit within and realize that we are spiritual beings and not beings wanting to become spiritual. This union can be likened to a loving mother who warms her child with the heat of her bosom, nurses it with good milk and tender food, and carries and caresses it in her arms.

So prior to God union we are attracted to the things of the world, but through a dramatic change that has taken place, the soul which had been circumscribed by the attraction of the outer world now becomes inflamed with love for spiritual things and the love for the world is replaced by the love for the things of God. Undoubtedly, we need to make strong efforts to break with our former habits, but these efforts are powerfully aided by the new yearnings of love that have sprung up from within. The transition occurs with an enkindling of longings for the love of God.

Meditation is the spiritual activity; the feeling of love is the soul’s response. The two together forms a harmonious unity which is best described as spiritual awakening or religious ecstasy.

Before this conversion occurs, we are bound to the world and its allurements, and our attention, affection, energy and faculties are devoted to worldly things. By means of the senses; we looked outward through the senses toward the world.

Conversion means change from the outer to the inner. When this happens the new spiritual yearnings take the place of the attraction of the world. The new attraction that arises in the spiritual part of the soul begins to counterbalance the sensible attraction for the world and soon overpowers it. The net effect of initial conversion is that the desire for temporal things becomes an appreciation of spiritual things. The two are, in fact, opposite perspectives from the same vantage point. Another way of explaining this process is by saying that grace must initially take man as he is.

These words can be summarized as follows: the beginner experiences a growing difficulty in meditation through no conscious neglect. This difficulty in the ability to meditate goes hand-in-hand with a desire to remain still and at peace, resting in a new contemplative knowledge of God that is being given to him. Though this knowledge is very faint and sometimes imperceptible at the beginning, it soon grows more and more conscious when one learns what attitude to take up in regard to it. He then recognizes the presence of God within.