“Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (Matthew 8:22)

Another follower of Jesus said to him, “Master, let me first go and bury my father.” “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead,” replied Jesus. (Matthew 8:21-22 Lost Gospels)

How can the 'dead bury their dead'?

This is a metaphorical statement by Jesus, steeped in meaning.

The Lost Gospels Version is used here because many of the translations insert the word "own" as in "their own dead." The Greek does not indicate this. Inserting "own" subtly changes the meaning of Jesus' statement.

If Jesus was saying "their own dead" he would be indicating that it is still okay to bury "our dead." This is not Jesus' intention. He was speaking of the futility of honoring a dead, lifeless body.

Jesus is also using 'dead' metaphorically. The first instance refers to a person who is spiritually dead, while the second instance refers to a dead physical body.

Typically, dead corpses are honored by those who worship materialism. For those who confuse life with matter, a dead corpse appears important.

When we look at a dead body it is easy to discern that the living personality has left. The body becomes lifeless. Though we cannot see the living personality, we can know the living person has left, because the body no longer exhibits the goals and objectives of the living being. The personality has gone.

Most people instinctively appreciate this, simply because we say the dead person has "left us" or "passed away." Where have they gone, if the body is still there? If the body is still there, and we are all just physical bodies, then why do people lament when someone dies? They lament because they instinctively know the living self has left them.

This indicates, quite simply, that the living self is invisible to the physical eyes. We cannot see the living self with the physical eyes because the living being within is spiritual, not material. This, by the way, is also why we cannot see the Supreme Being with our physical eyes. Because the Supreme Being, too, is a Spiritual Being.

This is why Jesus taught:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” (Matthew 6:25)

This spiritual identity is in the realm of the spiritual world - heaven. This is the realm of the Supreme Being’s existence. Because each of us rejected the Supreme Being at some point in our past (symbolized by Adam’s rejection of God’s request not to eat the fruit - a decision not to do God’s will) we were assigned to these temporary bodies:

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21).

What are "garments of skin"? Are we talking animal skins or something? Don't be ridiculous.

The "garments of skin" are these temporary physical bodies we are wearing. These bodies “of skin” allow us to exercise our self-centered desires independent of the Supreme Being.

At the same time, however, the Supreme Being designed this physical world to hopefully teach us that only by returning to our loving relationship with God will we be happy.

This, in the end, is our decision. Love cannot be forced. We have the choice to love God or not. We can certainly choose to continue our focus upon this dead physical world if we wish - and remain spiritually dead.

Do we die when the body dies?

Jesus' statement underscores the difference between the spiritual self and the body. The body is a vehicle of the living self - the spirit-person within. The person within who drives this vehicle for a few decades eventually leaves the body, whereupon the body begins to decompose.

Therefore, it makes no sense to focus on this dead body. Nothing will be accomplished by mourning over a dead body. The self has left this body so there is nothing remaining to be concerned about. This was Jesus' message in this statement.

Jesus’ concern was for the living self. His concern is that we become free of our self-centered, greedy behavior, and return to a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. Jesus was teaching us to return home after we leave the body. Once the self is gone from the body, the body begins to decompose. It is an empty shell. The spirit-person who gave the body life is gone, and only a rotting corpse is left.

Many sectarian teachings create confusion between the spirit-person within and the physical body. The focus is upon burial and gravesites. Some institutions teach about “dancing on the grave” and so on.

These are pure speculative myths. They have nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus. Such teachings are dead. They have no life in them because their focus is on the physical body - which is dead without the spirit.

Jesus here clarifies his situation: The dead body is worthless. He came to save the living with his teachings. His teachings are for the living and about the living. He is asking the living self within the body to focus upon the Supreme Being, learn to love the Supreme Being, and do the Supreme Being's will. These instructions enable spiritual happiness: life.

A spiritually dead person, on the other hand, is one who is focused upon the temporary physical elements of this material world. This spiritually unfulfilled person focuses on materialism.

The spiritually dead person focuses on fame and attention. The spiritually dead person focuses upon cars, houses, food and so many other material items. These material objects are also dead. They give no life. They bring no love and no fulfillment. Therefore they are lifeless.

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child ..." (Matthew 10:21-23)

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, and he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." (Matthew 10:21-23)

What is Jesus warning about?

In sending out his disciples and students to teach the message that Jesus was handing down to them, Jesus is warning them about their future persecution at the hands of the Roman and temple officials.

He is also discussing the effects of the brewing violence in the decades to come against the Judean people by the Romans, in what historians refer to as the Jewish-Roman Wars.

During those years, the Romans burned Judean towns and cities and murdered thousands if not millions of Judean citizens in Jerusalem and the surrounding towns and cities. It was a massacre of massive proportions - during which Jerusalem was burned to the ground - and the Judean people scrambled to stay alive. This sometimes pitted them against their own family members as the Romans began interrogating people, looking for rebel instigators.

Have some teachers misled us about the end of the world?

Yes. Just consider a shortlist of the many sectarian teachers who have misled their followers about their interpretation of the "second coming" of Jesus and impending apocalypse. They have been wrong for over 1,600 years:

Hilary of Poitiers: 365 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Martin of Tours: 375 to 400 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Hydatius (Bishop of Aquae) 482 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Sextus Julius Africanus: 500 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Hippolytus of Rome: 500 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Beatus of Leibana: 793 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Gregory of Tours: 799 to 800 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Thiota: 847 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Pope Sylvester II: 1000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Gerard of Poehlde: 1147 AD (predicted doomsday date)
John of Toledo: 1179 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Joachim of Fiore: 1205 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Pope Innocent III: 1284 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Joachimites: 1290 and 1335 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Jean de Roquetaillade: 1368 and 1370 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Amaldus de Villa Nova: 1378 (predicted doomsday date)

Thomas Muntzer: 1525 AD  (predicted doomsday date)

Johannes Stoffler: 1524 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Hans Hut (Anabaptist): 1528 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Melchior Hoffman (Anabaptist): 1533 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Jan Matthys (Anabaptist): 1534 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Martin Luther (Augustinian monk): 1600 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Christopher Columbus: 1658 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Joseph Mede: 1660 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Sabbatai Zevi: 1648 and 1666 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Fifth Monarchists: 1666 and 1673 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Benjamin Keach (Baptist): 1689 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Pierre Jurieu: 1689 AD (predicted doomsday date)

John Mason (Anglican): 1694 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Johan Heinrich Alsted (Calvinist): 1694 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Cotton Mather (Puritan): 1697, 1716 and 1736 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Henry Archer (Fifth Monarchist): 1700 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa: 1700 to 1734 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Camisards: 1705 and 1708 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

William Whitson: 1736 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Emanuel Swedenborg (Lutheran): 1757 AD (predicted doomsday date)

The Shakers (Ann Lee): 1792 and 1794 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Cardinal Pierre d'Ailly: 1789 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Charles Wesley (Methodist): 1794 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Christopher Love (Presbyterian): 1805 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Margaret McDonald: 1830 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Joseph Smith (Mormon): 1832 and 1891 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Johann Albrecht Bengel (Lutheran): 1846 AD (predicted doomsday date)

John Wesley (Methodist founder): 1836 AD (predicted doomsday date)

William Miller (Millerites founder): 1843 and 1844 AD (predicted doomsday dates)
George Rapp (Harmony Society founder): 1847 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Harriet Livermore: 1847 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Ellen White (Seven Day Adventists): 1850, 1856 and "early 1900s" AD (predicted doomsday dates)

John Cumming: 1862 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Joseph Morris (Mormon): 1862 AD (predicted doomsday date)

John Wroe (Christian Israelite Church): 1863 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Jonas Wendell and other Adventist preachers: 1863, 1874, 1870 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Mother Shipton: 1881 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Wovoka (Ghost Dance): 1890 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Catholic Apostolic Church: 1901 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses): 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975, 1994 and others more recent. (predicted doomsday dates)

Margaret Rowen (Seventh-Day Adventist): 1920 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Spencer Perceval (Catholic Apostolic Church): 1926 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Wilbur Glenn Voliva: 1935 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Herbert Armstrong (Worldwide Church of God founder): 1936 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Florence Houteff (Branch Davidians): 1959 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Johann Bischoff (New Apostolic Church): 1951 and 1960 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Jim Jones (People's Temple cult): 1967 AD (predicted doomsday date)

George Williams (Church of the Firstborn): 1969 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Herbert Armstrong (Worldwide Church of God): 1972 AD (predicted doomsday date)

John Wroe (Christian Israelite Church): 1977 AD (predicted doomsday date)

William Branham (evangelist): 1977 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Chuck Smith (Calvary Chapel): 1981 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Pat Robertson (evangelist): 1982 and 2007 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Lester Sumrall (Pentecostal): 1985 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Edgar Whisenant: 1988 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Elizabeth Clare (Summit Lighthouse): 1990 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Rollen Stewart: 1992 AD (predicted doomsday date)

David Berg (The Family): 1993 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Harold Camping: 1994, 1995, 2011 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Ronald Weinland (Church of God): 2011 and 2012 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Aggai: 1997 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Marshall Applewhite (Heavens Gate cult): 1997 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Archbishop James Ussher: 1997 AD (predicted doomsday date)

James Gordon Lindsay (Christ for the Nations): 1999 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Jerry Falwell (evangelist): 2000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Ed Dobson: 2000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Lester Sumrall: 2000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Jonathan Edwards (Congr. Protestant): 2000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

David Meade: 2017 and 2018 AD (predicted doomsday dates)
These misleading ("false prophet") predictions have continued to this day.

Why do we continue to believe these false prophets and their predictions? It is because they base their prediction on an erroneous interpretation of Jesus' statement here and elsewhere.

What does 'before the Son of Man comes' mean?

Jesus is speaking of what will come for his followers in the decades to come. We know he is talking about an event that will occur within decades, because he says, "you will not finish going through the cities of Israel ..." This is not describing an apocalypse to come thousands of years later. It is describing something that will occur for them personally, in their generation.

Indeed, this statement would make no sense unless Jesus is speaking of something that will occur within a short time from the time he is saying it. When Jesus says, "you" he is speaking to those around him. Obviously, he is speaking of events that will occur during their lifetimes.

What event will be occurring within decades that bears this appearance of Jesus? And how does this relate to his disciples completing going through all the towns of Israel? And how is it connected with the coming persecution of his disciples, which Jesus is saying that "he who stands firm to the end will be saved"? What does Jesus refer to when he says to his disciples "to the end"?

Many have proposed that Jesus is speaking of his "second coming" - construed as a time somewhere in the distant future when he will return when the end of the world comes and gather all his faithful and bring them to heaven. They usually depict Jesus arriving on the clouds - sometimes on horseback - carrying a big sword to chop everyone's heads off.

This is speculation. Jesus never described such an event. In this conversation, Jesus is speaking specifically to his disciples, as he instructs them to go out and pass on his teachings. He knows that he will soon be departing his body and returning to the spiritual world, and he wants his disciples to continue spreading his teachings. Remember that just before this he says:

"But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." (Matt. 10:19-20)

So Jesus is instructing his disciples how to deal with the coming events they will each directly deal with as they speak on God's behalf.

The word "comes" is being translated from the Greek word ἔρχομαι (erchomai). This word can mean "to come" or "to appear" when used in a practical, physical sense according to the lexicon. But when used metaphorically as Jesus is speaking, it can mean "find place or influence" and to "be established."

Jesus is not speaking to people thousands of years into the future as some would like to imagine. Rather, he is speaking of something that would happen in the coming decades, as the Romans slaughter the Judeans.

Jesus is telling them that his teachings and influence will become established and will arise as things get heavy with the Romans. As they scramble for survival, they will take refuge in Jesus' teachings. His teachings will provide them with refuge, and a pathway back home at the time of death.

Was Jesus speaking of their time of death?

Jesus is telling them that his teachings and influence will become increasingly established. As they teach, and later scramble for survival, they will increasingly take refuge in Jesus' teachings. His teachings will provide them with refuge, and a pathway to God at the time of death.

The phrase "the Son of Man comes" is better translated to "the Servant of Humanity will arise." (Here is an explanation of the translation to "servant of humanity")

Jesus is speaking of both possibilities with this metaphorical reference. If they survive, he will provide them with the solace of his teachings. But if they are killed, he will be there for them at their time of death - as he will escort them back to the spiritual realm.

In modern language, we often use a similar type of metaphor. We may say, "your time will come" when something will happen to them that they deserve. Or one may say, "when the opportunities arise." In either case, what will transpire in the future is conceptual. It is related to influence or occurrences in the future.

Remember that Jesus says before this, "All men will hate you because of me." In other words, he is telling them that if they stand firm in their conviction to Jesus' teachings, even though they will be hated and persecuted because of it, he will be there for them. This can happen as they withstand persecution or at their time of death if they get killed. In either case, Jesus will be effectively saving them.

Jesus' statement is connecting their coming persecution to his teachings providing refuge to them "in the end" when he says, "When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another."

What does Jesus mean by 'in the end'?

Yet they will not be able to "flee" "in the end." What does this mean? This means their body will eventually be killed.

In this way, Jesus is specifically connected with their persecution and potentially death at the hands of those who "hate you because of me."

Instead of simply saying they will be killed, he uses the word "arise." Why?

Jesus did not teach that when the body dies, it is all over.

He also did not teach that we would wait around in some imaginary purgatory state for some speculative time thousands of years in the future when the end of the world would come.

He taught that the spirit (the self or personality) within the body moves on after the physical body dies. This can be observed scientifically because when we see a dead body, the life (the self) is gone from that body. The body becomes lifeless because the spirit-person self has left. And for those who have dedicated their lives to following Jesus' instructions, he will be coming for them after death.

The fact that we leave our bodies at the time of death has been scientifically confirmed in clinical death experiences. In many of these cases, many have described the same event: Being met by Jesus after their time of death.

This means that Jesus appeared to them at the time of death.

Jesus also clarifies here what being “saved” is. Some sectarian institutions and their teachers often teach that being “saved” means professing our allegiance to Jesus in a proclamation that states something like “I surrender to Jesus.” This proclamation is often portrayed emotionally in a public place for everyone to see, qualifying that person to be accepted by their fellow church members. In other words, this act is often used simply to gain the respect of others.

Jesus describes clearly how a person is saved: "he who stands firm to the end will be saved." He is telling his disciples that despite being persecuted, ridiculed and threatened, the person who remains committed to following Jesus' teachings will be saved. This means having determination. It means follow-through.

Will we be saved if we proclaim that we surrendered to Jesus?

Consider Jesus' view of the public proclamations of "I surrender to Jesus" currently encouraged by many sectarian institutions:

“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will come to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:21-23)

So it isn't enough to make proclamations about Jesus. It isn't enough to do lofty deeds in the name of Jesus, even if they include healing people, driving out demons, and other 'miracles.'

What matters to Jesus, and what ultimately saves a person is described clearly by Jesus:

"only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

A person who does the will of another wants to please that person. This is love. Love means wanting to please someone else. Jesus wants his disciples - and all of us - to learn to love the Supreme Being and live to please the Supreme Being.

According to Jesus, if we "stand firm" in our efforts to devote ourselves to God, we will ultimately be saved.

“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man ..." (Matthew 13:37-40)

“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:37-40)

Who are the 'sons of the kingdom'?

Jesus makes this statement after the disciples asked him to explain the parable he told the crowd about the weeds in the field. Here Jesus confirms the relationships described previously.

Remember that we've shown that in this context, the Greek word υἱός (huios) is not best translated to "son", but, as taken from the Greek lexicon, "one who depends on another or is his follower." Thus “devoted follower” or even "loving servant" would be the most appropriate translation within this context. So when we see the translation "son of God" in the Bible, this is more appropriately translated to "loving servant of God" or "devoted follower of God."

This also fits with that puzzling translation, "Son of Man." How could someone be simultaneously the "son of God" and the "Son of Man," and what the heck is a 'Son of Man' anyway? Rather (using the correct translation of υἱὸς (huios) as "loving servant") we can properly translate Jesus' self-ascription as the “servant of humanity,” because he was devoted to the welfare of humanity, as well as being a loving servant of God.

This only makes sense. Jesus is God’s loving servant and representative. He is teaching humankind the Truth about God and life. As his mission is the welfare of humanity, he is thus humbly ascribing himself to be the servant of humanity.

This also explains why Jesus is using "Son of Man" [servant of humanity] in the third person. Who speaks like this? Does a person named John say, "the one who planted the field was John" when they planted it? No. They will simply say, "I planted the field."

Thus we can see that Jesus is referring to "Son of Man" [servant of humanity] as a role, rather than exclusively himself. Yes, he is saying - as confirmed elsewhere - that indeed, he is occupying this role. But he is also recognizing - as he often quoted Moses, David, and other prophets - that others have also occupied this role.

Jesus is planting the “seeds” of love for God and loving service to the Supreme Being. Here the translation says “the good seed stands for the sons [loving servants] of the kingdom.” This confirms the proper translation of “loving servants” rather than “sons.” How could anyone be a son of a kingdom? We are talking about those who are servants of God. A servant of God is one who loves and cares for God and all of God’s children. They are therefore being a “servant of the kingdom.”

Loving service to God and His children is the essence of the kingdom of God. The word translated to "kingdom" here is βασιλεία (basileia), which does not mean a physical kingdom. As described in the lexicon, it refers to "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom." Thus Jesus is speaking of God's authority or dominion and the consciousness that respects that authority and dominion.

Who is the 'evil one'?

The phrase “evil one,” is translated from πονηρός (ponēros), which means full of labors, annoyances, hardships" and "bad, of a bad nature or condition." Thus Jesus is not referring to a separate person. He is describing a particular consciousness. What is that consciousness?

It is the consciousness of rejecting our relationship with the Supreme Being. It is the consciousness of self-centeredness, resulting in greed, lust, and consequential hardships.

What is the 'end of the age'?

Sectarian interpretations would have us believe Jesus is describing someday in the future where Jesus will return and separate those who follow his teachings and throw the rest into a fiery hell.

Actually, the concept of the "end of the age" that Jesus is referring to is the moment of death. For each of us, this is the end of the time we have spent within the physical body - the end of the age. Our bodies age, and then there is the end of the aging - death.

When our body dies, the living being (or soul) leaves the body. This is why the body decomposes. After we leave this body we will continue on our educational journey as a soul. The "end of the age" of this lifetime is the time of death.

Each of us is on our own personal journey. The goal is to grow spiritually. This physical lifetime is meant to teach us lessons and help us to learn to love. Should we learn these lessons and learn to love we will progress. Otherwise, we will return to continue our learning experiences.

Where will they 'throw them'?

The concept of the 'fiery furnace' is metaphorical. Jesus is not referring literally to a furnace. It is not as if there is a big furnace somewhere where people are thrown into.

Actually, we will each leave these physical bodies at the time of death. But it is where we go and what happens to us that can be analogous to the concept of a fiery furnace.

Jesus is speaking about consequences. This physical world is designed for each of us to learn from our past through consequences. If we harm others, we must experience what we caused to others. This helps us learn.

If we do not suffer consequences during this lifetime, we will have to take on another body and suffer those consequences in another body.

This is why, for example, some babies are born into situations of suffering. A soul may be born into the body of a human or another type of body. Each body is subjected to a particular range of environmental exposure - good and bad - depending upon that soul's past activities.

These kinds of exposures can inflict the kind of painful response that Jesus is referring to. Jesus is referring to consequences - suffering as a result of harming others.

The "fiery furnace" that Jesus is referring to is the fear, violence, and bloodshed that could exist for any of us in a future lifetime of consequence.

The human form of life is a life of consciousness, and a bridge back to our relationship with God should we use it correctly.

At the point of death, the spirit-person rises out of the body (as confirmed scientifically by thousands of clinical death experiences). Where we go next is determined by our consciousness and our activities. We make the choice.

Have the early teachings of Jesus been corrupted?

There is a significant amount of evidence that Jesus taught the transmigration of the soul (living being) from the body. This is the meaning of resurrection. To resurrect means to rise up from the physical body. The spirit-self will rise from the body at the time of death. Where it does is determined by the consciousness and activities of that spirit-person.

There is undeniable evidence that this was also taught among the early Christian and Jewish philosophies. We find distinct writings of Origen Adamantius (185-254), an early Christian scholar and devoted theologian. Origen was favored and honored by early Christian bishops and even though he was murdered by the Romans in 250 AD, today he is recognized as one of the earliest fathers of the Christian Church.

Origin's many writings and translations of the ancient Hebrew texts and the texts of the new testament clearly expounded an accepted understanding that we are each a soul (spirit) who is evolving and transmigrating through multiple lifetimes of physical bodies. As we evolve, he taught, we either ascend towards a return to God or descend away from Him into the bodies of beasts and lower forms of life.

As the soul perfects its relationship with God, Origen wrote, the soul would return home to God. His writings illustrated that not only did he believe in the “pre-existence of souls” but gauging by his acceptance among early Christian society, many other Christian scholars of that time agreed with this teaching. Where did it come from if not the teachings of Jesus?

Origen also compiled the famous Hexapla, which was a translation of six versions of the Old Testament, compared side by side in order to elucidate the core meanings from these various versions. It is thought that the LXX and Septuagint evolved from the passage of one of Origen’s columns, which still makes up the backbone of many Old Testament translations used by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Origen’s perspectives were pervasively embraced within the early Church and throughout Alexandria during the third century, and even were reflected in many of St. Augustine's writings.

Did the Roman Emperor shut it down?

This all changed in the fourth century, however. The Roman Emperor Constantine organized the First Council of Nicaea with Bishop Eusebius. This politically oriented council is also referred to as the Synod of Nicene of 325 AD.

This and the Second Council of Ephesus in 449 put together by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II, led to the creation of the Roman Catholic Church.

These and other councils were organized by the Roman government to develop a political culture among the bishops and priests from churches throughout Europe and the Middle East. These councils were formed with political intention - to organize the Christian world under Rome.

They were designed to define the teachings of Jesus so the populace could be controlled. The councils voted on and established doctrines and interpretations of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. They defined who Jesus was and what his role was. As if Jesus' teachings could be defined through political negotiation.

The Romans also made the final approval on which "books" of the Bible were acceptable. They oversaw the creation of the "Bible" as we know it today. There were, evidenced by scrolls found in the desert centuries later, many other descriptions of Jesus' life and teachings. Yet under the management of the Romans, only certain manuscripts were accepted and others were destroyed and otherwise removed from the record.

The Roman Emperor Constantine appointed Eusebius to organize this process and select a team of translators, who edited the translations of the 'authorized' books of the Bible. They deleted some verses and manipulated others to achieve a final text known as the Vaticanus, laying the foundation for what we now know as the Bible.

This is why the life and teachings of Jesus often seem very curious, with many gaps and a narrow period of his life. The rest was excluded for political purposes.

Still, we can find that many of Jesus' statements still reflect at least part of his total teachings, even if they are a bit obscured by the translations. In other words, God made sure that enough of Jesus' real teachings were preserved, enabling those with the vision to understand their meaning.

While the politically-driven councils of sectarian institutions would like us to believe otherwise, the "harvest" Jesus refers to comes at the time of death - the end of our "age."

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."

Jesus is saying that at the time of death, the sum of our consciousness will carry us to our next destination. Those who have lived lives focused upon God return to Him and His personal spiritual kingdom. This is the dimension of love and loving service, where there is no fear, and only love. This is our home. This is where we belong.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net ...” (Matthew 13:47-51)

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:47-51)

What does the 'net' symbolize in Jesus' analogy?

Here Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a net let down to catch fish. Why a net? A net symbolizes the effort that the Supreme Being makes to bring us back to Him. 

In more practical terms, the net descends at the death of the physical body. Every physical body will die. At the time of death the soul, the spirit-person, will leave the physical body and ascend into the realm of the spirit.

It is here that our consciousness and activities during this lifetime are accounted for. This moment, also characterized as "judgment day" is compared by Jesus to the fishermen sorting out the fish.

Notice that the "bad" fish are "thrown away" in Jesus' parable. What does "thrown away" mean? 

Since the fishermen are on the shore, it means the fish are thrown back into the water.

This is particularly important because Jesus then compares the fishermen separating the fish with angels who will separate the "wicked from the righteous."

In this case, Jesus describes how the angels will treat the "wicked." He says they will, "throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

What does this mean from a practical standpoint?

How will the 'angels come and separate the wicked'?

Once we leave our physical body at the time of death, each of us is sorted according to our consciousness and activities carried out during our lifetimes, just as the fishermen sorted the fish in Jesus' parable: "Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away."

The concept of the fish being "thrown away" in Jesus' analogy means those fish were thrown back into the water. In the same way, those who have not attempted to develop a more spiritual, loving consciousness, and growing closer to God will need more development. This means we will be tossed back into the physical world to continue learning.

Yes, this physical world is set up for learning. We are each given a physical body that is equipt for experiencing physical pleasure and physical pain. This accompanies a mind that can experience psychological pleasure and psychological pain.

This physical world is designed as a place of consequences. This means consequences that reflect not only what effects we have had on others, (“as you sow, so shall you reap”) but also to our level of learning.

For example, a person may have committed a wrong against someone else and feels very sorry. They regret what they did. Such a person may still suffer consequences for that action. But the consequences will also be relative to the degree of learning they have experienced.

The purpose of consequences is not punitive. It is rehabilitative. A person who has empathy and understands the harm they have done and feels sorry, the consequences will reflect that.

But a person who commits a wrong against someone and does not feel they have done anything wrong will typically receive the brunt of the consequences. That is because they need to not only learn what they did was wrong. They will also need to learn what it was like bearing the brunt of what harm they caused to someone else.

This can also occur to some degree within many legal systems, as judges and juries will also take into account the remorse of the person on trial.

This is similar to the way consequences work on the physical world because this is a place designed by God to help us to grow spiritually - which means learning about love and how to love others. This is preparation for learning to redevelop our loving relationship with God.

If we have utilized our life to grow spiritually, then according to Jesus, we may not be "thrown away" - which means being put back into the physical world to begin another lifetime of learning.

What about the 'gnashing of teeth and weeping'?

What is the physics of this? The body is dead. The teeth are decomposing. How can decomposing teeth gnash? The eyes also decompose so there can be no weeping. 

The only way for this to occur is if the spirit-person is given a new body, complete with teeth that can “gnash” and eyes that can “weep.”

After the death of this body, the self-centered soul will be put back into another physical body in new circumstances. And what might those circumstances be? They will be specifically supplied in the form of a unique physical body and environment - designed precisely to learn certain lessons and face consequences for choices made in a previous lifetime.

This also answers that question posed by many about why there is suffering in the world. Why are some born into situations where they are subject to starvation, war, and rape, while others are born into wealthy families in relatively safe regions? Why are some born into healthy bodies and others born into sick or deformed bodies? Does this mean that God is not fair - they ask?

The Supreme Being is certainly fair. Those who are born into hellish situations are experiencing the consequences of what they inflicted upon others. They are experiencing suffering precisely as they caused others to suffer.

The Supreme Being set up a perfect system. We get put into precisely the situations we created for others when we had a choice. This is the true definition of "reaping what we have sown." This also allows the state of "gnashing of teeth and weeping" that Jesus is describing.

Each of us who occupies a physical body is living in a relative degree of hell, depending upon our consciousness and consequences from past activities. Our body is designed to teach us specific lessons. And whatever our body's physical suffering, it is caused by our previous choices and/or the lessons we need to learn.

But we are always offered a way out of this hellish dimension. This is Jesus' point.

Should we choose to use our lifetimes to re-develop our relationship with the Supreme Being, we will be like the "good fish" of Jesus' parable. 

What does the 'end of the age' mean?

What does Jesus mean by the “end of the age”? Many have speculated a point in time in the future where the world ends and everyone is judged and sent to their respective places. This "apocalypse" scenario has been predicted by preachers and priests for centuries yet the end of the world has not come yet. Were they lying to us?

The problem with this theory is: Where do all the people go who die before this "apocalypse" arrives? To cover this “end of the age” interpretation, ecclesiastical teachers and their institutions have conjured a speculative concept called “purgatory.” This concept assumes that people will just wait in a limbo state after they die, waiting for the “end of the age.”

This would mean, of course, that billions upon billions of people have been waiting in this limbo state for thousands of years (all the way back to the dawning of man?). This ridiculous postulation means that trillions of people are hanging out in this purgatory state, all waiting to be judged and waiting for the "second coming." What are they doing all this time? Is it like a big Cocoon movie or something? Does this really make sense? And where did Jesus (or any prophet) say this?

This concept of purgatory is simply speculation based upon mistranslated and misinterpreted text. The word "age" is translated from the Greek word αἰών (aiōn), which means, according to the lexicon: "period of time, age."

The "age" that Jesus is speaking of is the "age" related to the lifespan of those he is speaking to. What other "age" could he be speaking of? Isn't he speaking personally to people regarding their spiritual welfare? Certainly, Jesus is not a historian, speaking in terms of a certain future event in time, an event that would occur outside the timeframe of those he was speaking to.

Thus, the “end of the age” Jesus spoke of relates to that day each physical body dies. Each of our bodies have an “age” right? And there is a day and time when each body dies, right? At this point, it is the end of our aging, right? So it is merely logical to conclude that the “end of the age” for each of us is the day each of our bodies dies.

The event of bodily death is common to each of us. Every body must die. Therefore, each of us shares a common event: our bodies will die, and they will cease to age, and thus this is the "end of the age."

What takes place upon our leaving the body at the time of death? This has been confirmed among thousands of cases of clinical death: Once a person's body clinically dies, the person floats above the body, watching it as it lies at the deathbed. 

Jesus makes it clear in his statement that we are judged for our lifetimes and the angels will separate the "wicked from the righteous."

The word "righteous" comes from the Greek word δίκαιος (dikaios), which means "observing divine laws" according to the lexicon. The essence of "divine laws" according to Jesus and Moses is to love the Supreme Being with all our hearts and love others.

At the time of our body's death (the "end of the age") we will be able to leave this hellish dimension and return to the spiritual dimension. We will be carried back home by the angels into the loving arms of God, Who has been patiently awaiting our return to Him.

Why has this been misunderstood?

The key reason Jesus' statement has been misinterpreted is because of a lack of understanding regarding our identity. This is the key essence of Jesus' teachings:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." (Matthew 10:27)

“Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:22)

"The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 25:42 and Mark 14:39)

"But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." (Luke 12:5)

Jesus is clear: bodies do not dance on graves, nor do they wait in purgatory. They decompose. This is verified scientifically simply by digging up a buried body. In fact, during the body's lifetime, every molecule in our body is recycled at least every five years (also scientifically established).

This means the body we wear today is a different body we wore five years ago. What is constant? We still exist, yet our body is constantly changing composition. What remains unchanged is the living spirit - the person - the soul - who temporarily occupies the physical body for a temporary period of time (“the age”).

God knows that we will only be happy when we re-establish our loving relationship with Him. The net symbolizes His process of bringing us out of the physical world and bringing those who want to return to Him back home.

The kingdom of heaven is about our relationship with God. The word "kingdom" is translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia), meaning "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

Jesus is not referring to a physical location. He is referring to a particular consciousness. The consciousness of loving and serving the Supreme Being.  

“At the resurrection people will neither marry ...” (Matthew 22:29-30)

“You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” (Matthew 22:29-30)

Was resurrection a common teaching?

Jesus is answering this question detailed posed by Sadducees:

That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?" (Matt. 22: 23-28)

This discussion between the Sadducees and Jesus illustrates that resurrection was a teaching that was widely debated. At the time there were multiple interpretations of the Scriptures. The primary sects at the time were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and the Zadokites (though the Essenes were closely aligned with the Zadokites). 

As stated in the verse above, the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection. And it is apparent that the Pharisees did believe in resurrection. Clear indications from Scriptures and the Dead Sea Scrolls also indicate that the Essenes and the Zadokites also believed in resurrection.

However, the controversy in this regard is the current interpretation of resurrection by many modern-day sects. The meaning of resurrection commonly taught today actually contradicts what Jesus and others taught about the meaning of resurrection.

What is commonly taught today is that resurrection is the rebirth of the physical body after it dies, often termed, "raising of the dead." This interpretation assumes a physical body rebirth in the same body that died.  Some modern-day versions describe dead physical bodies rising and “dancing on their graves.”

The question the Sadducees raised is assuming this interpretation of resurrection. They were questioning who would be married in the resurrection, which assumes a continuation of the physical body. It is obvious by Jesus' response that he did not agree with this interpretation.

The interpretation of resurrection that Jesus taught, which was also taught by the Essenes and the Pharisees (Paul was a Pharisee), was an afterlife for the spirit-person, commonly termed the "soul."

They taught that after the physical body dies, the soul (spirit-person) leaves the physical body. This was communicated with the term, "the spirit passes." Once left the body, that spirit can either return to God in the spiritual realm or go to another place, depending upon the condition of consciousness.

Why were they 'in error'?

According to Jesus, the Sadducees' interpretation was 'in error.' He stated that once the spirit leaves the physical body, the condition of the body is no longer applicable. The body is left behind and begins to decompose. 

Yes, the spirit-person lives on. But the body dies. The Sadducees - as many today still - confused the spirit with the temporary physical body.

The physical body and the relationships of this body have nothing to do with the resurrection Jesus is speaking of here. We all know scientifically that the physical body simply decomposes in the ground. It is eaten by bacteria and worms, and becomes “dust to dust.”

As evidenced by tens of thousands of cases of clinical death, and confirmed by scripture, each of us is a spiritual being - not the physical body - and we leave the body behind at death.

So what is the precise meaning of "resurrection," according to Jesus' teachings?

What happens 'at the resurrection'?

The word "resurrection" is translated from the Greek word ἀνάστασις, which means, according to the Greek Lexicon, "a raising up, rising (e.g. from a seat)." So what is rising from what?

It is the spiritual individual, who is rising up from the body as the body dies.

The first resurrection Jesus refers to is when the soul - the nonphysical spiritual personality - is released from the physical world and returns to the spiritual world. In other words, the repositioning of the spiritual person back home, in the spiritual world with God.

How do we know this? Because Jesus is clearly stating that "they will be like the angels in heaven." This indicates clearly that the resurrection Jesus is speaking of is the returning of the spiritual individual back to the spiritual world after rising from the body and leaving the physical world (where marriage takes place).

What is the 'resurrection of the dead'?

Jesus also mentions another type of resurrection: The "resurrection of the dead." What is the resurrection of the dead?

The word "dead" here is allegorical. It is not related to a dead body, it is related to the person's consciousness. It is related to whether the individual is serving God or serving themselves. A person whose focus is upon serving themselves is spiritually "dead" because they are not experiencing love for God. Jesus also used this allegorical use of the word "dead" when he said:

“Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:22)

The King James translation translates this verse more emphatically: "....let the dead bury the dead."

In this statement, "the dead" who are burying a dead body are certainly not "dead" in the physical sense. They have to be alive physically in order to prepare for a burial. Rather, these "dead" who are focused upon the dead physical bodies of their relatives are "dead" spiritually. They are living within a consciousness that makes them spiritually dead.

Jesus is using the same allegory here in this statement above regarding the "resurrection of the dead."

Jesus also clarifies this when he quotes God's statement to Moses:

Then He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." (Exodus 2:6)

Why is this important? It is important because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all devoted servants of God. They were all spiritually "alive," in other words.

As for the "resurrection of the dead," those of us who remain focused on a self-centered existence will return to the physical dimension after the death of this body, to continue our learning experiences and the suffering of the physical body. In other words, remaining spiritually dead, here in hell.

What does 'God of the living' mean?

Jesus concludes, "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Again, Jesus is not referring to the dead consciousness of self-centeredness. He is referring to those who remain dead spiritually.

Those who love God and love others are "of the living." A person who is spiritually alive is functioning within their natural relationship with the Supreme Being. They are loving God and loving God's children.

In this state, their consciousness is alive with love for God. In this state, they are prepared to go back to the spiritual world, as they have achieved Jesus' primary instruction:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming ..." (Matthew 24:38-43)

"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matthew 24:38-43)

Was Jesus trying to scare people?

These statements by Jesus have been misconstrued, leading to mistranslations. The result has been to scare people with a threat of the end of the world. Is this what Jesus really meant?

Jesus is continuing his private (Matt. 24:3) discussion with some of his disciples. As we've shown in the previous verses, he is predicting a now-historical event along with its resulting effect:

1) The Jewish-Roman wars to come in the next few decades (starting around 66 AD) - a time when most of his disciples would be slaughtered along with hundreds of thousands if not millions of Israelites including many of Jesus' followers.
2) The moment of death, leading to Jesus' followers being reunited with Jesus in the spiritual realm.

Jesus' discussion, when the original Greek is examined, does not indicate he was predicting the end of the world. Neither is his statement consistent with an end of the world scenario.

Why would one person be taken and the other not taken if it were the end of the world? Some have tried to fictionalize, for example, that the followers of a certain sect will "inherit the earth" while others will be tossed away.

They imagine that 'inheriting the earth' is some kind of reward? What kind of reward would this be? The physical body is subject to pain, disease, and death. Danger pervades the physical world. Then there are polluted rivers and skies. Bacteria and viruses run rampant - infecting whatever they come into contact with. There are hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, freezing cold in some places and time of year, and sweltering heat in other places and time of year. Who would want to "inherit" such a world?

What could we 'inherit' here?

Would we be inheriting a bunch of rotting carcasses of those who died in the cataclysm? Or are they saying that the dead bodies are somehow "taken" away, leaving the earth nice and clean? 

Practically the entire planet is made up of decomposed carcasses.

How could a temporary physical body - which will get sick and die at some point - possibly inherit anything permanently? The earth is a temporary place of residence. It is not our home. Here, we reside in temporary bodies that will die and decompose.

Some of these sectarian institutions like to pitch this "inherit the earth" doctrine with their promotional literature. They draw pictures of people sitting around on lawn chairs sipping lemonade. This is their picture of inheriting the earth?

And where is God in their "inherit the earth" scenario? God is nowhere to be found in their drawings. They don't picture God because they don't want to see God. They want to rule the earth without God.

This is precisely our disease: We are here in this physical world, inhabiting these temporary physical bodies because we wanted to ignore God. We wanted to be in charge. We couldn't accept God being in charge. We wanted to get away from God, and play God.

This is what many institutions have accomplished within their doctrines. They pitch their followers can gain a place where they can be in charge without God getting in the way.

But this is not what Jesus taught. Jesus didn't teach that we should "inherit the earth." Jesus wanted us to return to the spiritual world and return to our natural position as God's loving servants:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50)

So if these sectarians want to inherit the earth then they can have it. They can have the suffering of the body. They can have the pain, disease, old age and death found here. And those who want to really follow Jesus' teachings can return to God in the kingdom of heaven and inherit eternal life.

With this misinterpretation debunked, we can now interpret clearly what Jesus was discussing above.

Why does this compare to the flood?

Jesus is comparing the mass slaughter of millions of Jews in the first century to the days of the flood of Noah because, in both instances, people died unprepared. In both cases, many died without having progressed in spiritual life. Jesus tells of the days before the flood when people were "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage."

And what is so wrong with "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage"? There is nothing wrong with these activities. However, Jesus is talking about not being prepared for death. He is talking about the people being oblivious to the fact that their bodies will be killed at any minute.

This is, in fact, our situation in general. Any of us can die today. Or tomorrow.

But what does Jesus mean by "one will be taken and the other left", then? By Jesus' description of the massacre and the historical events, we know both men in the field and both women at the hand mill will be killed by the Romans in the coming years: Very few survived the slaughter. So it is not as if one will vanish and the other will still be working away as if nothing happened.

The "one will be taken" is the person who has utilized their lives to re-develop their love for God. They will be taken back to the spiritual realm at the time of death.

The "other" who will be "left" is the person who will remain in the physical realm after the death of their current physical body. They will not have prepared for the time of death. They will return to the physical world by taking on another physical body.

It is comical that the sectarian teachers prefer being "left" rather than "taken". They want to remain in the physical realm, away from God. How could they describe themselves as Christians?

What about 'the coming of the Son of Man'?

The phrase "the coming of the Son of Man" has also been misinterpreted. Some interpretations imagine that Jesus will come galloping through the sky, whisking away all the baddies, and leaving the rest of the good folk to 'inherit the earth.'

Rather, Jesus is describing that he, the Servant of Humanity (υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου), will be present at the time of death to escort each person who followed his teachings back to the spiritual realm. "Coming" is being translated from the Greek παρουσία (parousia), which means to to be present or appear according to the lexicon.

"The coming" interpretation was developed by the politically motivated Nicene council organized by Eusebius of Caesarea and the Roman emperor Constantine. The objective was to organize the Christian world into a single unified political force.

What is Jesus saying then?

Jesus is speaking to his disciples as God's representative. He is telling them he will be there for them spiritually at the time of death - to escort them back to the spiritual realm. God's representative is our guide in life and our escort when we leave these bodies at the time of death. When he is present on the earth, he teaches us the tools to prepare for returning to our natural relationship with the Supreme Being.

This is what Jesus was trying to tell them. Jesus didn't make up his own teachings. He passed on the teachings of the Prophets and John the Baptist. These ultimately come from the Supreme Person. This is why Jesus constantly quoted the teachings of the Prophets of the Old Testament such as Isaiah, David, Moses, and Abraham.

Jesus quoted every book of the Torah during his teachings. He constantly quoted the Prophets.

And for this reason, God's representatives from the Old Testament were also described as servants of humanity - including Ezekiel, Job and David. Ezekiel was called the "son of man" [servant of humanity] at least 60 times by God. This is because like Jesus, Job and David were sent by God to retrieve those who are ready to return to Him, just as Jesus admitted about himself:

" “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the One who sent me." (John 9:4)

and

"For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken." (John 12:49)

The second phase of the task of retrieval is escorting our return. By following Jesus' teachings, we find that we are not only introduced to God: But should we become ready to return by following those teachings, we are then escorted back to the spiritual realm by Jesus. Jesus describes this as παρουσία - he will be there for us.

As such, Jesus also uses soliloquy in describing the time of death as "what day your Lord will come." This sort of soliloquy is actually still in use today, as many describe dying as "meeting your Maker".

And it is true: At the time of death, we all, in one way or another, "meet our Maker," as we are faced with one of God's angels or representatives who show us the results of our lives and the spiritual progress we've made - if any - in this lifetime. This is also referred to as "Judgement Day."

This clarifies Jesus' statement: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." Jesus is telling them to stay diligent because they do not know what day their bodies will die.

But by also describing his appearance to them on their moment of death, Jesus is explaining that should we follow his teachings, he will be there to guide us through the process and escort us back to the spiritual realm.

And this has been confirmed in many clinical death histories, as some people - those who tried to follow Jesus' teachings - describe leaving their body and being in the presence of Jesus. They describe him telling them they aren't ready yet, whereupon they return to their revived physical bodies.

The spiritual world is all about relationships. There are so many relationships going on there. The central of which is our natural relationship of loving and caring for the Supreme Person. All other relationships in the spiritual world revolve around our relationship with God.

This is why Jesus said (above) that by doing God's will, we will return to the spiritual world. 'Doing God's will' means serving Him. It means doing what pleases Him. This comes from love, and why love for God was Jesus' primary teaching:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:37-40)

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins ...” (Matthew 25:1-13)

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matt. 25:1-13)

What does Jesus' parable of the ten virgins mean?

Jesus' parable is discussing spiritual life using an analogy. He spoke this during a time when an eligible bachelor would be greeted by potential wives - who according to custom were also virgins. The meeting would allow the bachelor to choose his wife or wives from among the group of maidens.

In Jesus' parable, he divides the ten virgins or maidens into two groups. One group took extra oil out with their lamps when they went to meet the bridegroom.

The other group of maidens did not bring any extra oil with their lamps. This means they only had the oil that was in the lamp.

As shown below, the analogy or parable is being used by Jesus to encourage his followers to redevelop their relationship with God.

The symbolism Jesus is using illustrates the mistake we can make in the physical world if we are not prepared to reconnect with the Supreme Being. If we are not resolute in this effort, according to Jesus our time will be wasted.

Let's discuss the symbolism of this analogical story - or parable - of the ten virgins and the bridegroom: 

Who are the 'virgins'?

The virgins represent each of us in Jesus' parable. We are each spiritual beings who were created by God to care for Him and exchange a relationship of loving service with Him. However, God also gave us the freedom to love Him or not. Love without freedom isn't really love after all.

Yet because love is part of our essence, each of us is constantly looking for love.

This is why the virgins were anxious to meet up with the bridegroom, just as we are all anxiously looking for someone to love.

They all fell asleep symbolizes how many of us have fallen asleep spiritually. Some of us may wake up and search for God.

Notice that some of the virgins missed the bridegroom because they were searching for oil. This symbolizes how some of us miss finding God because we are looking for love and happiness elsewhere among the people and places of the physical world.

Who is the 'bridegroom'?

The bridegroom in Jesus' parable represents the Supreme Being. God gathers up those who have used their physical lives to redevelop their loving relationship with Him. God wants all of us back, but only those who choose to return to Him become ready to resume our natural position of being His loving servants: Only these are let back.

This is because God only wants us back if we want to return to Him - and become committed. He never forces Himself upon us. If we want to continue our self-centered existence trying to enjoy ourselves and ignore Him, then we simply are not prepared to return to God. 

Those of us on this path remain in this hellish physical world by continuing to take on other physical bodies. This fate is symbolized by the five virgins that didn't have enough oil and had to go get some, thereby missing the arrival of the bridegroom.

What do the lamps and the oil symbolize?

The lamps of Jesus' parable symbolize the ability of those who love God to gain knowledge. Light has been used by Jesus in other analogies to represent wisdom, because with light one can see in the dark.

This physical world is in darkness because our senses and mind block the spiritual vision of our spirit-person. The concept of light in the darkness is analogous to being given the vision to understand God and the spiritual realm. 

Light also symbolizes the ability to help others with that wisdom. Those who have redeveloped their relationship with God can help others see - and gain wisdom.

The oil for the lamps symbolizes our relationship with God. No oil signifies no relationship, or a relationship of disdain, doubt or simply a state of ignoring the Supreme Being. Those of us who try hard to ignore God and His various lessons and signals throughout life have no oil, and thus give off no real light.

Jesus was very clear about this message. He didn't teach love of God just to entertain himself or be trendy. Many sectarian teachers focus on Jesus as though his mission was to die for our sins. This couldn't be further from the truth. Why did Jesus bother to teach, then? If the death of his physical body saves everyone, why did he spend years traveling the countryside preaching to people then?

And why did Jesus tell his disciples to also go out and teach to others, then?

This teaching that Jesus died for our sins avoids the necessity of this parable. Sure, we want an easy way out. We want to continue being focused upon ourselves and the goodies of the physical world, and then spend an hour in church on Sunday making sure that Jesus' death cleared out all our sins. The problem is, Jesus himself clarified that this would not work:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:21-23)

Notice Jesus refers to "that day" in this statement, just as he does above. Again, Jesus is talking about that moment in time when we must face God and/or His angels - the moment after the death of this physical body.

What is 'the day or the hour'?

After Jesus' parable, he comments, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” What does this mean?

The parable spoken by Jesus is yet another analogy that explains the importance of our preparation for the moment of death. "At that time" refers to the time of death, just as "the day or the hour."

Many sectarian interpreters have taught that Jesus is referring to some time in the future where the world will end, and he'll come galloping through the sky to save those who have followed him.

This speculative interpretation has many holes, however. Remember that Jesus is discussing this privately with a few of his close disciples. Now if we consider that the world has yet to end, some two thousand years later, how are these disciples supposed to remain prepared, having died two thousand years before?

Some sectarian teachers have tried to cover this inconsistency by creating a fictitious "purgatory" state, where everyone who has died before the world ends supposedly waits. How are they waiting? And what are these billions of people doing while they wait? Just standing around, like its a cocktail party or something?

Some sectarians have supposed that people will be waiting in their graves for this end of the world scenario. In what form will they be waiting? Their bodies have thoroughly decomposed. For most, even their bones are now part of the surrounding soil.

In fact, many of Jesus' disciples that he was speaking to here, as did many Jews during the Jewish-Roman wars that Jesus foretold, were burned in fires, as the Romans burnt down Jerusalem and many other villages throughout the region. These burnt bodies decomposed even more quickly. Their remains are thus part of today's dirt of that region - all soil is made up of decomposed dead organisms.

Rather, Jesus is discussing the moment of death: That moment when each spirit-person within the physical body leaves that body.

Why is the time of death important?

Jesus discussed the time of death in his teachings frequently. Why?

Every body in the physical world will die. Every person will experience the moment of death within a few decades at least. Some of us will experience the moment of death within a few years, some even a few months, weeks or even days. Are we prepared for that moment?

This is the point of Jesus' discussion here.

A significant amount of evidence from scripture indicates - and clinical death experiences confirm - that just following the moment of death, we will be judged on the results of our physical lifetimes. Our lives will be reviewed, including every event that hurt someone and every event that helped someone.

As such, the moment of death has been called "Judgement Day" and the day we "Meet our Maker".

More importantly, our spiritual progress will be reviewed at the time of death. Did we use our lives to redevelop our relationship with God? Or did we squander our lives away chasing after money, fame, the opposite sex and other accomplishments that all vanish upon the moment of death?

Our spiritual accomplishments during this lifetime are permanent, however.

In Matthew 7:21 above, Jesus spoke of doing the "will of my Father who is in heaven". This means developing a loving service relationship with God.

It is not as if we simply do what God wants so that we get something in return. It is not a business transaction. It is supposed to be love. Doing what pleases another is part of a loving relationship.

If we love someone, we don't do what pleases them so we get something in return. We do what pleases them because we love them and care for them.

Jesus is asking us to redevelop our loving relationship with God. This was Jesus' most important teaching, and the teaching that if we follow will indeed save us:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

"But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." (Matthew 26:32)

Jesus says this to his disciples at Mount Olives, after "they had sung a hymn" (Matthew 26:30) and following their supper - often termed the "last supper."

Is Jesus saying he will rise from the dead?

If Jesus was saying that he will be "raised from the dead" as many interpret, this would mean that Jesus was predicting that he would die and then somehow come back to life. It would mean that for a while, Jesus didn't exist. And then came into existence again.

How does someone who is existing now, come to not exist and then come back into existence?

Again, that would mean for a time, Jesus didn't exist. Are those who suggest he was raised from the dead ready to say that Jesus didn't exist for three days?

Most who believe in Jesus would say he has always existed. And for good cause. This is why Jesus said:

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)

The word "am" here is translated from the Greek word εἰμί (eimi). This means "to exist." This means that Jesus was saying that he existed even prior to Abraham took birth on the earth more than 1,000 years before.

This means that Jesus is saying that he is eternal. His spirit-person is eternal, and existed prior to Abraham walked the earth.

The bottom line is that Jesus is saying that he is eternal.

Since Jesus is eternal, Jesus could not have risen 'from the dead' because he never died. He was eternal, so Jesus would not have said this.

Let's look more closely at what he is saying.

The phrase, "have risen" is being translated from the Greek word ἐγείρω (egeirō). ἐγείρω means "to be raised up" according to the lexicon.

What is Jesus speaking of that is being raised? Is he referring to his physical body?

Some will have us believe that Jesus is his physical body and his physical body died and then rose from the dead.

If Jesus' physical body "rose up" after being dead, why wasn't Jesus recognized when he appeared to Mary, and to his closest disciples?

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. (John 24:4)

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. (John 20:14)

When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (Matt. 28:17)

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. (Luke 24:31)

Do these verses indicate Jesus was walking around in his physical body? If Jesus "rose up" in his prior physical body, his closest associates and disciples would have recognized him when he appeared to them. This means that his immediate appearance was unrecognizable.

And how could a physical body 'disappear from their sight'?

For example, today many families will pay a mortuary to embalm a dead body of a relative. They will embalm the body and display it in a casket for everyone to honor. In such a case, is the dead person rising? Did they 'rise up'?

Certainly not. Their physical body is still there, but something is missing. The person has gone. The spirit-person has left the physical body and that is why there is no life in the body.

On these occasions, it will be stated that the person has "passed away." What has "passed away" then if the body is still in the casket, all dressed up?

It is the soul - the spirit or spirit-person - that has left the body, or "passed away." The self has been separated from the body.

Yet the dead body in the casket is recognizable by relatives and friends. This means that the spirit-person (or soul or self) is invisible to our physical eyes. It exists on another dimension.

But in Jesus' case, his appearance to his disciples and students was not immediately recognizable. This is because Jesus was showing that his spirit-person is still existing. He was showing them that he lived on despite the body dying. In Jesus' case, he isn't easily recognized after he had 'risen.' This means he did not rise with his body.

The true meaning of "have risen" or "rise up" is illustrated when one of Jesus' beloved students, Martha ('Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.' (John 11:5)) responded to Jesus when he said: "Your brother will rise again" (John 11:23):

Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." (John 11:24.

Martha was responding with what Jesus had been teaching, which is that a person will "rise" from their body at the time of death. The phrase, "last day" refers to the Greek word ἀνάστασις (anastasis). This word is being translated to "resurrection." Yet the root word means to "rise up," This is why ἀνίστημι (anistēmi), (translated to "he will rise again") also means to "rise up."

Jesus is referring to his spirit self rising up from the physical body after his body was murdered on the cross.

Then he is suggesting that after his spirit-person rose from the body, he would meet up with them again. This is the significant aspect of his statement.

Do we all rise then?

Each of us - spirit-persons -  will rise up from our body at the time of death. This has been proven scientifically in clinical death research.

In a multitude of studies that have followed tens of thousands of patients who have died in the hospital, it has been proven that we rise up and out of our bodies at the time of death, and we can observe our body from above after we leave it. Millions of people have now had clinical death experiences like this.

Looking down at our body at the time of death illustrates that we are not the physical body. We are spiritual, not physical. This is what Jesus had been teaching his disciples:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." (Matthew 10:28)

This illustrates that Jesus taught the existence of a "you" that exists after the body is killed. Who is this "you" Jesus is referring to that exists after the body is killed? Who is the "you" that can be thrown into hell?

This is the spiritual self. It is the person. The personality that gives life to the body.

Let's say we look at a picture of our body as a child. Then we look in the mirror at our adult body. The two bodies look different, yes? Yet we are the same person, yes? Our body is constantly changing, while we - the spiritual self - remain the same. Science tells us that all the molecules that made up that childhood body have been replaced by new molecules within five years. The body we had when we are a child is gone, and now we wear an adult body.

This same spiritual self who remains through changing bodies - this is the person who leaves the body at death. Each of us "rises" from the body, leaving the body lifeless. Jesus was trying to teach us to be focused on our spiritual selves, rather than our physical bodies because this is our true identity:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. (Matthew 6:25)

Where did Jesus' body go?

Yes, Jesus' body did go missing, according to the scripture text.

But we must recognize that Jesus's body could have simply been moved at some point before the third day. It was not as if no one could have rolled away the stone that Joseph himself rolled in front of the tomb:

He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. (Matthew 27:60)

If Joseph alone could have rolled the stone into place, surely another person or a small group could have rolled the stone away as well. After all, the tomb was being guarded by those who were involved in killing Jesus, and did not want to see a big deal surrounding his body.

Jesus' body was put in that tomb because Joseph of Arimathea - one of Jesus' disciples - put it there. He requested from Pilate to receive Jesus' body in order to bury it.

Was this meant to be Jesus' permanent tomb? No. Under Mosaic Temple law, a person's body was not allowed to be buried in the tomb of a non-family member. So this was a temporary tomb for Jesus' body.

In such a situation, if the body was laid in someone else's tomb, it would be moved to a family tomb. In such a tomb, once the body decomposed, the bones would be put into a burial box and kept in the family tomb with the bones of family members. This was Jewish custom during Jesus' time.

The scriptures also indicate that this tomb was temporary:

Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:42)

There is no certainty on where Jesus' physical body was eventually taken. But a 1980 archaeological find has been suspected to be the tomb of Jesus' family. In this tomb, the researchers found ossuaries ('bone boxes') labeled in Aramaic, "James, brother of Jesus," "Jesus, son of Joseph," "Joseph," "Marium," and others in the same tomb.

While there has been controversy surrounding this tomb, research by a team of scientists led by North Carolina University Professor of Religious Studies James D. Tabor and Simcha Jacobovici indicates the possibility that Jesus' body was moved to this family tomb - consistent with Jewish practice. The findings were the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary that first aired in 2007.

What about Jesus appearing to his disciples?

From the scriptures, we find that Jesus was not recognized by his closest students after he "rose." This illustrates that he had left his physical body. He appeared before his disciples on several occasions and even proved his identity by showing holes in his body.

This latter fact also illustrates Jesus was not appearing in his physical body. A physical body that had holes in it would be spilling blood all over the place. It would be a bloody mess.

As evidenced by the fact that he could control his appearances and recognition, showing holes in his hands illustrates Jesus' ability to manipulate his apparition angel-like appearance to reassure his students of his identity. After all, Jesus appeared suddenly to his disciples several times. He didn't walk up in his physical body. 

When Jesus appeared to his disciples at their dinner, for example, the doors were locked. How did Jesus get in if he was wearing his physical body?

As for Jesus meeting them in Galilee - as we'll find later - Jesus is referring to his appearing to his disciples in Galilee after the death of his physical body. He was preparing them to pass on his teachings to others:

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15)

And what did Jesus teach that he wanted his disciples to also preach?

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)

What is the 'last day'?

"The last day" in Martha's statement - as was also used by Jesus and in other Biblical verses - indicates the time of death. 

In this context Martha was not speaking of some time in the distant future when the world would supposedly end. The Greek phrase ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ (eschatos hēmera) utilizes "day" in a metaphorical manner, meaning, as outlined in Thayer's lexicon to indicate "time in general." 

Thus the time of death is the only appropriate interpretation for the metaphorical use of "last day" here.

The teaching that our physical bodies will rise again at the end of the world as taught by some has no practical foundation. A dead body will decompose within a year or two in normal conditions, leaving just the bones.

In normal acidic soil, the bones will also decompose within a few decades. Any old bones we have found have been preserved by abnormal environmental conditions, such as freezing. Most dead bodies completely decompose to soil. Even those who claim to be saved will leave behind bodies that decompose within a few decades.

So what is supposed to "rise" then, some thousands of years later when the world supposedly ends? How can a decomposed body "rise"? This makes no sense.

Some have tried to hide this inconsistency by suggesting that all the dead people (all the dead bodies?) have to wait in some kind of "purgatory" state for the "end of the world" scenario. So if their bodies have decomposed, in what state will they be waiting? And why would they have to wait?

Yet oddly enough, some of these very same teachers will often refer to someone who has died with, "they are with Jesus now."

How could they "be with Jesus now" if their bodies are sitting in the mortuary awaiting burial? Or if their bodies have been buried in a casket? How could they "be with Jesus" if they are buried underground in a casket?

The contradiction is that we may refer to a dead person as having "passed away" - as though they have separated from the physical body. But we will at the same time insist that the person is the physical body. 

Jesus teaches that the spirit-person is eternal, the physical body is temporary, and at the time of death (of the body) the spirit-person will rise up and leave this physical body.

Jesus' statement above indicates that after this rising, he will then re-appear to his disciples to teach them some more.