“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17)

Is this the correct translation?

This statement by Jesus has been translated differently among the different Bible versions:

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (New International Version 2011)

"Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (King James version)

“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (New Living Translation)

“Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Christian Standard Bible)

"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Hebrew Names Version)

"Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh." (Darby Translation)

'Reform ye, for come nigh hath the reign of the heavens.' (Young's Literal Translation)

"Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (American Standard Version)

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible)

“Change your heart, for the sanctuary of God is readily available.” (Lost Gospels of Jesus)

These are all translated from the same Greek phrase, μετανοεῖτε ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Isn't this also what John the Baptist taught?

Regardless of the translation, this teaching was also taught by John the Baptist before Jesus taught it:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (Matthew 3:2)

These teachings were only taught by Jesus following his hearing of John the Baptist’s imprisonment:

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ... From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:12-17)

This means that this teaching was not solely Jesus' message. And just as Jesus was passing on the same teachings of his teacher John the Baptist, Jesus also instructed his own disciples to go out and teach this same message to others:

"As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'" (Matthew 10:7)

What does this mean? It means that this very same teaching was taught by at least three generations of teachers: John, Jesus and Jesus' disciples, and presumably, those who followed them.

Was this teaching taught before John?

This teaching did not originate with John the Baptist. We find in David's Psalms and other texts of the Bible:

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73:28)

We praise you, God, we praise you, for Your Name is near (Psalm 75:1)

Yet You are near, LORD, and all your commands are true. (Psalm 119:151)

The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)

“In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will have that person come near Him. (Numbers 16:5)

He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near Himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. (Numbers 16:10)

What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? (Deut. 4:7)

Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then tell us whatever the LORD our God tells you. We will listen and obey.” (Deut. 5:27)

And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night (1 Kings 8:59)

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6)

They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. (Isaiah 58:2)

"Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’" (Luke 10:9)

What does 'repent' mean here?

The word "repent" is being translated from the Greek word μετανοέω (metanoeō). This means "to change" or "to change one's mind" according to Thayer's lexicon. 

It means to have a change of heart. It means to make a serious change in one's life.

In other words, "repent" in this context would be to divert from those activities focused upon our own selves - exercised by our seeking satisfaction within materialism. To "repent" from these activities would mean to refocus towards regaining our relationship with the Supreme Being.

What does 'kingdom of heaven' mean here?

The word "kingdom" here is being translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia). The lexicon describes this word to mean, "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule: not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

From this, we know that Jesus and John were speaking of accepting the Supreme Being's dominion - His ultimate authority. So the kingdom of heaven relates to the consciousness of accepting the ultimate authority of the Supreme Being. This is describing the refuge, the shelter, or the sanctuary, of God.

The use of "kingdom" here comes from a time when there were many different kings - who were basically tribal rulers - in different regions. Using their armies, these kings protected the people of the kingdom. As such, the people revered the king and took shelter or refuge under the king's protection. Using their assembled armies and barriers, the king would protect the populace from invading armies. As such the "kingdom" was the name given to that place of refuge, shelter, or sanctuary.

Having a change of heart and taking refuge or shelter or taking sanctuary of God requires humility. It means accepting that we don't know it all. It means accepting that we don't have the means to protect ourselves. It means accepting that the Supreme Being is my only real protector and salvation.

The Supreme Being is a person, and each of us has an innate relationship with God. We have forgotten this loving service relationship as we seek our own satisfaction away from God. In order to regain our lost relationship with God, our approach must come with humility, because we were the ones who decided to leave Him.

This runs contrary to the popular connotation of "repenting" as professed by many teachers. Many see repentance as some sort of public proclamation: To proclaim “I repent,” in a public ceremony, or “I surrender to Jesus” is not the same as having a personal change of heart - as Jesus, John and Jesus' disciples were requesting.

A real change of heart does not come with public proclamation or grandstanding. It is rather the opposite: It is an extremely personal and private decision to redirect one's life towards coming to know and love the Supreme Being.

Is this about the end of the world?

Even with this clarity, many teachers have interpreted this statement as referring to a coming end of the world or some kind of apocalypse. This is despite any evidence, from either the words or the context of Jesus' statement.

Consider first the audience of these teachings. Who was Jesus preaching to? Certainly, he was preaching to those around him at the time. And yet some 2,000 years later, the end of the world still has not come.

Was Jesus misleading his followers - telling them that the end of the world was "near" or "at hand" and it wasn't? Certainly not.

This hasn't stopped the unsupported interpretation. Below is a list of some of the many teachers who have claimed to represent Jesus, teaching that Jesus was predicting the end of the world (doomsday) on a certain date. (The date they predicted the world would end follows their name):

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)

Were Jesus and John deceiving their students?

Since John also taught this, and since the end of the world hasn't come, were they both misleading their followers? Were they both making idle threats about doomsday?

What would be the purpose of threatening the end of the world to them - as "near" - since it would not happen during their lifetimes or even within the lifetimes of their children - or even in the next 2,000 years? Does more than 2,000 years later mean "near"?

Why, if John and Jesus were predicting an event that will take place more than 2,000 years later, would they use the word "near"?

The simple answer is that this statement has been mistranslated and misinterpreted.

What does 'near' or 'at hand' mean?

The word "near" (or in the case of other translations "at hand") is being translated from the Greek word ἐγγίζω (eggizō), which means, according to the lexicon:

1) to bring near, to join one thing to another
2) to draw or come near to, to approach

Thus it is clear that the interpretation of the word relating to time is incorrect. The word ἐγγίζω (eggizō) indicates "closeness" relative to distance - not time.

Therefore, Jesus is speaking of the kingdom of heaven - the sanctuary of God or the refuge of God - being close: Readily available.

The true meaning of “for the kingdom of heaven has come near” is that each of us can gain the refuge or sanctuary of God - the shelter of God - immediately by simply turning to the Supreme Being - by worshiping Him and relying upon Him - and dismissing ourselves ("repenting") from our search for happiness in a materialistic world of emptiness and physical gratification.

In other words, Jesus is speaking of surrendering to the Supreme Being - giving one's life to God - and thus taking shelter in the Supreme Being.

Is this about our consciousness?

Jesus is not speaking of a physical place being nearby. He is speaking of the fact that taking refuge in the Supreme Being can be accomplished immediately: Because He is near to us. He is available to each of us.

Certainly, if we accept that God created this world, we can also accept that He has the ability to be here. Nearby. Available. Jesus confirmed this in another statement:

"The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21 NKJV)

The Supreme Being designed the physical body in such a way so that our physical eyes cannot see Him. This is in order to give each of us the freedom to ignore God if we choose. It also gives us the freedom to love God - or not.

Therefore, we have to open our hearts in order to see Him from within. If God is with us - near - and we can refocus ourselves upon Him with humility and love, then we have the ability for our consciousness to enter the kingdom of God where ever we are. This translates to becoming focused on doing His will rather than our own will.

Jesus also indicates that this consciousness does have a place: Not a physical place, but a context - this is the spiritual realm - evidenced by Jesus' use of the word οὐρανός (ouranos) in this verse - mistranslated to "heaven."

Yes, since Jesus is indicating that this consciousness related to giving one's life to the Supreme Being is available - Jesus is not speaking of a location called "heaven." He is speaking of a heavenly consciousness, which creates "heaven" where ever we might be.

Such a consciousness creates sanctuary: The safety or refuge of our relationship with God. The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) indicates the consciousness of the spiritual realm, which can be accessed from any location - because after all, everywhere is part of God's creation. Thus, the use of οὐρανός (ouranos) indicates that consciousness where the Supreme Being is loved and worshiped.

This great teaching is suggesting that we can reject our self-centered chase for happiness within materialism and give ourselves to the Supreme Being. We can decide to dedicate our lives to coming to know and love the Supreme Person and learning to do His will (what pleases Him). This will immediately transport us to the sanctuary (or kingdom) of God, even as our physical bodies might remain here in the physical world.

Yes, according to Jesus' teachings, God and His sanctuary are near. God is available to us, and we can take refuge in Him at any time. We each have that choice.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

Is mourning the same as depression?

Some might consider mourning as depression. Is this the kind of mourning Jesus is talking about?

Depression is not what Jesus is referring to. Depression can be the result of mourning, but mourning is based on losing someone we care for.

The word "mourn" here is being translated from the Greek word πενθέω (pentheō). According to Thayer's lexicon, this means "to grieve" or "to lament" for someone.

Thus when Jesus says, "those who mourn," he is referring to those who have lost someone. They had a spouse, family member, or friend, and lost them. 

This occurs when the spirit of that person leaves the physical body at the time of death.

On the other hand, "blessed" is being translated from the Greek word μακάριος (makarios), which means "happy" according to the lexicon. 

How can a person be mourning and be joyful at the same time?

What is the source of 'mourning'?

The physical body is designed for distress - physical suffering in many forms. But this physical body is not who we are. We are the spirit-person within. We are a spirit-person temporarily living within and falsely identifying with this temporary physical body.

As we put our faith in our physical body, our physical family, and our physical relationships, we are met with distress. This is because each body and each material object, one by one, becomes destroyed or we otherwise become separated from them.

Mourning is different. As we lose our family members or the relationships of this world, we are left mourning for their loss. We are left with an emptiness. This is a natural feeling because we were designed for relationships.

Mourning comes from becoming attached to another physical form of this world. When that physical form dies, we are let down. (Every physical body dies, and the soul or spirit-person leaves.)

Mourning can be 'blessed' according to Jesus because it can bring us to a point where we experience an emptiness that allows us to sincerely reach out to God.

How can we be comforted?

The solution that Jesus provides is to realize this world is not our home. This is a temporary place, full of hostility and calamity - but also a place of learning.

This world is intended to teach us that we are empty without our innate relationship with the Supreme Being. We are nothing without God because we were created to be God's loving servant and friend.

And only when we begin to realize that this world is not our home and that we can be comforted if we seek refuge in our relationship with the Supreme Being will we be relieved of the mourning within this physical world.

Should we become humbled with the realization that this world is not our home and we need to return to God, we will be comforted.

This is Jesus' message. 

Jesus was not preaching the importance of family life. He did not preach that we should take comfort in the family of this temporary physical body. While families can certainly help comfort us during times of physical and emotional distress, they are not the key to being comforted spiritually.

Being “comforted” as spoken of here comes only by way of a loving relationship with God. In reality, we do have a home, and we do have a loving family and a loving Father we can turn to and rely upon.

We will find comfort when we put ourselves at the feet of the Supreme Being. We can take refuge in the Supreme Being, and we will find our solution. This is Jesus' message. As we put our love and care upon God, we are comforted:

"'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. 22:37-38)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

What is the 'mercy' Jesus is referring to?

Jesus is discussing both God's mercy upon us, and the mercy that we may choose to extend to others.

We are each a child of the Supreme Being. We are His individual creations. Though He has imbued us with individuality and freedom of choice, we are still of the same nature as He. Being of that same nature, we have the same propensity for love, mercy, and compassion.

Though we do not maintain the perfection of these propensities as does the Supreme Being, we nevertheless have the ability to advance a portion of these propensities to those around us.

While requesting the Supreme Being's mercy and compassion, it is contradictory to not extend mercy and compassion to others. This was also expressed by Jesus in a statement referred to as the “golden rule:”

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

This concept prevails elsewhere among Jesus' teachings, with mercy coming in the form of forgiveness:

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)

Does God have mercy on us?

Everything we are and have are products of God's mercy.

For example, through His mercy, He bestowed upon us the freedom of choice. Each of us can make so many choices for ourselves, independent of Him. Even though God could dictate, He doesn't. He gives us a myriad of choices in terms of our activities, goals, and decisions. He has even given us the choice to ignore Him if we want.

Certainly, these choices are required for love. No one can be forced to love. As such, God gave us the choice to love Him or not. And yes, God wants our love. But we can give it or not. That is our choice, and that choice is the product of His mercy.

These choices are reflected throughout our lives. We can choose to act in a way that hurts others or act in a way that is kind and merciful to others. It is our choice.

Inherent in our choices is another type of mercy. The ability to change. Not only does God allow us to act in a self-centered fashion. He also allows us to become better. He allows us to change, and learn to care about others. He also extends His personal assistance towards helping us make those changes in the long run.

The Supreme Being's mercy is reflected not only in allowing us to change, but also in setting up the situations that allow us to change. This world delivers so many consequences for our actions - which in turn teach us and encourage us to change for the better.

So God not only provides the mercy to forgive. He also provides the mercy and the space to change.

Does self-centeredness oppose mercy?

Actions that hurt others simply reflect our choice not to recognize the Supreme Being. They reflect self-centeredness.

This is because self-centeredness is the polar opposite of mercy.

Thus when we choose to be merciful to others by caring about others, we are choosing to align ourselves with the merciful nature of the Supreme Being. This is part of the merciful nature we inherited from Him.

Such a merciful nature towards others attracts the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is attracted by activities that are merciful to others because He Himself is merciful.

Therefore, when we care about others and are merciful to others, we naturally become closer to the Supreme Being.

But being merciful to others includes understanding who we are. In other words, we should understand who we are and who others are.

What if a starving man came to us and asked us for food. Would we give him a can of gasoline to fill his car with? How would that help the man's hunger?

In the same way, realizing that our identity is spiritual is an important aspect of mercy. Certainly helping others with their physical needs is being merciful. But seeing each other as spiritual means understanding that we need spiritual food.

Spiritual food means re-establishing our lost relationship with the Supreme Being. We can help each other achieve this by praising God and reminding each other that we can only be happy if we re-establish our loving relationship with Him. This is confirmed in Jesus' teachings:

“‘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. 22:37-38)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness..." (Matthew 5:10)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

What is the 'kingdom of heaven'?

The phrase "kingdom of heaven" is often misinterpreted as being a physical place. It is often pictured as a place up in the clouds where a bunch of old people in robes are sitting around playing harps and God - an old man with a long gray beard - is floating over them.

Actually, the "kingdom of heaven" that Jesus is referring to is not a location.

Here the phrase "kingdom of heaven" is being translated* from the Greek phrase, βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. The word "kingdom" is translated from the word βασιλεία (basileia), which means, according to Thayer's lexicon, "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule" and "not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

This means that Jesus is speaking of a particular consciousness. It is the acceptance of God as having dominion or authority over all things. That God is the center. Thus the "kingdom of heaven" that Jesus is speaking of is a state of awareness or realization about the Supreme Being being the center, rather than us being the center of the universe.

Yes, the word "heaven" - translated from the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) meaning "the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings." Indeed, this does make the phrase "kingdom of heaven" sound like a physical place.

But this is not what Jesus is referring to. The word used between βασιλεία and οὐρανῶν is not the word "of" as translated. It is the word τῶν - which is best translated to "the."

This would mean that Jesus would be saying, literally, something like "acceptance of God's authority the heaven."

This means that the acceptance of God's authority and dominion is heaven. Realizing that the Supreme Being is the center of our lives is the spiritual realm.

Thus we can conclude that the original phrase translated to "kingdom of heaven" that Jesus is referring to is the consciousness where God is the center. The kingdom of heaven is the consciousness where we see God as our life and soul.

Is this about love?

Where there is love, there is service and sacrifice. Where there is love, a person will undergo various hardships in order to facilitate the will of their beloved.

In other words, no matter where they may be located physically, a person who has put God in the center of their lives, in both love and service, is already dwelling within the spiritual realm.

Whatever sacrifices are made in the physical world are not difficult for such a person. Because they are not considering their welfare that important. They are functioning to please the Supreme Being.

However, this does not mean the loving servant of God seeks suffering. While we might qualify a devoted lover of God as one who sacrifices the comforts of the physical world, the devoted lover of God simply does not seek happiness and fulfillment in the comforts of the physical world.

Thus, if physical comforts allow the lover of God to better serve the Supreme Being, then such a lover of God will seek those comforts in an attempt to accomplish God's will. This is because the devoted lover of God finds pleasure in doing the will of God.

A devoted lover of God is not looking to be persecuted. Jesus may have accepted arrest because he knew the High Priest wanted to arrest him and silence him at some point. He simply allowed it to happen at a point that pleased the Supreme Being.

What is the goal?

Love of God is the goal.

The true lover of the Supreme Being is not out there looking to be punished so that they can claim to be devoted. They have no intent to show others how devoted they are. The lover of God simply works to please the Supreme Being. They work to glorify the Supreme Being.

If, however, the lover of God is ridiculed, punished, or banned somehow for their work in pleasing God, they accept this as a matter of course.

If a person is persecuted for pursuing the will of God and keeps on trying to please God throughout, they are already in heaven - the spiritual realm.  God created everything, so every location is located within the kingdom of God.

Such a person who sees God as the center and works to please Him has already achieved the spiritual realm.

Such a person - as Jesus states - is truly "blessed" - translated from μακάριος (makarios) meaning "happy" according to the lexicon.

In other words, Jesus is stating that a person who sees God as the center and sees everything to be used to please the Supreme Being, such a person is happy. They are fulfilled.

We might compare it to a finger. If the finger tries to eat some soup by itself by submerging itself into some soup, it will remain under-nourished. It will not get any nutrition from the soup. But if the finger helps pick up a spoon so that it can deliver some soup to the mouth and eventually to the stomach, the finger will become nourished.

It is the same with us. We become happy when we work to please the Supreme Being.

In other words, we are not the enjoyers. The Supreme Being is the Enjoyer and we were created by Him to be His servants and playmates. Thus we are nourished spiritually - we become fulfilled or happy - only when we are endeavoring to please our Best Friend and Soul Mate, the Supreme Being.

This is confirmed by Jesus when he said:

" '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. 22:37-38)

*Here is the translation of Jesus' statement from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of devotion, for theirs is the sanctuary of the spiritual realm." (Matthew 5:10)

“Blessed are you when people insult you...." (Matthew 5:11-12)

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because in the same way they persecuted the Prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12)

Who would 'insult' Jesus' followers?

In this statement, Jesus is discussing with his disciples and students the challenges of their commitment to following his teachings, and the sacrifices that may arise from that commitment.

Should we put God in the center of our lives, we find others will become envious. Why? Because they are alone and afraid. They do not have the comfort of knowing that they have a Best Friend and Companion in God.

A person who is sincerely seeking to achieve love for God and loving service to God will rejoice when they see another person trying to grow spiritually and helping others grow spiritually. But a person who is not sincere will attempt to reduce those who are.

Why are so many people like this in this world? Because most of us are primarily self-centered rather than God-centered. In this physical world, self-centeredness tends to prevail. And self-centeredness naturally leads to enviousness and self-righteousness.

All of these faults in others are to be forgiven, just as we want to be forgiven for our many faults. Most of us can relate to this. How many of us have not criticized another person? For those who criticize us, we should be merciful. We should be understanding. After all, Jesus came to help us grow out of our self-centeredness.

This is precisely why Jesus and many of the Prophets before Jesus have been persecuted for their acts of mercy in trying to save us from our self-centeredness.

Jesus is reminding his students that they are in good company as they receive the insults and persecution of others, "in the same way they persecuted the Prophets who were before you."

Why does Jesus say 'Prophets who were before you'?

Is Jesus comparing his followers to the Prophets?

Certainly he is. Why else would he compare their situation to that of the Prophets?

While some teachers might dismiss the word prophet as a title primarily belonging to people like Moses and Abraham, in reality, Jesus is using the word “prophet” - from the Greek word προφήτης (prophētēs) meaning one who teaches "by the Spirit of God" - to describe one who teaches on behalf of God. He is referring to God's representative.

And Jesus was expecting his students to teach on behalf of God by passing on his teachings:

"Therefore go and make disciples..." (Matt. 28:19)

And he told 72 of his students to go out to every town and:

"Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’" (Luke 10:9)

Jesus also accepted that his own teacher, John the Baptist, was not just any prophet:

"But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet." (Luke 7:26)

While many believe being a “prophet” means to “prophesize” about some future event, we know that the kind of “prophet” Jesus references are those who have been empowered by the Supreme Being to speak on God's behalf - to introduce people to God. To teach people to love and serve God.

Is this about prophecy?

Some interpret being a prophet as having the ability to predict the future. But is predicting the future really an essential part of Jesus' teachings? Jesus himself taught:

“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 7:22-23)

Thus, Jesus taught that even though "many" will predict the future in Jesus' name, they won't necessarily be welcomed by Jesus. Jesus' criteria is quite simple:

“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)

Certainly, some great teachers can have the ability to predict certain future events. But often this is about understanding the realities of this world. 

But our individual future is quite easy to predict. Each of us is wearing a physical body and that body is destined to die. At that time each of us will leave our physical body.

Yes, this is the future that many a prophet has predicted, yet most of us have misunderstood. The fact that the end of the world is coming for each of us - each of our physical bodies will die within a short period. It may be in 40 years. It may be in 20 years. It may be in a year. Or it may be tomorrow. 

We don't know the exact date our body will die -and the world will end for us - but we surely know it will be relatively soon. The question is whether we have adequately prepared for that day, as the Prophets have taught us to do.

While we can certainly accept Moses, David, Abraham, Solomon, and others as Prophets, we must also accept that there have been many others who have represented God and His Teachings through the ages who have not been mentioned in the Bible. The lineages of these Prophets all originate ultimately from God Himself, yet we can know and understand a true lineage of Prophets by seeing that each taught a consistent message of love for God.

The fact that many of the Prophets were persecuted for their dedication to their teachings is being confirmed by Jesus. Not only did Jesus and Peter and other students get persecuted for their dedication to the Supreme Being, but Jesus' own teacher John the Baptist was persecuted for his loving service and commitment to God.

And we know that Jesus also passed on the core teachings taught by Moses through John as Jesus quoted Moses' message word-for-word in his most important 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. 22:37-38 and Deut. 6:5)

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness..." (Matthew 5:13)

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." (Matthew 5:13)

What does 'salt of the earth' and 'saltiness' mean?

In this part of Jesus’ sermon - often called the "Beatitudes," Jesus speaks to his audience with an analogy comparing salt to our basic spiritual nature.

Jesus is comparing our spiritual composition to salt. Just as the earth and oceans are largely composed of salt, our composition is of spirit. Just as pure salt is salty, our pure essence is spiritual in nature.

Though our composition is spirit, living a spiritually oriented life is a choice. We can choose to live a spiritual life or choose a life of self-centered materialism.

Our 'saltiness' can be lost if we reject our relationship with God in lieu of chasing self-centered, materialistic dreams. Chasing materialism effectively loses our spiritual nature through a focus on obtaining the temporary things of this world.

Jesus confirms this: "It is no longer good for anything ..." 

We can confirm this on a practical basis because everything we achieve in the form of materialism is lost at the time of death.

At the time of death, we lose all the money we've accumulated. We lose our status, our fame, our positions - even our physical family. When we become disconnected from our physical body we also become disconnected from all our materialistic accomplishments.

Why do we lose these things?

Because we are not these physical bodies. These physical bodies are temporary and they are changing. They are made of atoms and molecules that are constantly undergoing change. Within five years we will recycle every atom and molecule. We will in effect, change bodies every five years.

Just take a look at one of your baby photos. Who is that in the photo? Is that you? It is a picture of a body, but that body is gone now. All the atoms and molecules are different from the body you wear today.

Who has survived through the changes in the body? It is the spiritual person within. We are each spiritual beings who are temporarily occupying a physical body.

This means our core nature is also spiritual not physical. This is why people are not satisfied with the material things of this world. Because material things are not of the same essence we are.

If we act outside of our spiritual nature, we will not be acting within the context of our core character.

What is our 'saltiness' then?

Our 'saltiness' is our spiritual character. And the foundation of our spiritual character is to love and please the Supreme Being.

If we do not live our lives true to our character - if this character is lost somehow - then we suffer the consequences of constant loneliness, emptiness, and darkness.

We in effect, lose our natural position - our "saltiness" - because we are not exchanging love with our Best Friend and Soul Mate, the Supreme Being.

"‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to ...'" (Matthew 5:21-22)

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool! Will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:21-22)

What does 'Raca' mean?

“Raca” is a Hebrew word indicating contempt for someone. Jesus condemns this as something the Sanhedrin—referring to the institutional temple council—can address.

Jesus is clarifying that lashing out at someone with a statement of ridicule - such as "you fool" - reflects an issue we have deep within. This indicates a level of jealousy and hatred that rots within us. This is why Jesus said:

"But anyone who says, ‘You fool! Will be in danger of the fire of hell."

This bears witness to the rotten state of our own consciousness. "the fire of hell" is thought of as a physical place - like a cave with lots of fire and people chained to the walls.

The issue is anger - the opposite of mercy.

Why is anger a problem?

This statement by Jesus to his students refers to the law of love. If we love our fellow children of God, there is no question of being angry and not forgiving them, let alone hurting or murdering them.

That is to become angry with someone without sufficient cause. What cause would be sufficient? Their offending God or His representative, which is essentially breaking the ‘first and foremost commandment,’ to love God and His children with all our heart and soul.

Now sometimes we might become angry with a fellow child of God if they do something that hurts themselves spiritually. This is also “with cause.” 

Becoming angry in this way, out of love, is not the same as saying “you fool” to them. It is like saying, "please come home" - which is what God keeps asking us to do.

What does Jesus mean by 'the fire of hell'?

A more appropriate translation* of the Greek word γέεννα (geenna) in Jesus' statement would refer to "wickedness" rather than "hell" because wickedness relates to consciousness, rather than a physical location.

The fire of wickedness occurs within our consciousness, but burns for everyone around us. Having a consciousness of hatred and envy is in itself wickedness. And this consciousness itself causes a burning of self-centeredness.

What is that burning of self-centeredness? We are speaking of lust and anger. These two sensations are compared to burning because if we have ever watched a fire, we know that fire consumes everything around it.

Next time you watch a fire, look closely at how it consumes its fuel. The flames lap up around the fuel and slowly work in and torch the fuel. But it is not as if the flames are satisfied with what they consume. They remain unsatisfied. They always need more fuel to consume.

This is the nature of lust and anger. Lust, when unsatisfied, can lead to anger. When we want something (lust) and we do not get what we want, we can become angry.

Note that Jesus says:

"But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment."

Becoming angry "without cause" relates directly to anger and envy. Being envious means being jealous of someone else because they have what we want.

Becoming envious is our worst conscious development. It is at the root of much of the violence and harm that are done against others. Envy is one of the key reasons for our being here in the physical world, away from the Supreme Being.

Why are we away from God now?

We are here, away from God, because we became envious of Him. Yes, we wanted to have what He has. He has the power, the beauty, the authority, the fame. And we want those things. So we were sent away, tossed out of the spiritual realm - symbolized by Adam and Eve being tossed out of the "Garden."

It is the same with heaven: Yes, there is a spiritual world, but heaven is a state of consciousness.

Consider this verse in Genesis:

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

The "garments of skin" symbolize these physical bodies we temporarily occupy. We are not these physical bodies. We are the spirit-person within them. We are the drivers of these physical bodies.

This physical world is like a rehabilitation center. Here we deal with the consequences of our envy, lust and anger. One of the reasons we are here in this world is to learn to transcend enviousness. 

As we look around us we have so many opportunities to become envious of others. Others who have become more wealthy, famous or otherwise successful in the material world can become the subject of our envy.

But we are also provided the ability to combat envy. First, the world combats our envy with consequences. When we act out of envy, we typically are met with the consequences of those actions. This can help us learn that envy does us no good.

Ultimately, envy is treated spiritually. By becoming closer to the Supreme Being and developing a relationship with Him.

Why is there so much suffering?

Often people ask if God is so good, how come there is so much suffering in the world?

The suffering of the world is not the result of God’s actions or decisions. The design of the world is set up to teach us and guide us, as well as offer us the freedom to make our own decisions.

As a result of that design, we are also met with the consequences of our actions. We“reap what we sow.” This means that the actions we take now will lead to particular results either here and now, or in the future.

We must ask ourselves logically, why a person would be born into a suffering situation like Darfur? Why are these kids suffering from birth? Did God just decide to punish these people for no reason?

Certainly not. As we will see later, Jesus also addresses this issue. These souls are being punished for the acts they committed in previous lifetimes. Today we experience the hell we caused to others in the past. It is a perfect system. It is a teaching system.

Depending upon the act and the situation, sometimes we receive our consequences in this lifetime, immediately. Prison or war are good examples of punishment for decisions made during the same lifetime. For those who are angry and hostile toward others, that anger and hostility may lead to a backlash of a fight or even escalate into a war. This is the immediate “hell” for these activities.

The world is also designed for love. Caring for others leads to a completely different result as well. When we care for others, this will result in being cared for - if not by others then by God. This too is the design of this world: A perfect world designed by God to teach each and every one of us our own set of lessons, simultaneously.

We might wonder why love is such an important part of Jesus’ teachings and such an integral part of the commandments that Moses revealed. What is it about love that is so important to God?

Is God love?

We often hear vague sayings such as “God is love.” Does this have any meaning?

Yes, God is the embodiment of Love. Love emanates from Him. God is also the most loved, the move loveable, and the most loving.

The real point is that God is a Person, and He unconditionally loves each of us personally. His whole Personality is tied to His love and care for each of us. The spiritual dimension is thus the place where this unconditional love governs all activity. Every one of His actions is founded upon love and compassion.

Therefore, actions of hatred, anger, and spite are simply out of context with His world. They run contrary to His Personality and nature. Self-centered activities of lust, envy, and anger oppose love. Where true love is, envy, hatred, and anger do not have a place. It is for this reason that actions against love have such negative consequences.

We were all created with an innate propensity for love. But each of us also has the innate ability to make choices. This is because freedom is inseparable from love. If God forced us to love Him that would hardly be considered real love.

Those of us floundering among the temporary physical dimension, dwelling within these temporary "garments of skin” made a choice at one point or another not to love and trust God. This decision point is the symbolic story of Adam and Eve.

So now we find ourselves here trying to enjoy as He might enjoy. Here we try to play god by trying to control and dominate others, and gather up as much money, possessions and attention as we possibly can. As the expression goes: "He who dies with the most toys wins." This aptly summarizes our attempts to "win" over our environment by trying to enjoy as a ruler - the expression of our desire to be in God's position.

God did not want to lose us, though. So He also designed a facility to allow us to learn to love. A facility that allows us to grow spiritually and understand that true happiness is having a loving relationship with Him. This is confirmed by Jesus' most important teaching:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27)

*Here is the translation of Matthew 5:21-22 from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"You have what it was taught in ancient times, ‘You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall face the consequences. Yet I say to you that anyone who becomes angry with his brother shall be subject to consequences, and whoever calls his brother ‘stupid’ shall be subject to judgment, and whoever speaks godlessness shall be subject to the fires of wickedness." (Matt. 5:21-22)

“Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar..." (Matthew 5:23-24)

“Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)

What does 'offering your gift' mean?

This part of Jesus’ sermon clearly indicates that Jesus taught his students to follow the tradition of making offerings - "offering your gift" - to the Supreme Being.

The altar is the representation of God in the temple. Making offerings at the altar of God has been practiced within the lineage of Prophets and Priests for thousands of years as evidenced in the Old Testament.

Why has this important practice been abandoned by those who claim to be followers of Jesus?

Offering to the altar, according to various texts of the Bible, was especially important when it came to food. Offering the first grains after harvest, and offering meals before eating was an important ceremony taught by the prophets including Moses, Abraham, and Solomon. Did Jesus teach anything different? No.

His teachings were founded upon the teachings of this lineage of Prophets. Jesus supported the practice of offering before the altar of God. As is noted here, the offering Jesus is speaking of is not the ceremonial offerings of farmers or townships. Jesus is speaking of a personal offering by an individual: A gift. By this, we know that Jesus taught that each of his followers should make regular personal offerings to the altar of God.

How are offerings done?

As recommended by the prophets and confirmed by Jesus, making an offering to God can and should be done not only daily, but prior to each meal. This was demonstrated by Jesus at every meal including the last supper, when Jesus was said to have "blessed" the food. 

But what is this "blessing?" Is it simply 'giving thanks'? These descriptions fall short of the offering suggested here by Jesus. Prior to any meal, the food should first be offered to God, with love and devotion, as a gift.

This act of giving an offering to God is confirmed by David in 1 Chronicles 16:29:

“Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.”

An offering does not have to be grand or extravagant. As long as it is made with sincerity. Offerings can be made quietly in private even amongst a group. Or they can be made in the same way that “giving thanks” is often made, with all attending holding hands in prayer. 

But instead of just thanking, we can pray: "Oh God, please accept this meal, by the grace of your son, Lord Jesus Christ, as our offering to you.”

We can also “give thanks” following this prayer—as we can do throughout our lives. However, the result of offering one's food prior to eating it is fundamentally different than the effect of merely thanking God for the meal. Offering gifts to God develops a different relationship with God. 

The “giving thanks” relationship with God is the relationship where we are the recipients and God is the order supplier. It is like we are thanking God for all the stuff He has delivered to us. It is like we are focused on the material things we have, rather than our relationship with Him.

Making an offering to God, on the other hand, develops a completely different relationship. Making an offering develops the relationship where we give of ourselves to God in a loving way. To give someone a gift out of freedom is to express to that person first that we want to have a relationship with them. Secondly, it expresses that we care about that person. 

To offer God any sort of gift of our temporary possessions is telling Him that we value Him more than the possessions. This is an act of love.

As Jesus teaches here, worshipping God at the altar is an important activity for developing our relationship with the Supreme Being.

Not only was this an ancient practice among the Prophets and ancient teachers of the Bible. This same practice, of offering before God’s altar, is also followed in practically every religious tradition throughout the world. Is this a coincidence?

How does offering help our spiritual growth?

The reality is that this activity is pleasing to the Supreme Being. This is because the Supreme Being wants us to be happy. And we will only be happy when we are exchanging love with the Supreme Being.

Today many sectarian teachers preach approaching the Supreme Being with prayer requests. In other words, asking Him for stuff.

This is treating the Supreme Being as some sort of waiter - as if He is just waiting around to fulfill our requests.

As though His job is to serve us.

Actually, we are His servants. Our relationship with the Supreme Being is subordinate. We were created to love and serve Him.

Making offerings to the Supreme Being fulfills our nature. It allows us to embrace our true nature as His loving servants.

Are offerings to God important?

Offering a gift is an act of love. When a person loves someone, they will bring them gifts and do things for them. This is called loving service, and it is a natural part of our constitution.

Everyone is looking for love and loving relationships within this physical world. We seek fulfillment by exchanging a loving relationship with someone.

Why? Because this is our nature. We are lovers by nature. We are loving servants by nature. And when we fulfill this part of our nature we feel joy.

But this part of our nature is not completely fulfilled when we are loving another person of this world. Yes, it does give us a glimpse of joy to love and lovingly serve another peer of this world. But this joy is not completely fulfilling.

This is because this is not our natural position. Our natural position is that we are each a loving servant and subordinate companion of the Supreme Being. As such, we can only be completely fulfilled when we are rendering loving service to the Supreme Being.

And as we are rendering loving service to the Supreme Being, we will automatically also render loving service to others. 

What does Jesus mean by 'be reconciled with your brother'?

Jesus' is instructing his students to "reconcile with your brother." What is he saying?

Jesus is indicating that reconciliation with those around us is connected with our ability to make offerings to God. Jesus said:

"First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

This indicates that to have a clear relationship with the Supreme Being we must have honest clarity with others. This means not holding grudges and forgiving others, and asking others to forgive us if we have done something to slight them. Why is this important?

Remember Jesus' other statement in this regard, part of his suggested prayer (The Lord's Prayer):

"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." (Matt. 6:12)

Jesus is teaching that we need to forgive others if we expect to be forgiven ourselves.

This is all about relationship-building with the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is not alone. He is surrounded by innumerable associates, and those of us who have fallen away from Him due to our misuse of our independence must be willing to appreciate that others - even if they are fallen as we are - are also to be counted among His associates.

Thus we must always be willing to forgive others and reconcile with others.

But notice that Jesus wants his students to leave the offering before leaving to reconcile:

"...leave your gift there in front of the altar."

This indicates priority. Jesus was teaching that one should be focused on developing our relationship with the Supreme Being as the highest priority.

But he is also clearly stating that our relationship with the Supreme Being is not separate from our relationship with others. There is a link and that link relates to the fact that we are all God's children.

This is why Jesus said:

 '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." (Matt. 33:37-40)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ..." (Matthew 5:27-30)

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5:27-30)

Is Jesus really teaching us to cut off body parts?

Jesus is speaking metaphorically. He is not advising his followers to cut off any body parts.

He doesn't mean we should literally cut off our hands or gouge out our eyes.

Did any of Jesus' followers do this? Were there one-eyed or one-handed followers of Jesus? No. This tells us clearly that he wasn't speaking literally.

The metaphor that Jesus is using refers to discontinuing (cutting off) behavior that harms others. To cut off the means of self-centered harm means to disregard or dismiss those aspects of our lives that create propensities. 

For example, a person who is employed by a bar will more likely become a drinker. So leaving the employ of such an establishment would leave behind the environment that would promote the drinking habit. 

Jesus is speaking of leaving behind those parts of our lives that produce the propensities for habits that encourage self-centeredness. Doing so is a sacrifice of sorts, which could be compared to cutting off a hand or gouging out an eye.

It is a metaphorical statement urging his followers to leave behind those parts of their lives that don't promote their spiritual growth.

What does he mean by 'stumble'?

In most of the other translations of Matthew, the word translated to "stumble" is translated to "sin." Even in the prior version of NIV, the Greek was translated to "sin," but has been changed to "stumble."

There are several Greek words that have been translated to "sin" in the texts of the Bible:
- "paraptoma" to fall.
- "hamartia" to miss the mark.
- "hettema" to diminish.
- "parabasis" to cross the line.
- "amonia" to not abide.
- "parakoe" to refuse to heed.
- "agnoeema" to ignore.
- "skandalizō" to stumble.

Stumbling takes on another meaning because it assumes that someone was not stumbling prior.

This assumes purity in essence. Yes, each of us was created by the Supreme Being, so there is an origin of purity. Such purity is one of love. We are each born from the love of the Supreme Being.

But stumbling in this respect contrasts this by acting in a self-centered manner that harms others. Love contrasts this because caring for others is the consciousness of love.

As such, purity is caring and loving the Supreme Being and others. To stumble is the opposite.

What does Jesus mean by 'hell'?

Jesus' statement, "whole body to go into hell" clarifies that rejecting or ignoring our relationship with God is hell. Rather than hell simply being a place we will go to be punished, hell is the consciousness of rebellion that rejects God. 

Hell is that place where our own enjoyment comes first, and God is forgotten.

This means that hell is not a location, but a consciousness. It also means that much of human society is, unfortunately, living in the consciousness of hell.

This statement presents particularly difficult criteria for someone living in modern society. Our society tends to focus on the more materialistic, self-centered aspects of life.

Why is Jesus talking about lust and adultery?

The sexual act is by nature a self-centered activity. There might be some love involved - wanting our partner to also feel good, or having sex to have a child.

But sex is actually quite difficult if each partner isn't ultimately interested in their own satisfaction. The sexual organs are stimulated through the seeking of physical satisfaction and ultimately, the orgasm.

The problem is that we are not these physical bodies. They are simply vehicles we occupy for a few years. Therefore, the sexual satisfaction of the body does not satisfy the soul - which has a spiritual composition.

We are the spirit-person occupying this physical body. At the time of death, we leave it behind.

And we - the real person within this body seeks real love. We seek the love of others and we want to love others. But this real person is covered up. It is covered up by our self-centeredness and our false identification with this physical body.

And what we are really looking for in the sex act - within - is union. We want to exchange love with someone but we are currently pre-occupied with physical gratification. This blocks our ability to truly love.

As a result, seeking union in the sex act will translate to mutual self-centeredness. Each partner wants to "get off."

We gradually find that sex brings no real satisfaction to our spiritual self. Our body might get some nerve sensations going, but the person within - our real selves - is not satisfied.

It is like a person driving a car feeling hungry and thinking that if they fill the car with gas they won't be hungry anymore. This doesn't work because the person's body is separate from the car.

In the same way, we are not our physical body, and filling the body up with sensual pleasure does not fill up the spiritual self.

Can we be satisfied without love?

Our real self within is only satisfied by giving love. And the ultimate union of the person within is loving service to the Supreme Being and His children.

This brings real happiness because there is no self-centeredness in true love of God.

And there can be no true loving service to the Supreme Being within self-centeredness. It is only emptiness.

What this means is that those of us who are trying to feed the image in the mirror instead of the real person within are in hell. Becoming saturated with self-centeredness prevents us from entering the world Jesus is inviting his followers into.

The love that exists in the spiritual realm between the living being and the Supreme Being is pure. It is unconditional. But the perverted reflection of this love in the physical world is conditional lust.

This is illustrated by sexual attraction in the physical world. While a man might be attracted to the body of a woman, and a woman might be attracted to the body of a man, these attractions come with conditions. For example, someone might see the rear of another as attractive as they walk down the street, but that attraction would stop if they saw that same rear defecating.

A man might be attracted to the private parts of a woman but that attraction would stop if they saw those same private parts during menstruation or childbirth.

As a result, men and women must work hard to maintain the mirage of attraction. Shaving, putting on antiperspirant, make-up, special clothes, and so on, all create the mirage of attractiveness. Without these, there would be little attraction for a hairy, blemished, and malodorous female body and a fat hairy blemished male body.

Furthermore, given a few years, even the most attractive body ages. An older body is no longer physically attractive, even with make-up piled on.

Can this world be hell?

Understanding that hell is a state of consciousness, hell is where we are drawn in and trapped by lust. In the consciousness of hell, we are teased by the illusion that the attractions of the physical world will bring us happiness. But they never do. They only lead to misery, as we become bound by their conditions.

The best way out of the consciousness of hell is to gradually and realistically develop a higher taste. This higher taste is accomplished by re-developing our innate loving relationship with God. We can do this with prayer and praise - by glorifying His Holy Names and by making offerings to Him. These facilities bring us closer to Him.

As our relationship with God evolves, the attractions of the physical world lessen. In fact, we can judge how well our relationship is developing simply by observing how drawn we are to the illusory attractions (reflections) of this world.

The attractions of the material world are tests. They teach us to grow stronger by illustrating how weak we are without the Supreme Being. It is not as if the temptations of the world have come from another place other than God. 

God designed the physical world and its temptations for a particular reason. He created the physical world for those of us who rebelled against Him and wanted to be independent of Him.

While we can never actually be away from God because He has created everything and is present everywhere, He has created a place where we can pretend He is not present. Here we have temporary senses and the physical body and mind that give us the illusion He is not here. These give us the opportunity to attempt to enjoy ourselves.

At the same time, He does not completely let us go. As we travel through this physical world with these temporary physical bodies ‘of clay’ - we continually find emptiness without Him.

Can we go back?

As we reach out to God and request to return to Him, it is not an automatic process. Consider the situation if we were to want to be friends again with someone we rejected years ago. Suddenly we wanted to be their friend again.

Would such a person just forget the past and accept us back into the relationship we had with them before? Likely not. They would most likely want to go slowly and make sure we won't leave them again. They would likely test us to make sure we didn't have any ulterior motives.

The bottom line is that they would want us to be serious about having a relationship with them.

This is not dissimilar to God's process. Except that He already knows our intentions, so He does not test us in order to understand our intentions. He tests us so that we can understand our intentions.

The temptations of the world are here to help us see just how serious we really are about returning to our relationship with God.

In other words, we don't have to be afraid of going to hell - we are already here. The question is how do we get out. Jesus gave us the path out of the consciousness of hell: By learning to re-establish our lost loving relationship with the Supreme Being:

“‘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. 22:37-38)

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ..." (Matthew 5:43-48)

“You have heard that it was said ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."(Matt. 5:43-48)

Is Jesus contradicting the teachings of the Old Testament?

Many state that Jesus was teaching something new, something not taught by the Prophets. Is this true? Did Jesus deny the teachings of the Prophets, or contradict them?

Certainly, we find many verses where Jesus quoted the Prophets, including Moses, David, Isaiah and others. Why would he contradict them?

Rather, Jesus is clarifying the meaning of the Prophets' teachings, and contrasting them with the teachings of those institutional temple teachers of the day that were bending and twisting scripture.

This is evidenced by the phrase:

"You have heard that it was said..."

We also see that Jesus is being critical of a misinterpretation of a particular verse, as he states:

You have heard that it was said ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’"

The passage Jesus is referring to is:

" 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:18)

This indicates that Jesus is clarifying the teachings of the Prophets.

Is this a quid pro quo?

Jesus' statement is also showing how this teaching from Moses had been misinterpreted to become: ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

Thus we find that Jesus is confirming this is not the teaching that was presented by Moses. He is also confirming that this statement illustrates God's unconditional mercy and compassion to others, not a quid pro quo.

What is quid pro quo? In most contexts, quid pro quo means: If I do something for you, you do something for me.

But as this plays out in terms of religiosity, it can be taken as: I do something good for you as long as it helps me.

But in sectarianism, we find a darker application: If you are not with us, you are against us.

Often we find that quid pro quo passes for "love" in the physical world. Most of us care about others when it is convenient to us or helpful to our own causes or sects. Or we are compelled because it is our family or significant other. 

Jesus is clarifying this teaching.

Jesus is stating that to "love your neighbor as yourself" doesn't mean to only love our neighbor when it is good for us, or convenient for us.

Jesus is stating that it means to provide this love without condition. Whether they are nice to us or not. Whether they care about us or not. Even whether they hurt us or not.

Is this about unconditional love?

Unconditional love is part of God’s Character: He is a loving, caring Person. While we may imagine His Character as strong and unbending, He is in fact, tolerant and forgiving. God's nature is supported by all the scriptures and is also evidenced by His accepting and mercy upon those who are fallen. 

His nature is evidenced by His mercy: He forgives when we ask for forgiveness.

This merciful characteristic of unconditional love and compassion is part of the Supreme Being's Personality.

Jesus wants his followers to as much as possible reflect this unconditional love that God has for us. He wants us to love others as God loves us.

In Genesis, it says we were created in ‘God’s image’. This means by nature, we have an innate capacity to love unconditionally - but only as a reflection of God's unconditional love.

In other words, we have no separate capacity. Our capacity to unconditionally love is connected to God's propensity. We have to be linked with the Supreme Being in order to have unconditional love for others.

While our real self is spiritual in quality, we have taken on these temporary material bodies because we rebelled against God at some point. At that point of rebellion, we communicated that we wanted our independence from Him. We didn't want to participate in His happiness. We wanted our own happiness independent of Him.

The problem is, this is impossible. It is like a fish trying to be happy outside of water. Let's say a fish jumped onto a pier and started flopping around. Could the fish ever have a life outside of water? No, because the fish wasn't built that way. The fish was designed to swim in water.

In the same way, we have no capacity to unconditionally love another without being connected with the Supreme Being's unconditional love.

We might compare this to an extension cord. An extension cord could not provide electricity for an appliance unless it was plugged into a power source. In the same way, we cannot provide unconditional love without receiving it from the Supreme Being.

This is because the Supreme Being is the Source of unconditional love. Just as a power cord must be plugged into the power source, we must be exchanging a loving relationship with the Supreme Being in order to offer part of that love to others.

The irony of this situation is that in our pure state, we reflect God's loving nature. But as soon as we become self-centered, we disconnect from that loving nature.

This is why Jesus said receiving forgiveness from God was related to our own forgiveness of others.

The Supreme Being designed temporary physical bodies and false identities so we could have the freedom to grow and evolve spiritually - or decide not to. The forgetfulness of our true nature gives us the complete freedom to decide our direction. Do we want to reconnect with the Supreme Being and reflect His love? Or do we want to live out our days wallowing in self-centeredness?

It is our choice. God designed this world to give us the freedom to love Him or not, along with an environment set up to teach us how to love.

Here Jesus requests his followers choose to resume their loving relationship with the Supreme Being. This and only this will allow us to reflect that unconditional love the Supreme Being has for us. This is precisely why Jesus connected "love your neighbor" with "love the Lord your God" in his most important 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. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39)

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“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men ..." (Matthew 6:1-4)

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:1-4)

Why does Jesus teach not to do righteous acts before men?

Jesus is speaking about public displays of religiosity, as well as acts of charity for the purpose of gaining the attention and admiration of others. This took place during Jesus' time among the temples. It also takes place among today's institutions.

For example, we find this occurs in assemblies where individuals will display their acts of devotion - whether it be prayer, speaking in tongues, crying out or tearfulness - for the purpose of appearing to others as spiritually advanced.

Today we also find many institutions organized in such a way that provides the means for people to rise up in the ranks and receive the attention and potentially, the admiration of others. For example, a person can start off just attending one of these institutions every Sunday, and gradually work their way up to deacon and maybe head deacon or otherwise leading the council of deacons.

Such positions can create positions of influence for which people aspire to in order to gain notoriety and attention from others.

Even without these hierarchical systems, we can go into a church and show all our neighbors and virtually everyone in our community that we are religious.

Does displaying our righteousness to others accomplish anything? According to Jesus, it has the opposite effect.

Seeking the attention and admiration of others is not a new thing. It is part of life in the physical world. Virtually everyone wants to be accepted by others, and even admired by others. Why?

Because each of us needs love. Love is our fuel. We seek love from others in order to fill the hole created by our lack of a loving relationship with God. Furthermore, according to Jesus, seeking love and attention from others further distances us from God.

What does Jesus mean by 'righteousness'?

The word "righteousness" is being translated from the Greek word δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē) which means, according to the lexicon, "in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God."

This means that the purpose of "righteousness" is to act in a way that is pleasing to the Supreme Being.

What does this have to do with showing off to others? Nothing.

The physical world is populated by those who are self-centered. It is all about me, myself and I. We can also include our family. And our dog. And our company or school or country.

But self-centeredness is the opposite of love.

Here Jesus presents his students with the tools for creating a foundation for loving service to God.

What does Jesus mean by receiving their reward in full?

Jesus is indicating that the reward they are seeking is the respect of others. So they pray in public or act religiously in front of others so others will honor them and give them respect. 

And because this is the reward they want from that activity, they indeed receive that reward by their public activity.

This is opposed to the reward that Jesus wants his students to have as a result of their dedication to the Supreme Being.

Jesus wants each of his students to re-establish their personal loving relationship with the Supreme Being.

Why should we do this in secret?

Jesus is suggesting that we express our love and devotion for the Supreme Being in secret. That we don't put it on display in order to gain the attention of others. Why?

Jesus wants us to fall in love with God. He wants each of us to have our own unique and personal relationship with God.

To love someone means to care more about them than we care about ourselves. This is true love. And pleasing the one we love is only natural.

This mood - of wanting to please God - is the opposite of trying to impress others with our religiousness. The two are mutually exclusive. They have nothing to do with each other.

We can't have it both ways. We can't try to impress others and exchange a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. It is one or the other, as Jesus states above.

Doing what is pleasing to God means having a personal relationship with Him. It means dedicating and sharing our personal lives with the Supreme Being.

It does not mean trying to use God to impress others with how great I am.

Just consider how this might play out among friendships of this world. Let's say that we have a popular friend and we decide to do something for them in front of everyone, showing everyone how tight we are with this friend. How will the friend feel about this?

He will feel used. He will feel insulted that we tried to use our friendship with him. And he will feel that the thing we did for him was not sincere. It was just an act.

Why should the Supreme Being feel any different about us showing off our religiousness among others? Surely He is big enough not to depend on our love. But God does enjoy sincere loving relationships.

“But when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites ..." (Matthew 6:5-8)

“But when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen. by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:5-8)

Does Jesus want us to have a private relationship with God?

This is one of Jesus' most important statements regarding our relationship with the Supreme Being. This is because developing a treasured relationship with the Supreme Being is a personal matter between ourselves and God only.

When we pray in front of others, making a show of our religiousness, we have already received our reward because others see us, and the respect we gain by their seeing our religiosity is already fulfilled as soon as they see us.

When we pray to God in front of others, our consciousness cannot be focused on our relationship with Him. Why? Because we must be aware of how we appear to others. How does that happen?

Are we praying in the right way? Do we fold our hands or bow or kneel? Do we close our eyes?

These elements bring our focus away from God. The main concern is: Are we praying in such a way that allows us to fit in and be accepted by the group? 

If these questions are rolling around our mind, we might as well be acting on a stage because our consciousness is focused on how we appear to others rather than on our relationship with the Supreme Being.

Jesus also discusses the ‘babbling’ of many words. This means making a show of prayer in order to impress others. 

Jesus' statement can thus also be applied to those who seek the approval of others by 'speaking in tongues.' Why does a person need to speak in tongues? Does God not understand English or whatever our native language is?

The quest for respect and admiration of others is ultimately self-centered. This is the same quest that pushes most athletes to win contests. It is the quest of businessmen who want to earn more money and be the boss. It is the quest for many politicians to seek higher and higher public office. 

The respect and admiration of others becomes a primary focus because we each need love. But in this case, love is being confused with fame and fortune.

We know this because fame and fortune do not satisfy the soul. Those with fame and fortune seek more. Their fame and fortune aren't enough for them. They need more because they are not satisfied.

Real satisfaction can be achieved through establishing a relationship with the Supreme Being. This is the purpose of prayer according to Jesus.

But what is prayer?

Is prayer for asking for stuff?

For most, praying is a request: "Gimme this, gimme that. (fix my leg or make me rich or whatever) And don’t forget to get this or that for my brother or mother. What kind of communication is this?

When we are praying, 'God do this for me,' and 'God do that for me' we are treating God as if He is our genie - as if he is our super-waiter - just waiting around to go fetch something for us.

This is not a relationship of love, or even of friendship. It is the relationship of usury. Such a relationship is conditional upon God getting me what I want when I want it.

And many will stop praying and reaching out to God when they don't get what they want from Him. When they feel He is not giving them enough, they stop. This is a conditional relationship. It is a business relationship.

Yet a true loving relationship with the Supreme Being is the only thing that will truly fulfill us. But this sort of relationship is not the same as usury. Such a relationship is symptomized by caring what God wants - and asking Him what we can do for Him rather than being focused on what He can do for us.

And for most of us in the physical world, because such a relationship with the Supreme Being is missing from our lives, we remain empty: Unfulfilled.

And when this relationship is missing, we seek to replace it with the temporary and unsatisfying attention from others. This is what Jesus is discussing as he talks about making a show of prayer.

Can we pray in public?

Jesus is advising against public prayer because it comes with the risk of one gaining the attention and admiration of others. But that doesn't mean we cannot pray in public.

Certainly, we find that some teachers may pray in public in order to lead their followers. Jesus made public prayers multiple times, for example.

The difference is whether the intent of the prayer is to win the approval of others, or a sincere attempt to connect with God. When done in public, the latter can be done with a minimalist approach - trying to avoid grandstanding.

Gaining attention and respect from others is certainly available to those who want to act religious. We can cry and pray on the street corner so that others will see just how devoted we seem. But this attention will not fulfill us.

Again, we see this in the lives of so many famous people who have the attention and admiration of millions of adoring fans. These "stars" are still not satisfied. They still are empty. They have the attention, but they are empty to the point where many have committed suicide or overdosed on drugs, alcohol or both. And those who remain will try to evade the public in order to retain some privacy. Such is the attention of others - it is not fulfilling. It brings no happiness. We might think it will. But it doesn't.

Why do we still seek it then? It is a perversion of love. We all seek love. We can thus be easily tricked into thinking that the admiration of others is the same thing as love. Yet we know that most of these "admirers" are actually envious. The admirer of a famous person often is simply jealous of their position and accomplishments.

It is only a truly loving relationship with the Supreme Being that can fulfill us. The admiration of others —though possibly providing a glimpse of the relationship we once had with God—simply does not fill our need for love and devotion.

We all want to serve and exchange love sincerely. This is part of our constitution.

Why should we pray?

Prayer is a means to help us re-establish our relationship with God. Through prayer, we can reach out to the Supreme Being. We can say His Name, whether it be God, Jehovah, Eloi or Abba, and we can begin to re-establish the loving relationship that we once had with Him.

Should we sincerely ask to come to know the Supreme Being and learn to love Him - He will begin to guide us back to Him.

Everything we have, the Supreme Being has given us. He knows our intentions and knows what we need and want before we even express it. Therefore it is futile to ask the Supreme Being for a list of things as if He were our waiter or delivery person.

God is already taking care of our needs and wants automatically through the provisions of nature - according to a combination of our consciousness and the consequences of our prior actions.

As Jesus prayed just before his arrest our prayers should be used to ask God if we can get closer to Him, to learn to love Him, and to learn to please Him with our lives. These are requests that reciprocate love. The Supreme Being is pleased to answer these requests because He enjoys love. He enjoys the exchange of loving relationships, just as we do.