The Gospel of the Holy Twelve 60-69

Lection 60 

Jesus Rebukes Hypocrisy

1. THEN Jesus spoke to the multitude and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatsoever they bid you to observe, that you should observe and do, but do ye not after their works. For they say and do not; for they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
2. But all their works they do for to be seen of men; they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
3. But desire ye not to be called Rabbi. For one is your Rabbi, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call not anyone father on earth, for on earth are fathers in the flesh only, but in Heaven there is One who is your Father and your Mother, who has the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive.
4. Neither desire ye to be called masters, for one is your Master, even Christ. But they who are greatest among you shall be your servants. And whosoever shall exalt themselves shall be abased and they who are humble in themselves shall be exalted.
5. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men. For ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
6. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayer; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
7. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
8. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, ‘Whosoever shall swear by the Temple, it is nothing, but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the Temple, he is a debtor.’ Ye fools and blind; for what is greater, the gold or the Temple that sanctifies the gold?
9. ‘And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.’ Ye fools and blind; for what is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctified the gift?
10. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the Temple, swears by it and by him who dwells therein. And he who shall swear by Heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the Holy One who sits thereon.
11. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides! For ye strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.
12. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For, ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, then the outside of them that they may be clean also.
13. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but within are full of the bones of the dead and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and make believe.
14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
15. Wherefore ye be witness unto yourselves, that ye do as the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
16. Wherefore said holy Wisdom, ‘Behold I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city. And upon you shall come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, who was slain between the temple and the altar.’ Verily, I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.
17. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that kill the prophets and stone them which are sent unto thee! How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
18. Behold, now your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, until ye shall say, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Blessed are they who come in the Name of the Just One.’”

Lection 61

Jesus Foretells the End of the Cycle

1. AND as Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, “Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?” And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Take heed that no man deceives you. For many shall come in my Name, saying, ‘I am Christ’; and shall deceive many.
2. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
3. And in those days, those who have power shall gather to themselves the lands and riches of the earth for their own lusts and shall oppress the many who lack and hold them in bondage and use them to increase their riches; and they shall oppress even the beasts of the field, setting up the abominable thing. But God shall send them his messengers and they shall proclaim his laws which men have hidden by their traditions, and those who transgress shall die.
4. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my Name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
5. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he who shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
6. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso reads, let him understand). Then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains. Let them which are on the housetop not come down to take anything out of the house; neither let them who are in the field return back to take their clothes.
7. And woe unto them who are with child and to them who give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day; for there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened.
8. Then if any man shall say unto you, ‘Lo, here is Christ, or there’; hasten not to believe. For there shall arise false Christ's and false prophets who shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.
9. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, ‘Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth’; ‘behold, he is in the secret chambers’, hasten not to believe. For as the lightening comes out of the east and shines even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
10. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from Heaven, and the powers of the Heavens shall be shaken.
11. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in Heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound as of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other.
12. Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When its branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So, likewise, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily, I say unto you, this generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
13. But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but the All Parent only. For as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
14. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
15. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord does come.
16. But know this, if the guardian of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man comes.
17. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
18. Blessed be that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
19. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat with the glutton, and drink with the drunken.’
20. The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him and in an hour that he is not aware of; and he shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites in the outer darkness with the cruel and them that have no love and no pity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Lection 62

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1. “THEN shall the kingdom of Heaven be like unto ten virgins which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise and five were foolish.
2. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
3. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a great cry made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom comes; go ye out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
4. And the foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you, but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’
5. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut.
6. Afterwards came also the other virgins, saying ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he answered and said, ‘Verily, I say unto you, I know you not.’
7. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes. Keep your lamps burning.”

Lection 63

Parable of the Talents

1 He also said, “The kingdom of Heaven is as a man who before traveling into a far country called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several abilities and straightway took his journey.
2. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money.
3. After a long time, the lord of those servants came and reckoned with them. And so, he that had received five talents came and brought the other five talents, saying, ‘Lord, thou delivered unto me five talents; behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant, thou has been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’
4. He also that had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, thou delivered unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’
5. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou has not sown, and gathering where thou has not strawed. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth; lo, there thou has that which is thine.’
6. His lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked and slothful servant; does thou tell me that I reap where I sowed not and gather where I have not strawed? Thou ought therefore to have put thy talents to use, with profit, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.’
7. He took therefore the talent from him and gave it unto him who had two talents. For unto every one that has improved shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that has not improved, shall be taken away, even that which he has. And he cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, for that is the portion he had chosen.”
8. Jesus also said unto his disciples, “Be ye approved moneychangers of the kingdom, rejecting the bad and the false, and retaining the good and the true.”

The symbolism of Christ’s parable is so powerful that to this day we use the word “talent” to express God given strength. Beyond the obvious directive to “improve” ourselves (verse 7), what is more significant is the thought process of the slothful servant. In order to justify his actions of “doing nothing” with his talents, he accuses his master of being a hard man and reaping where he has not sown. This is how the rational mind and ego work in the selfish or self-interested person. In order to justify himself, the servant willfully distorts the truth by falsely accusing his master. He is willing to deceive and lie to himself in order to justify his actions. People who are subservient to their ego/rational minds have the tendency to make up their own “worldviews” regardless of whether it hurts other people or whether it is based on lies and falsehoods. For these people, the end (their way or their view) justifies the means (no matter how deceptive). This is why the parable closes with the master saying, “…reject the bad and false, and retain the good and true.”

9. And Jesus sat over against the Treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the Treasury.
10. And there came a certain poor widow and she threw in her last two coins.
11. And He called His disciples unto him and said, “Verily, I say unto you, that this poor widow has cast more in than all they which have cast into the Treasure.
12. For all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her poverty did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

Lection 64

Jesus Teaches in the Palm Circle
The Divine Life and Substance

1. JESUS came to a certain fountain near Bethany around which grew twelve palm trees, where he often went with his disciples to teach them of the mysteries of the kingdom, and there he sat beneath the shade of the trees and his disciples with him.
2. And one of them said, “Master, it is written of old, ‘The Alohim made man in their own image, male and female created they them.’ How say thou then that God is one?” And Jesus said unto them, “Verily, I said unto you, In God there is neither male nor female and yet both are one, and God is the Two in One. He is She and She is He. The Alohim—our God—is perfect, Infinite, and One.
3. As in the man, the Father is manifest, and the Mother hidden; so in the woman, the Mother is manifest and the Father hidden. Therefore shall the name of the Father and the Mother be equally hallowed, for They are the great Powers of God, and the one is not without the other in the One God.
4. Adore ye God, above you, beneath you, on the right hand, on the left hand, before you, behind you, within you, around you. Verily, there is but One God, Who is All in All, and in Whom all things do consist, the Fount of all Life and all Substance, without beginning and without end.
5. The things which are seen and pass away are the manifestations of the unseen which are eternal, that from the visible things of Nature ye may reach to the invisible things of the Godhead; and by that which is natural, attain to that which is spiritual.
6. Verily, the Alohim created man in the divine image male and female, and all nature is in the Image of God, therefore is God both male and female, not divided, but the Two in One, Undivided and Eternal, by Whom and in Whom are all things, visible and invisible.
7. From the Eternal they flow, to the Eternal they return. The spirit to Spirit, soul to Soul, mind to Mind, sense to Sense, life to Life, form to Form, dust to Dust.
8. In the beginning God willed and there came forth the beloved Son, the divine Love, and the beloved Daughter, the holy Wisdom, equally proceeding from the One Eternal Fount; and of these are the generations of the Spirits of God, the Sons and Daughters of the Eternal.
9. And these descend to earth and dwell with men and teach them the ways of God, to love the laws of the Eternal and obey them, that in them they may find salvation.
10. Many nations have seen their day. Under diverse names have they been revealed to them, and they have rejoiced in their light; and even now they come again unto you, but Israel receives them not.
11. Verily, I say unto you, my twelve whom I have chosen, that which has been taught by them of old time is true though corrupted by the foolish imaginations of men.”
12. Again, Jesus spoke unto Mary Magdalene saying, “It is written in the law, whoso leaves father or mother, let him die the death. Now the law speaks not of the parents in this life, but of the Indweller of Light which is in us unto this day.
13. Whoso therefore forsakes Christ the Saviour, the Holy law, and the body of the Elect, let them die the death. Yea, let them be lost in the outer darkness, for so they willed and none can hinder.”

Creation is the same now as it was in the beginning, and as it will be in the future, which means that Creation is configured, established, and revealed in the visible world so we may know the truth of the invisible things of the Godhead. Everything in Creation is established by Holy law and the Two in One male-female reality and that will never change, so it doesn’t really matter what we, as individuals, may believe about God, Jesus Christ, Creation, or Life. Our social mores and religious or personal beliefs do not alter how Creation functions, what Creation IS, or how we are held accountable for our lives and actions! What does matter is how much of the Truth of Life and Creation we allow our minds to receive. 

We are told that the manifestations of the seen are from the eternal unseen, and that from the visible things of Nature we may reach the invisible God, and that from the natural we may attain to the spiritual. The order of the spiritual world is revealed in the secrets of nature. The term secret is used because humans see superficially the “on-ness” of everything. They look at a tree and see the bark and leaves (on-ness) rather than looking within the tree and seeing the workings of the four elements: the bark as the skin (earth), the leaves as the lungs (air), the sap as the circulation (water), and the living tree as life (fire). To understand the miraculous of the unseen, we must look deeper than the surface of things; we must look for the symbolism in things, understand the principles and laws of Creation, and understand the synchronicity and oneness in all Life.

The mysteries of life have been taught to all nations by saints, sages, and teachers of diverse names, but still humanity remains confused. Even today teachers come to teach, but these teachings have been ignored or corrupted by the foolish imaginations of men who cleave to their secular life or to religion. Although religion may inspire, religion does not reveal the mysteries of God, only the rituals of worship, consequently, many still do not know God as “…the Indweller of Light which is in us unto this day.” No matter what we believe or think in regard to our life or religious practices, the bottom line is this, does the individual acknowledge the Indweller of Light, Christ the Saviour, the Holy law, and the body of the Elect? If not, “…let them be lost in the outer darkness, for so they willed and none can hinder.” 

Lection 65

The Last Anointing by Mary Magdalene
Neglect Not the Present Time

1. NOW, on the evening of the Sabbath before the Passover, as Jesus was in Bethany, he went to the house of Simon the leper, and there they made him a supper; and Martha served while Lazarus was one of them that sat at table with him.
2. And there came Mary called Magdalene, having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious and costly; and she opened the box and poured the ointment on the head of Jesus and anointed his feet and wiped them with the hair of her head.
3. Then said one among his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was to betray him, “Why this waste of ointment which might have been sold for three hundred coins and given to the poor?” And he said this not because he cared for the poor and maintained the money bag, but because he was filled with jealousy and greed. And he murmured against her.
4. And Jesus said, “Let her alone, why trouble ye her? For she has done all she could; yea, she has wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always. She has anointed my body for the day of my burial.
5. And verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world there shall also be told this that she has done for a memorial of her.”
6. Then entered Satan into the heart of Judas Iscariot and he went his way and communed with the chief priests and captains how he might betray Jesus. And they were glad and covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave; and he promised them and after that sought opportunity to betray him.
7. And at that time Jesus said to his disciples, “Preach ye unto all the world, saying, ‘Strive to receive the mysteries of Light, and enter into the Kingdom of Light, for now is the accepted time and now is the day of Salvation.’
8. Put ye not off from day to day, and from cycle to cycle and eon-to-eon, in the belief, that when ye return to this world ye will succeed in gaining the mysteries and entering into the Kingdom of Light.
9. For ye know not when the number of perfected souls shall be filled up and then will be shut the gates of the Kingdom of Light, and from hence none will be able to come in thereby, nor will any go forth.
10. Strive ye that ye may enter while the call is made, until the number of perfected souls shall be sealed and complete, and the door is shut.”

In order to understand these last four verses, it is necessary to understand the very lengthy journey we are on through the 7-days of Creation (See: Creation). Christ is telling his disciples that it takes many lifetimes to attain to the mysteries of Light and no one should assume that they can put off this important task from day to day or cycle to cycle in the belief that when they return, they will get a free ticket into the Kingdom of Light. Since it is not possible for us to know the time, we must always strive to be conscious in the ever present moment and to become perfected souls who are worthy of the Kingdom of Light.

Lection 66

Jesus Teaches His Disciples Concerning the Nature of God
The Two In One

1. AGAIN Jesus taught them saying, “God has raised up witnesses to the truth in every nation and every age, that all might know the will of the Eternal and do it and after that enter into the kingdom to be rulers and workers with the Eternal.
2. God is Power, Love, and Wisdom, and these three are One. God is Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, and these three are One.
3. God is Justice, Knowledge, and Purity, and these three are One. God is Splendor, Compassion, and Holiness, and these three are One.
4. And these four Trinities are One in the hidden Deity, the Perfect, the Infinite, the Oneness.
5. Likewise in every man who is perfected, there are three persons, that of the son, that of the spouse, and that of the father, and these three are one.
6. So in every woman who is perfected are there three persons, that of the daughter, that of the bride, and that of the mother and these three are one; and the man and the woman are one, even as God is One.
7. Thus it is with God the Father-Mother, in whom is neither male nor female and in whom is both, and each is threefold, and all are One in the hidden Unity.
8. Marvel not at this, for as it is above so it is below, and as it is below so it is above, and that which is on earth is so because it is so in Heaven.
9. Again I say unto you, I and My Bride are one, even as Maria Magdalena, whom I have chosen and sanctified unto myself as a type, is one with me; I and My Church are One. And the Church is the elect of humanity for the salvation of all.
10. The Church of the first-born is the Maria of God. Thus said the Eternal, She is My Mother and she has ever conceived Me and brought Me forth as Her Son in every age and clime. She is My Bride, ever one in Holy Union with Me her Spouse. She is My Daughter, for she has ever issued and preceded from Me her Father, rejoicing in Me.
11. And these two Trinities are One in the Eternal and are strewn forth in each man and woman who are made perfect, ever being born of God and rejoicing in light, ever being lifted up and made one with God, ever conceiving and bringing forth God for the salvation of the many.
12. This is the Mystery of the Trinity in Humanity, and moreover in every individual child of man must be accomplished the mystery of God, ever witnessing to the light, suffering for the truth, ascending into Heaven, and sending forth the Spirit of Truth. And this is the path of salvation, for the kingdom of God is within.”
13. And one said unto him, “Master, when shall the kingdom come?” And he answered and said, “When that which is without shall be as that which is within, and that which is within shall be as that which is without, and, the male with the female, neither male nor female, but the two in One. They who have ears to hear, let them hear.”

Lection 67

The Last Entry into Jerusalem
The Sheep and the Goats

1. NOW on the first day of the week when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent forth two of his disciples and said unto them, “Go your way into the village over against you, and as soon as you are entered into it, ye shall find an ass tied, whereon never man sat; loose him and bring him.”
2. And if any say unto you, ‘Why do ye this?’ Say ye that the Lord has need of him, and straightway they will send him hither.”
3. And they went their way and found the ass tied without in a place where two ways met, and they loosed him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, “What do ye, loosing the colt?” And they said unto them, even as Jesus had commanded. And they let them go.
4. And they brought the ass to Jesus and cast their garments upon him, and he sat upon the ass. And many spread their garments in the way, and others cut down branches off the trees and strewed them in the way.
5. And they that went before, and they that followed cried, saying, “Hosanna, Blessed art thou who comes in the name of Jova. Blessed be the Kingdom of our ancestor David, and blessed be thou that comes in the name of the Highest; Hosanna in the highest.”
6. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the Temple, and when he had looked round about upon all things, he spoke this parable unto them, saying,
7. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
8. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, ‘Come ye blessed of my Parent, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and ye gave me food; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger and ye took me in; naked and ye clothed me; I was sick and ye visited me; I was in prison and ye came unto me.’
9. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee? Or thirsty and gave thee drink? When did we see thee a stranger and took thee in? Or naked and clothed thee? Or when did we see thee sick, or in prison and came unto thee?’
10. And the King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Behold, I manifest myself unto you in all created forms; and verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’
11. Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand, ‘Depart from me ye evil souls into the eternal fires which ye have prepared for yourselves, until ye are purified seven times and cleansed from your sins.
12. For I was hungry and ye gave me no food, I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink. I was a stranger and ye took me not in, naked and ye clothed me not, sick and in prison and ye visited me not.’
13. Then shall they also answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?’
14. Then shall he answer them, saying, ‘Behold I manifest myself unto you in all created forms, and verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to the least of these, my brethren, ye did it not unto me.’
15. And the cruel and the loveless shall go away into chastisement for ages, and if they repent not, be utterly destroyed; but the righteous and the merciful, shall go into life and peace everlasting.”

Lection 68

The Householder and the Husbandmen
Order Out of Disorder

1. AND Jesus said, “Hear another parable; there was a certain householder, who planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went into a far country.
2. And when the time of the ripe fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one and stoned another and killed another.
3. Again he sent other servants, more honorable than the first, and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’
4. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.’ And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him.”
5. Jesus asked, “When the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do unto those husbandmen?” They say unto him, “He will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.”
6. Jesus said unto them, “Did ye never read in the scriptures, ‘the Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the Pyramid’? This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.
7. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind them to powder.”
8. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude because the people took him for a prophet.
9. And the disciples asked him afterwards the meaning of this parable, and he said unto them, “The vineyard is the world, the husbandmen are your priests, and the messengers are the servants of the good Law and the Prophets.
10. When the fruits of their labor are demanded of the priests, none are given, but they evilly treat the messengers who teach the truth of God, even as they have done from the beginning.
11. And when the Son of Man comes, even the Christ of God, they gather together against the Holy One, and slay him and cast him out of the vineyard, for they have not wrought the things of the Spirit, but sought their own pleasure and gain, rejecting the holy Law.
12. Had they accepted the Anointed One, who is the corner stone and the head, it would have been well with them, and the Building would have stood, even as the Temple of God inhabited by the Spirit.
13. But the day will come when the Law which they reject shall become the head stone, seen of all, and they who stumble on it shall be broken, but they who persist in disobedience shall he ground to pieces.
14. For to some of the angels God gave dominion over the course of this world, charging them to rule in wisdom, in justice, and in love. But they have neglected the commands of the Most High and rebelled against the good order of God. Thus cruelty and suffering and sorrow have entered the world, until the time the Master returns and takes possession of all things and calls his servants to account.”
15. And he spoke another parable, saying, “A certain man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’  And he answered and said, ‘I will not.’  But afterwards he repented and went. And the man came to the second and said likewise, and he answered and said, ‘I go, sir.’ But he went not. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
16. They say unto him, “The first.”  And Jesus said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness and ye believed him not, but the tax gatherers and the harlots believed him, and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards, that ye might believe him.”
17. And the Lord gathered together all his disciples in a certain place. And he said unto them, “Can ye make perfection to appear out of that which is imperfect? Can ye bring order out of disorder?” And they said, “Lord, we cannot.”
18. And he placed them according to the number of each in a foursquare order, each side lacking one of twelve (and this he did, knowing who should betray him, who should be counted one of them by man, but was not of them).
19. The first in the seventh rank from above in the middle, and the last in the seventh from below, and him that was neither first nor last did he make the Centre of all, and the rest according to a Divine order did he place them, each finding his own place, so those which were above, were even as those which were below, and the left side was equal to the right side, and the right side to the left, according to the sum of their numbers.
20. And he said, “See you how ye stand? I say unto you, in like manner is the order of the kingdom, and the One who rules all is in your midst, and he is the centre, and with him are the hundred and twenty, the elect of Israel; and after them comes the hundred and forty and four thousand, the elect of the Gentiles who are their brethren.”

Lection 69

The Christ Within
The Resurrection and the Life

1. As Jesus sat by the west of the Temple with his disciples, behold there passed some carrying one that was dead to burial; and a certain one said unto him, “Master, if a man dies, shall he live again?”
2. And he answered and said, “I am the resurrection and the life, I am the Good, the Beautiful, the True; if a man believes in Me, he shall not die, but live eternally. As in Adam all die, so in the Christ shall all be made alive. Blessed are the dead who die in me and are made perfect in my image and likeness, for they rest from their labors and their works do follow them. They have overcome evil and are made Pillars in the Temple of my God; and they go out no more, for they rest in the Eternal.
3. For them who have done evil, there is no rest, but they go out and in and suffer correction for ages until they are made perfect. But for them who have done good and attained unto perfection, there is endless rest and they go into life everlasting. They rest in the Eternal.
4. Over them the repeated death and birth have no power; for them the wheel of the Eternal revolves no more, for they have attained unto the Centre where is eternal rest, and the centre of all things is God.

Our minds have a tendency to read the above verses literally, but that is not what Christ intended. Literal words educate the mind, but Christ used parables and symbolism to explain the mysteries of Light for the edification of the spirit and soul. An important point to be made in verse 2 is that if we believe in Christ as the resurrection and life, we will live eternally, but belief is not enough in and of itself; action is also required. In an earlier lection, Christ said, “To believe is to understand and to understand is to believe.” Belief is necessary, but the understanding is explained in the last three sentences of the verse. Christ explains that in Adam (our natural mind) all die, but in Christ all are made alive (our resurrected spirit). Christ resurrected and showed us the way, and now it is our responsibility to resurrect our spirit. We do this with Christ’s help which is found in our belief and faith. In the next sentence he refers to the dead who die in him, meaning those who forsake the world and “die” to their natural minds (the ego/personality and its attachments), and to those who are made perfect in his image and likeness which is accomplished through the transformation of the natural into the spiritual. This transformation is what Christ means in the last sentence by overcoming evil. When we can overcome the forces of our natural mind and the world (evil) and sit quietly in the stillness of the Christ light (the centre), we then rest in the Eternal and are made pillars because this state of beingness is the foundation of Christ’s teachings. To achieve this state of beingness in the centre within one’s lifetime, frees the soul from the wheel of life, death, and rebirth. “For those who continue in evil, there will be no rest and they will go out and in (death and rebirth) and suffer correction for ages until they are made perfect.”

5. And one of the disciples asked him, “How shall a man enter into the kingdom?” And he answered and said, “If ye make not the below as the above, and the left as the right, and the behind as the before, entering into the Centre and passing into the Spirit, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.”

Again, Christ is using symbolic language to explain a state of beingness that enables his disciples to enter the kingdom of God. Our third dimensional world is based on time and space, or in other words, right-left, up-down, near-far, and fast-slow. Christ is saying that when we can consciously transcend duality and BE in the light (the Centre) and pass into the Spirit (IOW, be in the Stillness), we will experience a state of consciousness that has no time and space distinction. This is the kingdom of God, but not the WHOLE kingdom, just an entry point, a beginning.

6. And he also said, “Believe ye not that any man is wholly without error, for even among the prophets and those who have been initiated into the Christhood, the word of error has been found. But there are a multitude of errors which are covered by love.”
7. And now when the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve; for there abode Lazarus and Mary and Martha whom he loved.
8. And Salome came unto him, and asked him, saying, “Lord, how long shall death hold sway?” And he answered, “So long as ye men inflict burdens and ye woman bring forth; and for this purpose I am come, to end the works of the heedless.”
9. And Salome said unto him, “Then I have done well in not bringing forth.” And the Lord answered and said, “Eat of every pasture which is good, but of that which has the bitterness of death, eat not.”
10. And when Salome asked when those things of which she enquired should be known, the Lord said, “When ye shall tread upon the vesture of shame and rise above desire; when the two shall be one, and the male with the female shall be neither male nor female.”

Salome must have inquired about the mysteries of Light or the initiation of the Christhood because in his answer Christ reveals the steps and the process of transformation for resurrection in the body. These four levels are spoken of below in verse 12. The first stage is “treading upon the vesture of shame” or rising above the animal nature of the elemental body. The second stage is rising above desire which creates emotional attachments to the things of the world. The next stage is the transformation of our two-in-one spiritual nature when male (active) and female (passive) are neither male nor female meaning they are not active or passive but blended together as one in the centre. When the active-passive of the three-fold spirit are blended together in the centre, one can pass into the spirit (the stillness of being).

11. And again, to another disciple who asked, “When shall all obey the law?” Jesus said, “When the Spirit of God shall fill the whole earth and every heart of man and of woman.
12. I cast the law into the earth and it took root and bore in due time twelve fruits for the nourishment of all. I cast the law into the water and it was cleansed from all defilements of evil. I cast the law into the air, and it was made alive by the Spirit of the Living One who fills all things and dwells in every heart. I cast the law into the fire, and the gold was purged from all dross.”

The question of “when shall all obey the law” is the same as “when shall your word be fulfilled?” The law or word of Christ will be fulfilled when everyone brings order to the four levels described in verse 12, and then the Spirit of God will fill the whole earth and every heart! In allegorical terms, verse 12 explains the esoteric mystery of the four levels of the elemental body, the temple of God; it describes the pathway and process for the resurrection in the body. In each of the 4 elemental levels, Christ “casts the law” which indicates that order is brought to that level. The only way to bring order to these levels is to turn our focused attention or focused light (the law) on a particular area. When we can sit quietly for an extended period and focus on each of these 4 levels, we will experience the experience Christ refers to on that level.

Stage 1 – “I cast the law into the earth and it took root and bore in due time twelve fruits for the nourishment of all (twelve parts).”
Jesus used the symbolism of astrology to explain the physical forces of the body as these were well known to the people of the time and a simple way to explain the earth attributes. The first transformational process spoken of in this sentence requires purifying the corporeal body and soul so we may be nourished by the twelve fruits. The twelve fruits refer to a unique astrological configuration from the twelve zodiacal signs which imprint our “earthly” or elemental body at birth. This astrological configuration defines the attributes, characteristics, and expression of our individual bodies and personalities. Beginning with the head, these signs and characteristics are: Aries/consciousness, Taurus/motion, Gemini/substance, Cancer/breath, Leo/life, Virgo/form, Libra/sex, Scorpio/desire, Sagittarius/thought, Capricorn/self-knowledge, Aquarius/oneness, Pisces/intelligence or abstract will. Under normal circumstances, no one is consciously aware of the influence of these astrological powers on our bodies and personalities unless they study the science.

The internal experience Christ was speaking of in this sentence means that if we sit quietly and “cast our attention (light)” inward “into the earth,” we will become conscious of these powers and attributes which make up our physical being. In due time, we will become familiar with these powers in our being, and our understanding of them will take root and they will produce “twelve fruits” which will nourish and enhance one another. In order to fully realize the knowledge these powers represent, we must clear our physical being of the “corrupted energy” that has collected in our physical body and body-mind (See: Thinking).

Stage 2 – “I cast the law into the water and it was cleansed from all defilements of evil.” 
Water symbolizes emotion which is the next step in the transformational process when stage 1 is completed. This stage requires purifying or “cleansing all defilements of evil” or in other words, removing the impurities which have taken root in our emotions. This is referred to in verse 10 above as “rising above desire.” Like water, our emotions are often troubled because of the attachments we have to the many desires we create to the things in the world, like desire for: sex, money, recognition, comfort, security, power, and ease.

The internal experience Christ was speaking of in this sentence means that if we sit quietly and “cast our attention (light)” inward “into the waters” we will cleanse our emotions. Our steady attention on the emotional level begins to still the waters. When we keep our light focused inward on the emotions, one by one our desires and attachments begin to be revealed, and with our light, we can dissolve and purify each desire.

Stage 3 – “I cast the law into the air, and it was made alive by the Spirit of the Living One who fills all things and dwells in every heart.” The air refers to the mental level of our being. There are actually two minds we deal with in the mental, the rational mind which is aligned to the ego/personality, and the reasoning mind which is part of higher intelligence, our spiritual Self. Just like the preceding two stages of life experience, the physical and emotional, most people never stop to think about their thinking or which mind they may be using; it all just gets categorized as “intellect” or “mind.” When “the law is cast into the air,” the thinking becomes clear.

The internal experience Christ was speaking of in this sentence means that if we sit quietly and “cast our attention (light)” inward “into the air” we can distinguish between the “chattering mind” of the ego and rational mind and that of higher intelligence, the reasoning mind. When we can make the “chattering mind” be still, and allow for our mental “sight” to clear, we will be made alive by the Spirit of the Living One.

Stage 4 – “I cast the law into the fire, and the gold was purged from all dross.”
The fire refers to the spiritual. In our spiritual Self, on this higher level, we deal with the divine aspects of Self-Knowledge and Self-Identity.

The internal experience Christ was speaking of in this sentence means that if we sit quietly and “cast our attention (light)” inward “into the fire,” we will purge all dross from our spirit (the gold of the alchemist).

13. And many like sayings he spoke unto them who had ears to hear and an understanding mind. But to the multitude they were dark sayings.