The
Bridal Chamber
The Dream: The
Quest of the Natural Man
The other night I had a disturbing dream. It was a reminder of the frustration experienced when operating out of the duality of an unrenewed mind.
An unknown companion and I, after being
upstairs, found ourselves in a dark basement, beside a double bed. Over
the bed
was a "ceiling," a barrier with an extremely well hidden trap door. I
was sure off it. Several times I had seen a caretaker climb up onto the
bed and
somehow go up through this trap door. I tried to follow, but every time
I
climbed up onto the bed, reaching up to the trap door to pull it open,
filthy
grime and dirt would fall on the bed. And the dark passage way eluded
me.
Frustrated, I apologized to my companion for dirtying the bed.
Politely, she
told me not to worry. She had already made plans to get new pillow
covers. And
she headed off another way. This seemed odd for I had no intension of
sleeping
in such a filthy bed. I became obsessed with this hidden passage way
back
upstairs. I even thought of moving the bed, and tearing down and
ripping open
the ceiling, but if I moved the bed how would I reach the ceiling? Was
I
trapped in the basement?
_____________
Unenlightened, man lies in what seems like a dark place, a body of
death. Like
a dark basement, hell and the grave are hidden underground in this dark
watery
earth. Like an outer darkness, with the appearance of an inner death,
this body
can sometimes seem like a “whitewashed tomb” full of dead
men's bones, Matthew 8:12, Matthew 23:27, Romans 7:24.
But there is a way of escape. Liberation is not the coming out of one
realm
into another, but a realization that the middle wall of partition has
been torn
asunder. If we ask the rhetorical question, "Is Christ divided?" We
may realize that he is not the divider. Rather, He is the all, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Corinthians 1:13, Colossians 3:11, Thomas 72.
When there is no division and separation between the above and below,
the inner
and the outer, the male and the female, and the right and the left then
liberation is an amalgamation of the two, and a re-creation. It is not
a choice
between two dichotomies. This is not the replacing of the old with the
new. But
rather it is the consummation of the old by the new. The old passes
away, is
destroyed, and is consumed and transformed into a new creation. All
things are
made new, Thomas 7.
Some spiritual mysteries can be seen mirrored in the natural realm.
However,
when the secret and hidden realities are seen only by comparing, and combining and joining together
spiritual with spiritual, they are not readily discerned by the natural
man, 1 Corinthians 2:13.
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be
changed, 1 Corinthians 15:51.
The life of Christ is our story. “The sun was darkened, but the
veil of the
temple was rent in the midst,” Again, “The veil of the
temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks
rent; And
the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept
arose,” Luke 23:45, Matthew 27:51-52.
The Vision:
When knowledge (gnosis) is pleasant
unto your
soul, you will experience a death, the sun will be darkened, and you
will
behold only a corpse, and the veil of the temple will be rent in twain,
and the
earth will quake, and the rocks will be rent, and the grave will open,
and
there will be a bright light, and the body of a saint, a holy one which
slept
shall arise and shine, a reunited Perfect Man, clothed in an armor of
light,
conquering all with the love of a bridegroom,
Luke 23:45, Matthew 27:51-52, Thomas 2, 56, 77, 24.
The bridal chamber is the holy of
holies
hidden within the veil, where two become one,
Hebrews 6:19,9:3, Philip,
Hebrew 10:20.
Love conquers all, and it never
fails. There
is a marriage in the hidden place that expands through all creation.
This is a
great mystery hidden with Christ in God. In Paul’s message this
marriage
happens in every level of reality.
Though not explicitly explained in Paul’s letters, the mythology
of Christ and Wisdom
seems to have formed the underlying foundation for much of his thought.
In the
mythology, Christ is the Bridegroom and Wisdom is the Bride.
Recognizing the
personification of Wisdom clarifies much of Paul’s mystery
teaching. Christ
gives us light revealing the hidden things of darkness. Arising with
enlightened eyes we behold instead a joining together within the bridal
chamber. The dichotomies and divisions are reunited. There is nothing
hidden
that shall not be made manifest.
God commands the light to shine out
of
darkness, and enlightened we behold two become One, creating the ONE
new man,
who is become a living spirit. This is the new and a living way. This
is our
liberation.
When we make the two into one, when
the male
and the female, and the inner and the outer are joined together you
enter the
kingdom. This bridal chamber is where two become one. Through marriage,
we are
made complete.
What is this marriage in the secret
place?
“Behold, thou desirest Truth in the inward parts: and in
the hidden part
thou shalt make me to know Wisdom. "Let the Word of Christ
dwell in
you richly with all Wisdom,” Colossians 3:16 NASB, Psalms 51:6, Hebrews 6:19, 9:3, Philip,
Hebrew 10:20.
“Behold I show you
a great
mystery.”
The Separation in the
Mind, the Reconciliation, the One New
Body, and the Wedding Garments:
“His face did shine
as the sun, and his raiment was white
as the
light,” Matthew 17:2, Matthew 17:9.
A wedding is a
re-uniting, or a reconciliation into ONE, of the male and the female.
The bridal chamber is the holy of
holies
hidden behind the veil, in the spirit of the mind, where through a
vision male
and female can become One New Perfect Man. Such is the
imagery of the
bridal chamber, Philip,
Hebrews 10:20, Mark 10:8, Thomas 75, 104.
Such a vision
perceived
at every level of existence renews the mind to a true knowledge,
transforming
us into the image of the One who creates the New Perfect Man. In him
all things
are gathered together, and reunited. Such a reconciliation of all,
illustrated
in marriage, is the very essence of Paul’s Gospel, Colossians 3:10.
This is a great
mystery
hidden with Christ in God.
In Paul’s
message this
marriage happens in every level of reality. Though not explicitly
explained in
Paul’s letters, the mythology of Christ and Wisdom seems to have formed
the
underlying foundation for much of his thought. In the mythology, Christ
is the
Bridegroom and Wisdom is the Bride. Recognizing the personification of
Wisdom
clarifies much of Paul’s mystery teaching.
“Wisdom
giveth life to them that have it”,
And this “life
is hid with Christ in God.” Stated plainly, Christ and Wisdom
joined together
in matrimony are safely hidden in God, Ecclesiastes 7:12, Colossians 3:3.
In like manner,
believers
are exhorted to “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly with
all Wisdom,” Colossians 3:16 NASB.
Again stated
plainly,
Christ and Wisdom rest together in the hidden man of the heart, and
also in the
very heart of God. The marriage of Christ and Wisdom at every level of
reality
is a great mystery that helps explain much of Paul’s Gospel of
universal
reconciliation.
The Separation in a Darkened Mind
Christ and
Wisdom are
both pre-existent, and both present in creation. There is strong
support for
this understanding within the canon. In the mythology Christ and Wisdom can
represent our true self and humanity originally united. However, they
are
eventually separated through Wisdom’s self will, and all creation
suffers the
consequences.
Who is this
Wisdom?
The Greek word
for
“Wisdom” is sometimes transliterated into English as Sophia.
Differing
traditions
provide a variety of understandings of the Wisdom mythology. She has
become a
popular figure in Christian mysticism, Gnosticism, and even Orthodox
communities. She is variously understood as the Divine Logos, the
Wisdom of
God, the Holy Spirit, and an emanation from God. In the wisdom
literature She
is a pre-existent One present at the creation. Perhaps, Proverbs 8 provides the
clearest picture
of who Wisdom is:
“I was
set up from
everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When [there
were] no
depths, I was brought forth; when [there were] no fountains abounding
with
water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I
brought forth:
While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest
part of
the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I [was] there:
when he set
a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds
above:
when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea
his
decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he
appointed the
foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, [as] one brought up
[with him]:
and I was daily [his] delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing
in the
habitable part of his earth; and my delights [were] with the sons
of men, Proverbs 8:23-31.
Wisdom was with
Christ in
the beginning. However, they became separated, at least within a
darkened
understanding alienated from the life of God though ignorance.
Nevertheless,
they shall be re-united. Just as Christ dwells in our hearts, “Wisdom (also) resteth in the
heart of him that
hath understanding,” Proverbs 14:33, Ephesians 4:18.
In the
mythology the
pre-existent Christ and Wisdom can represent our true self and humanity. The pre-existent Oneness of humanity disappears from our view with the separation into
male and female that follows. This is perhaps echoed in the creation
myths of
Genesis.
Jesus said,
“Blessed is
he who came into being before he came into being.” For
“Adam came into being
from a great power and a great wealth, but he did not become worthy of
you, for
had he been worthy, he would not have experienced death” or separation.
The death, separation, and division of Humanity is seen as the
predicament. “On
the day when you were ONE you became two. But when you become two, what
will
you do?" Thomas 19, 11, 85.
Jesus said,
“When the
bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them fast and
pray." And so in the darkness of an alienated mind we entered into
the closet. If death and separation is the predicament, then
reconciliation,
and marriage is the solution. In a vision in the secret place, Christ
and Wisdom
are found re-united when Christ’s coming and illuminating
entrance into the
Bridal Chamber is perceived and “Wisdom entereth into thine
heart.” “So teach
us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,” Thomas 104, Proverbs 2:10, Psalms 90:12.
The Reconciliation
In the bridal
chamber is
where Christ and Wisdom are reunited, and the reconciliation of all
things is
able to be seen. The coming together of Christ and Wisdom as One and
the same
is a great mystery, and one that is not easily declared. Both Christ
and Wisdom
are unseen realities. Paul sets the example as one who would attempt to
expound
the mysteries, “O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge (Gnosis) of God!” “Which
things also we speak,
but not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth,” Romans 11:33, 1 Corinthians 2:13, Thomas 4, 22.
There is a
delicate
balance between the proclamation of truth and the protection of the
revealed
reality. Jesus said, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither
cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under
their
feet, and turn again and rend you,” Matthew 7:6, Thomas 102.
Jesus
said, "Woe to the pharisees, for they are
like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he
eat nor
does he let the oxen eat," Thomas 102.
Jesus
said, "The pharisees and the scribes have
taken the keys of knowledge (gnosis) and hidden them. They
themselves have
not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You,
however, be
as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves," Thomas 39, Matthew 23:27.
The
sharing of secrets and the maintenance of safety
must be managed with wisdom. One the one hand, we do not share secrets
with
those who would deliberately keep them hidden from those in need.
Mysteries are
not for the dogs, but for the oxen. They are not for the Pharisees, but
for the
worker. On the other hand, when feeding the swine the clams will be
sufficient.
The pearls can be removed until later when they are able to appreciate
them.
There is a proper time and place to share a vision. “As they came
down from the
mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until
the Son
of man be risen again from the dead,” Matthew 17:9.
He is
alive. For those with eyes to see and ears to
hear, today is a day of salvation. Since we are members one of another,
like an
oyster with a hidden treasure, “I travail in birth again until
Christ be formed
in you,” Galatians 4:19.
“Now
we have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we
might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which
things
also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which
the Holy
Ghost teacheth; comparing, and combining and joining together
spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man
receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can
he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned,”
1 Corinthians 2:12-14, 1 Corinthians 2:13 ASV.
Some spiritual
mysteries
can be seen mirrored in the natural realm. However, when the
secret and
hidden realities are seen only by comparing, and combining
spiritual with spiritual, they are not readily discerned by the natural
man. These are spiritual realities hid within the holy of holies
that are
well worth seeking out. There is the outer court, the inner court, and
the holy
of holies. There is the body, the soul, and the spirit. There are
hidden
spiritual realities and spiritual teachings that are not accessible to
the
natural man. Ones that because hidden are well protected.
There is a
hidden man of
the heart, in that which is not corruptible, the meek and quiet spirit,
the
pearl of great price. Hidden within the unseen place, combining
spiritual
realities with spiritual realities, are treasures beyond
comprehension. These pearls are hidden for good reason, but are
not
inaccessible. Therefore Jesus says, “Seek.” 1 Peter 3:4.
“Wisdom resteth in the
heart of him
that hath understanding.” This Wisdom is like a pearl of great
price. She is a
treasure to be discovered in the watery darkness of the earth. Christ
gives us
the needed light, Proverbs 14:33, Ephesians 5:14, Colossians 1:12, 13.
“The LORD
God formed man
of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life;
and man became a living soul.” In the Canonical gospel:
“The kingdom of heaven
is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath
found,
he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and
buyeth
that field.” The field is the body, Matthew 13:45-46, Genesis 2:7.
Some are
ready to
pay the price for this gnosis. Some are not. “I count all things
but loss for
the excellency of the knowledge (gnosis) of Christ Jesus my Lord:
for whom
I have suffered the loss of all things,
and do
count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” Acts 5:3, Matthew 19:21, 27, Philippians 3:8.
“Again,
the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he
had
found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had,
and bought
it,” Matthew 13:45-46.
This discovery
can be a
ongoing process. For eventually, this field will be “The
Body” where no worm
destroys, Colossians 1:24.
And again
“the kingdom of
the father is like a merchant who had a consignment of
merchandise and who
discovered a pearl. That merchant was shrewd. He sold the
merchandise and
bought the pearl alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing
and
enduring treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm
destroys,” Thomas 76.
The Pearl
of Great
Price speaks of the Bride. Even Peter, when addressing the wives in
the
community referred to the hidden person in their hearts as being
“of Great
Price.” The passage reads, “Wives,… let it be the
hidden man of the heart,
in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament of] a meek
and
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of Great Price...(like)
the
holy women,” in old times who trusted in God, 1 Peter 3:1,4-5.
“No
mention shall be made
… of pearls: for the price of
Wisdom is
above rubies,” Job 28:18.
The purchase of
the Pearl
of Great Price may be a reference to the ancient custom of the bride
price. The
bride price is an amount of money, property or wealth paid by the groom
or his
family to the parents of a woman upon the marriage of their daughter to
the
groom, Genesis 34:12, Exodus 22:16-17, Deuteronomy 22:28-29.
This pearl is
the gnosis
of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ when he is joined together
with his
bride Wisdom who is discovered in the holy of holies.
Wisdom as the Bride
Repeatedly,
throughout
scripture and especially the Wisdom literature we are told to get
Wisdom at any
price. “He that getteth wisdom loveth his own
soul.” “Whoso findeth
a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD,”
Get wisdom, and
get knowledge, Proverbs 19:8, Proverbs 18:22.
Wisdom is
personified by as
this female bride who is to be embraced. “Get Wisdom,…
Forsake her not and she
shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom [is] the
principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom, Exalt her, and she shall
promote thee:
she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall
give to thine
head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver
to thee, Proverbs 4:5-9.
There is a
marriage that
happens in the secret hidden place of the heart. Christ, (the Truth,
John 14:6) is united with Wisdom
in the inmost part. Bride and Bridegroom are re-united, combining
spiritual
with spiritual, creating One New Man. “Behold, thou desirest Truth in the inward parts:
and in the hidden [part] thou shalt
make me to know Wisdom,”
Psalms 51:6.
“If thou
seekest her as
silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then
shalt
thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge
(Gnosis) of
God.” Then “when Wisdom entereth into thine heart, and
knowledge is
pleasant unto thy soul,” “Christ shall give you
light,” Proverbs 2:4-5, Proverbs 2:10, Ephesians 5:14-15.
Having
“commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, (He) shine(s)
in
our hearts, bringing to light the hidden things of darkness, the
counsels
of the heart, revealing the knowledge (gnosis) of God in the face
of Jesus
Christ,” 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 4:6.
We discover the
Gnosis of
God in the face of Jesus Christ. He is our example. "A man's Wisdom maketh his face to shine, and
the boldness
of his face shall be changed,” Ecclesiastes 8:1.
Christ found
his Wisdom
in a vision and transfigured… “his face
did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white
as the light,” Matthew 17:2, Matthew 17:9.
Christ is our
example. In
a vision, we shall all be changed and transfigured. The disciples of
Jesus said
to him, “Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary
for us to seek
it." He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light
within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world. If he does not
shine, he
is darkness,” Thomas 24.
Being renewed
in the
spirit of our mind, Christ and this Wisdom find rest in our
hearts. “Wisdom resteth in
the heart of him that hath
understanding,” Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the
one will
die, and the other will live."… “Therefore I say, if he is
destroyed, he
will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be filled with
darkness,” Proverbs 14:33, Thomas 61.
This cryptic
saying
suggests that two becoming One leads to the destruction of the old, and
the
creation of the new which is filled with light. This is the
Father’s desire.
“Behold, thou desirest Truth in the inward parts:
and in the
hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know Wisdom.” Reunited, Truth And
Wisdom
are met together. In matrimony, they have embraced in the hidden place,
Psalms 51:6.
And so the old
is passed
away. “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after
the flesh:
yea, though we
have known Christ after
the flesh,
yet now
henceforth know we [him] no more,” 2 Corinthians 5:16.
Now there is a
new
creation: a New Man - filled with light. And He lights up the whole
world. Our
need is to behold and experience this reunited reality, and to see this
light,
so that we no longer have “the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the
life of God through the ignorance that is (with)in… because of
the blindness of
(the) heart,” Ephesians 4:18.
The One New Body
There are
mysteries and there are greater mysteries.
The greater mysteries grow out of the lesser mysteries.
Marriage
is a simple earthly illustration. “A man
shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they
twain
shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one
flesh. What
therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder,” Matthew 19:5-6.
Paul utilized
the concept
of marriage and the principles of the Christ and Wisdom mythologies to
explain
his own secret teachings: The coming together of two to create one new
man.
Paul refers to this New Man as the joint-body,
where “there is neither male nor female, but ye are all one in
Christ,” Galatians 3:28. Ephesians 3:6.
Paul’s
breakthrough application was the bringing
together of the Jewish and Gentile factions in the Church. The male
bridegroom
represents the spiritually minded gentile believers blessed
with all
spiritual blessing in heavenly places. The female bride can refer to
the Jewish
believers blessed with the soul satisfying and earthly
covenants. Spirit
and Soul are reunited together in ONE body, “to make in himself
of twain ONE new
man,” Ephesians 2:14-15.
On an even
larger scale,
as the mystery grows, taking on cosmic proportions, it refers to the
marriage
of this Christ and the Church in whom are gathered all things into the
one
body. Paul refers to this as “a great mystery, Ephesians 1:10, 23, , Colossians 1:20, Ephesians 5:31-32.
This Christ who
is all is
the new corporate reunited man which is put on like a garment. Putting
on the
wedding garment is needed to enter in, and is the entering in. For
there
is only ONE body, the kingdom
of God’s
dear son, Ephesians 4:4, Colossians 1:13.
Now, we are his
flesh and
his bones, raised a spiritual body, the anointed Christ, the perfect
man, for
he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit, Ephesians 5:30, 1 Corinthians 15:44, Ephesians 4:13, 1 Corinthians 6:17.
In this
resurrection we
neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God
in heaven,
Matthew 22:30.
No longer
divided, we are
but one new androgynous man, even as the angels of God in heaven. In an
eternal
reality, outside of time, this oneness simply is. However in the realm
of time,
and in the darkness of the mind, there is a step by step progressive
working
out of this duality into the oneness. From the joining of the inner
spark, to
the uniting of soul and spirit, to the Jew and Gentile in the new
humanity, to
the gathering together into one of all things, the author declares that
this is
a great mystery, Ephesians 5:32.
This is the
husband and
wife analogy spreading from an individual experience to a corporate
reality.
Step by step Christ loves Wisdom, suffering a cross, separated from his
Father,
that he might sanctify and cleanse Wisdom by the washing of the word,
that he
might present her to himself in marriage. This perfect man leaves
father (the
Heavenly Father) and mother (the Heavenly Jerusalem) which is the
mother of us
all, and is joined unto his wife, and they two become one flesh, Galatians 4:26, Rev 21:9-10.
Christ and
Wisdom then
become One New Perfect Man. Christ is the savior of the body (Ephesians
5:23).
This is such a great mystery, but it becomes progressively greater when
one
realizes, that as the process expands, all things must eventually be
joined in
the body.
Until "Every
man
perfect" becomes the church "filled with all the fulness of
God", or "The Perfect Man" illustrating a universal corporate
oneness, Colossians 1:28, Ephesians 4:13.
In this
marriage is the
new creation of this One New Man in every sphere and at every level
from the
micro to the macro. Christ and Wisdom is a useful mythology, with
manifold
illustrations exemplifying this coming together. Paul employs the
principles of
this Gnostic Wisdom mythology to reveal his deepest mysteries. And the
Church
will do the same. “To the intent that now unto the principalities
and powers in
heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold Wisdom of God,” Ephesians 3:10.
Wisdom and
Christ
illustrate this marriage on every level. Wisdom as the bride; Christ as
the
bridegroom. From the smallest inner spark to the grandest universal
realities
all is reconciled together into One.
Wisdom is known as the
divine spark. - Christ is the light that lighteneth every man.
Wisdom
as the feminine soul. - Christ
as the male spirit.
Wisdom
as the Church, the bride of Christ. - Christ as bridegroom, the head of
the
Church.
Wisdom
as humanity. - Christ as the last Adam.
Wisdom
as the feminine of God. - Christ as the all, the image of
the Father.
Step by
step, this consummation like an expanding
ladder reaches up into the universe. Principalities and powers, aeons
and
archons, the emanated divine powers in the heavenly pleroma, the
totality of
all that is understood as the divine is reunited into the One. In this
new
Perfect Man dwelleth and is reconciled all the fullness (the pleroma)
of the Godhead bodily, Colossians 1:20, Colossians 2:9.
The right and the
left are
fitly joined together as One, and according to the effectual working in
the
measure of every part, maketh increase
of the body
unto the edifying of itself in love, and being knit together,
increaseth with
the increase of God, Ephesians 4:16, Colossians 2:19.
With this
increase, and
the understanding of the Wisdom mythos, step by step all the falsely
perceived
dualities within both the creation and the Godhead are delivered up and
amalgamated into “the One God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through
all, and in you all,” Until at last, “God (is) all in
all,” and all that is, Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Corinthians 15:28.
The Wedding Garments
This
cosmic unfolding is seen in germ in us. “We are
the first fruits of all creation.” We are a display piece within
the pleroma,
the heavenly realms, the holy of holies, and the inner man. We are a
pattern
for those who are to come. With each new incarnation the pattern is
still in
place, and a new enlarged garment is put on by this new man as he
grows
in stature until reaching “the measure of the stature of the
fullness of
Christ,” 1 Timothy 1:16, 1 Corinthians 4:9, James 1:18, Ephesians 4:13.
His disciples
said,
"When will you become revealed to us and when shall we see you?"
Jesus said, "When you disrobe without being ashamed and take up
your garments, and place them under your feet like little children and
tread on
them, then will you see the son of the living ONE, and you will
not be
afraid," Thomas 37.
When we disrobe,
we put off the separated and divided humanity, and Christ gives us
light. Then
are we “like him; for we shall see him as He IS:” as the
All gathered together
into one,” Colossians 3:9, 1 John 3:2, Colossians 3:11, Ephesians 1:10, Thomas 77.
When we put on
this new
man like a garment. We are “renewed
in the spirit
of our mind” according to the knowledge that in reality, there is
only ONE
body. For he has made “in himself from the two - one new
man,” Ephesians 4:23; Colossians 3:10, Ephesians 4:4, Ephesians 2:15.
We cannot live
in a
divided reality. Jesus said, "It is impossible for a man to mount two
horses or to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to
serve two
masters; otherwise, he will honor the one and treat the other
contemptuously.
No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine. And
new wine
is not put into old wineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put
into a new
wineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new
garment,
because a tear would result." To put on this new garment you must
put
away the old. You cannot operate in two realms. We make the two into
one, Thomas 47, Thomas 22.
This is not
merely the
replacing of the old with the new. This is not merely a choice between
two
dichotomies. But rather it is the consummation of the old by the new.
The old
passes away, is destroyed, and is consumed and transformed into a new
creation.
It is not a division and separation of the above and below, of the
inner and
the outer, of the male and the female, of the right and the left, but
it is an
amalgamation and a re-creation. All things are made new, Thomas 7.
We begin this
journey to
wholeness with A New Way
of Thinking. When we put off the old man and the old garment, we put
off the
old way of thinking. No longer “having the understanding
darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through… ignorance,…
because of the blindness of
(the) heart,” Ephesians 4:18.
Present in
all, and possessing all things, we reckon
our old self to be dead. Jesus said, "Whoever has come to understand
the
world has found (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is
superior to
the world." Jesus said, “Recognize what is in your sight, (the
corpse) and
that which is hidden from you will become plain to you.” There
will be a
manifestation of the son(s) of God, “for nothing hidden will not
become
manifest.” And so, we are renewed in the spirit of our mind.
Jesus said,
"He who has recognized the world has found the body, but he who has
found
the body is superior to the world." There is a death, a consummation
and a
transformation, and a resurrection, Romans 6:11, Thomas 56, 60, 80, Colossians 3:10.
This all begins
in the
bridal chamber in the holy of holies hidden within this veil. This is
where the
treasure is: the hidden man of the heart, the quiet spirit, the pearl
of great
price. Jesus said, “He who seeks will find, and he who knocks
will be let
in." Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but it is the ‘solitary’
who will enter the bridal chamber,” Philip,
Hebrew 10:20,1 Peter 3:4, Thomas 94, Thomas 75.
Jesus said, "I
shall
give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no
hand has
touched and what has never occurred to the human mind." And so
“we walk by
faith not by (natural) sight.” For this reason, “from now
on, we regard no one
according to the flesh. Even though we
have known Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know Him thus no longer,” Now we know him in spirit, Thomas 17, 2 Corinthians 5:7, 2 Corinthians 5:16.
There is one
body, and
one spirit. “What? know ye not that he which is joined
to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he
that is
joined unto the Lord is One
Spirit.” Christ and Wisdom
are joined together. There is a reconciliation. Once again she is
“daily
[his] delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable
part of
his earth. Christ and Wisdom find rest together in our hearts. Just
as “Wisdom resteth in the
heart of him that hath
understanding,” Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed,” 1Corinthians 6:16-17, Hosea 1:2, Proverbs 8:30-31, Proverbs 14:33, Thomas 61.
Now that Christ
has
shined in our hearts, we look upon that which is hidden. Receiving a
vision of
Christ and Wisdom in the secret place is a transfiguring experience.
God
commands “the light to shine out of darkness,
(He) shine(s)
in our hearts, bringing to light the hidden things of darkness, the
counsels of the heart, revealing the knowledge (gnosis) of God in
the face
of Jesus Christ.” Making his face to shine upon us, for “a
man's Wisdom maketh his face to shine,
and the boldness
of his face (is) changed.” “His face
shine(s) as the sun, and his raiment (is) white
as the light,” 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Ecclesiastes 8:1, Matthew 17:2, Matthew 17:9, Numbers 6:25, Matthew 17:2.
“There is
profit to
them that see the sun. “He will be filled with light."
Paul’s
testimony of personal transformation was simply “I saw in the way
a light from
heaven, above the brightness of the sun,
shining
round about me,” and “I was not disobedient unto the
heavenly vision.” “There is
light within a man of light, and he
lights up the whole world,” Ecclesiastes 7:11, Thomas 61, Acts 26:13, 2 Corinthians 11:6, Acts 26:19, Thomas 24. See also Luke 23:45, Acts 2:20, Acts 13:11.
Christ also
gives us this
light. For “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of
the Lord.” Jesus said, "Seek and you will find.” “The
God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
him.” “What you
asked me about in former times and which I did not tell you
then, now I do
desire to tell, but you do not inquire after it.” Therefore
“let him who seeks
continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become
troubled. When
he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the
All,” Ephesians 5:14, Colossians 1:12, 13, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Thomas 92, 2, Ephesians 1:17.
For there is
only one
body: the Christ who is all. “As many of you as have been
baptized into Christ
have put on
Christ”:
This “[ONE] like unto the Son of man, clothed
with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a
golden
girdle.” In Him all things are made new, consist, and are joined
and held
together. “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed
upon with our house which is from heaven, “For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on
immortality. In
this new universal body we are his hands and his feet. “We are
his flesh and
his bones,” Ephesians 4:4, Colossians 3:11,Galatians 3:27, 1 Corinthians 15:53, Ephesians 5:30, Revelation 1:13, 2 Corinthians 5:2, Colossians 1:17, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
And so we put
on this new
man “in Whom are hid all the treasures of Wisdom
and knowledge.” Arising from the darkness of our mind, we
find ourselves
translated into the kingdom
of God’s
dear Son, for
Christ gives us light. And so we continuously clothe ourselves in this
new
wedding garment, this armour of light, this New Man, and dwelling in
the light which no man can approach
unto, we are become light
in the Lord, the ONE new body of light. Together, you are, and we are
the light
of the world, Colossians 2:3, Ephesians 5:14, Colossians 1:12, 13, Romans 13:12, 1 Timothy 6:16, Ephesians 5:8, 13, 14, Matthew 5:14.
The Inner Vision
When knowledge
(gnosis)
is pleasant unto your soul, you will experience a death, the sun will
be
darkened, and you will behold only a corpse, and the veil of the temple
will be
rent in twain, and the earth will quake, and the rocks will be rent,
and the
grave will open, and there will be a bright light, and the body of a
saint, a
holy one which slept shall arise and shine, a reunited Perfect Man,
clothed in
an armor of light, conquering all with the love of a bridegroom, Luke 23:45, Matthew 27:51-52, Thomas 2, 56, 77, 24.
Love
conquers all, and it never fails. Make the two
into one. There is nothing hidden that shall not be made manifest. When
the
inner and the outer are joined together you enter the kingdom.
Everything is in
Christ. This Christ is in everything. We are members one of another: I
am in
you, and you are in me, and we are one in Christ. Everything and
everyone is in
everything and everyone else. Put simply, since everything is in
Christ, and we
have Christ in us, then we also have everything in us. Again, put in
Pauline
language, we are members one of another, and we have all things, 1 Corinthians 13:8, 1 Corinthians 3:21, Thomas 22, 5, Colossians 3:11, Romans 12:5.
This is
the mature "body, the fullness of Him Who
fills all in all - for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who
makes
everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself."
The lines and distinctions between God, Christ, All Things, and the
Church blur
and fade away. When this is realized dualities fade, and all becomes
the One, Ephesians 1:23 Amplified.
This is the
gospel of
peace. And then when knowledge (gnosis) is pleasant unto your soul, you
will
experience a death, and the sun will be darkened, and…,
…, …, the process
repeats. And you will know all things, Ephesians 6:15.
However, that
day shall
not come, except the man of sin be revealed. He as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is
God. Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he
finds, he
will be troubled, for he will find only a corpse. The veil of the
temple will
be rent in twain and the earth will quake, and the rocks will be rent.
Nevertheless do not be soon shaken in mind, nor be troubled. Even
though we
become troubled, we will be astonished. As Jesus has said, "I shall
give
you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no hand has
touched
and what has never occurred to the human mind.” The Christ shall
come like a
high priest into the holy of holies, and by our gathering together unto
him,
and with the perfect joining together to be glorified within his
saints, the
grave will open. There will be a bright light, and the body of a saint,
a holy
one which slept shall arise, a reunited Perfect Man with face aglow
clothed in
an armour of light, conquering all with a the love of a bridegroom. He
will
rule over the all, and deliver the kingdom up to the One God and Father
of all
that “God may be all,” Thomas 2, 17, 2Th 1:10 2Th 2:1,2-4, Matthew 27:51-52, Romans 13:12, 1 Corinthians 15:28.
The Conclusion of the Matter
At one time we
were
darkness, Ephesians 5:8.
“When
I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood
as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away
childish
things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to
face:
now I know in part”: for naturally, I have a knowledge that
divides and
subdivides reality into parts, but soon I will know even as Him who is
all One,
1 Corinthians 13:11-13.
Perhaps being
separated
and alienated in the darkness of the mind, understanding as a child,
seeing
through a mirror darkly, we miss the deeper purposes of Paul’s
writings.
Perhaps, we see reality as divided and subdivided. However, “the
weapons of our
warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong
holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself
against the knowledge (gnosis) of God, and bringing into captivity
every
thought to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Jesus said,
“Why have you
come out into the desert? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to
see a man
clothed in fine garments like your kings and your great men? Upon
them
are the fine garments, and they are unable to discern the
Truth,” Thomas 78.
But now behold
the unseen
Truth: “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam
[was made] a
life giving spirit,” quickening all
things. Joined
together we become “a living spirit,” 1Corinthians 15:45, 1 Timothy 6:13, Thomas 4, 22, 114.
All the
dichotomies are
absorbed and translated into the Kingdom of God’s
dear Son. Not
only is the kingdom inside of you, and it outside of you, but to
go
further, if you can see it, there is neither inside nor outside, above
nor
below, first nor last, right nor left, Jew nor Greek, bond nor free.
There is
neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. In the
spirit of
the mind of Christ, reconnecting the two, making the two into ONE, we
“become a
living spirit,” for “he that is joined to the Lord is ONE
Spirit,” Colossians 1:13, Galatians 3:28, Matthew 25:33, Thomas 3, 4, 22, 114, 1 Corinthians 6:17.
Previously
we knew in part, but soon we shall “know
even as also (we are) known. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these
three;
but the greatest of these is love.” In the secret place,
reconciled together in
love, the two are joined together in holy matrimony. Knowledge may pass
away,
but this love that abides is the even greater mystery, 1 Corinthians 13:11-13, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesian 2:15, Colossians 3:14.
This kind of
love and
“marriage is honorable in all,” even as “Christ is
all and in all,” Hebrews 13:4, Colossians 3:11.
Held together with a
love that abides, Colossians 3:14.
He is and We are
There is nothing hidden
that will not be made manifest! Luke 8:17, Thomas 5.
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