Hell = Jerusalem's Garbage Dump
The human psyche is deeply scarred with the Church’s horrendous teaching of a physical place called hell, created by a God who intends to punish some individuals for eternity.
Having declared the teaching of reincarnation heretical in 553 C.E., the church was left with no explanation for how God’s justice could work itself out? After all, Galatians 6:7 reminds us: “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.” It is plain for all to see that not everyone who commits major crimes reap the results of that behavior in this life. Therefore, there has to be a hell where those criminals can be punished. Right?
(The Church declared “reincarnation” to be a heretical teaching during its 553 C.E. Fifth Ecumenical Council when it condemned Origen and his teachings. ---Page 119 of Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, Vol. I, ed. Norman P. Tanner, Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1990. Origen who taught both pre-existence of souls and reincarnation, was one of the most influential of Early Christian thinkers.)
And what about those persons who have not “been saved” by accepting Jesus as their Lord & Savior? Many churches continue to teach that these persons will burn in hell for eternity. John Calvin taught “double predestination,” meaning that God created some persons to send to heaven, some to hell. The individual person—according to double predestination—has nothing to do with where they go after death. Instead, God predestined their eternal fate when He created them.
With these teachings, the Church created a God far worse than the average human being. Who, of us, would dream of punishing one of our children for eternity?
The threat of eternal punishment serves to control people by fear. Many modern day churches say, “Oh, we don’t teach hell anymore.” That may be true; however, the fear created by teaching—for 1500 years—the concepts of hellfire, brimstone, and eternal punishment has lodged itself in the very cells of our bodies and in our psyches. Even worse, what if I am one of those persons God predestined for an eternity in hell regardless of what I do in this lifetime?
A few examples are in order:
As the minister, I had completed the graveside service for a beloved church member. As I shook her husband’s hand, he looked at me with tears filling his eyes and asked, “She was such a good person … surely, she went to heaven?” I was shocked because I knew neither I nor any of the more recent ministers at that church taught the concept of hell. But … this grieving husband was deeply troubled—wanting the assurance that his wife of decades had not been sentenced to hell. From where did his fear stem? From our society … from hearing other Christians speak of hell … from the cancerous residue of such a teaching within the human psyche … from the Church that has not admitted to its members that hell is a control device, not a physical place created by a God of Love.
My sister tells the story of her friend. The couple was in their early seventies and had enjoyed a happy marriage. The husband was a good man, well liked, and highly respected in the community. When their son was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, his father tenderly cared for him for years. The only concern was that the husband seldom attended church with his wife. Following his death, the wife grieved and grieved … far beyond the normal grieving process. Her family became concerned over her because her health was being impacted. When my sister talked with her, she confided that she could not stop grieving because she was not sure her husband was not burning in hell. As they talked, the woman revealed an experience she had shared with no one. She related that for at least two weeks following her husband’s death, every time she went outside a beautiful butterfly would fly close to her the entire time she remained outside. My sister asked her if she knew what the butterfly symbolizes. She did not. When she learned that the butterfly symbolizes resurrection, metamorphosis, and eternal life, this grief stricken woman grew faint with relief. She realized the butterfly was a message from her husband, telling her that he is fine. Now … although she continues to miss her husband, she has been able to release the fear—instilled in her by the Church’s horrific teaching of hellfire and eternal punishment. However, the months of horror, believing her husband might be burning in hell, are engraved on her psyche.
A woman wrote to my website, asking if I had any information on what happens when we die. She explained she grew up in a church that constantly preached hell … hell … hell. Although she thought she no longer believed in such a place of eternal punishment, she found herself wanting to know for sure. She still wakes up some mornings with feelings of deep gloom, thinking of the possibility of hell. Is this the Way of a God of Love—to inflict upon those pondering death the fear of being met on the other side by leaping flames of fire and the realization they are condemned for eternity? My heart weeps for these kind people and the appalling action on the part of the Church that claims to teach a God of Love.
The Church cannot consider itself “off the hook” of responsibility for these cancerous teachings by simply stating, “We no longer teach hell as a place of eternal punishment.” Instead, the Church must tell the truth to the people. Hell is a control device … control by fear. As the president of a mission board stated during a Missionary Appointment Service, “If there is no hell, then why are we here?”
Hell, as a place for some to spend eternity, is not biblical. Rocco Errico offers a word study. The English term "hell" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "hel," meaning "a hidden place." "Hel" comes from the verb form helan meaning “to hide.” Thus the English root word for hell, "helan," has nothing to do with hell-fire. Biblical translators used the word "hell" to translate two different Semitic words: "gehenna" or "gehenna dnoora" in Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus) and "sheol" in Hebrew.
"Sheol" comes from the Hebrew root word "shalal" meaning "to be still, quiet." The ancient Hebrews believed sheol to be a place beneath the earth’s surface where those who die, both good and bad, are inactive and quiet. They await judgment or resurrection day. It is a temporary resting place in the underworld.
The Aramaic "gehenna dnoora" refers to the “Valley of Hinnom.” During the 1st century C.E., Gehenna Dnoora was the garbage dump for Jerusalem. Located outside the city walls, people brought their garbage to Gehenna Dnoora and burned it. The Judean king, Ahaz (735-715 B.C.E.), used this valley to send his son to the flames as a human sacrifice to the gods. As a result of these human sacrifices, the valley Gei Hinnom became a Semitic term for hell. The Old Testament "sheol" and the New Testament "gehenna dnoora" in no way refer to a place established by God for eternal punishment.
The above word study was taken from an article by Rocco Errico entitled “Why Hell Is A Rubbish Heap.”
Revelations 21:8 is another verse that seems, on the surface, to verify the traditional Christian concept of hell: “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Throughout Revelation, sulfur appears in relationship to the eternal fires. On the mundane level, sulfur is a natural element found in protein. Protein is essential to the well-being of our physical bodies. Hidden wisdom uses sulfur as an alchemical symbol. Alchemy, as defined by Webster, is the “power or process of transforming something common into something special.” Thus sulfur in combination with the eternal fire is the means by which souls are transformed “from something common into something special.” The second death is, therefore, death to the lower self (or something common) so that the something special (the Higher Self) can be resurrected into a higher level of conscious awareness. Revelation is speaking of the astral plane, or purgatory (the plane to which most souls go after departing the physical body) where all negativity is eventually transmuted and resurrected into something special. Henceforth, the individual Soul is constantly attuned to the Higher Self as it continues its spiritual journey through multitudes of higher realms of awareness and manifestation.
Hell, as a place of eternal punishment, is not biblical.
Physical plane fire offers many benefits: it purifies, it renders malleable, it warms. The biblical eternal fire … lake of fire is fire operating at a higher vibratory rate. The eternal fire is a transmuting or transforming flame. This transmuting flame can be used to purify the energy field around our physical, emotional, and lower mental bodies. As our lower bodies are purified by the flame, we are transformed from “something common into something special.”
The lake of fire is God’s gift ensuring that all of humanity ascends into the higher consciousness of the heavenly abodes—even the “fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars.”
- NancyDetweiler's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Did Jesus make the Earth?
Nancy, what do you think of the beginning of John?
John 1: 1- 4 "In the begining was the word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life and that life was the light of men. "
I feel like these are some of the powerful words in the Bible. Did Jesus make the Earth? If He did, why did he say that his kingdom was not of this world prior to his crucifixtion. What is Satan called the prince of this world if in fact Jesus, acting in sync with God, made the Earth.
I have heard several interpretations of the opening of John, what say you?
The Gospel of John
Jim,
I knew that question would be forthcoming. (Sunny face)
I believe the Gospel of John is far more than we know. Manly P. Hall, in his encyclopedia of the ancient wisdom teachings, indicates the following:
First, Gematria—the exchange of letters for their numerical equivalent as a means of determining the mystical, hidden wisdom purpose/meaning of portions of the Bible—is used in the books of the New Testament, particularly those attributed to St. John.
Second, Hall states: Nicephorus Callistus (Xanthopoulos)—a Byzantine historian—declared “the Gospel according to St. John to have been discovered in a cavern under the Temple of Jerusalem, the volume having been secreted “long anterior to the Christian era.” According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the 23 volumes church history written by Xanthopoulos “constitutes a significant documentary source for material on primitive Christianity, the doctrinal controversies, and Christological heresies.”
Third, I believe Hall is referencing Xanthopoulos when he states: “the existence of interpolated material in the fourth Gospel substantiates the belief that the work was originally written without any specific reference to the man Jesus, the statements therein accredited to Him being originally mystical discourses delivered by the personification of the Universal Mind. [The passage John 1:1-5 is most likely one of these discourses, as it speaks of the Word being with God at the time of creation. Creation takes place through the spoken Word … “Let us” in Genesis 1.] The remaining Johannine writings—the Epistles and the Apocalypse—are enshrouded by a similar veil of mystery.” What you and I know is that the Fourth Gospel has always been set apart from the synoptic gospels.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fourth, according to all I have read from our galactic family, Earth humans do not know our true history. Therefore—in my thinking—interpreting all of the inner meanings of the Bible would be impossible at this point in time. I experienced the unfathomable depths of the Book of Job in writing my 2nd book.
Fifth, my biblical research and metaphysical studies have convinced me that Jesus incarnated to be our Wayshower, to show us the Way to the Christed Consciousness—or “the mind that was in Christ Jesus.” As he stated in John 14:12, we are to continue on the Path, doing “greater works than these.” He left a road map for us to follow.
Sixth, my lifelong study of the Bible has simply shown me How Much I Do Not Know. I believe that our galactic family will have much to teach us about creation, our planetary history, and the Source of All Creation.
A Most Important Question!
Peter,
Your question is probably the most important one Christians can ask at this point in time. We live in the midst of myriad cover-ups—religious, educational, governmental, and planetary. Although many of these cover-ups initially took place hundreds, sometimes thousands of years ago, they are now increasingly being exposed. Christians are and will be faced with the question: “How does Jesus fit in?” The more we turn to the Holy Spirit for guidance, for Truth … the more we openly discuss our dilemma … the more we read the Bible after putting aside all preconceived ideas of what we will find there, the better prepared we will be to move forward on our individual spiritual journey.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I refer readers to the link on my website—www.pathwaytoascension.com—entitled “What Is Really Happening in America” for an excellent summary of many cover-ups described by a former U.S. State Department language interpreter. Since the article is about 14 pages long, I hesitate to post it as a blog on Crossleft. It will be easy to locate on my website as I am giving it headline attention for the foreseeable future—look to the right top of my home page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your question is based on the Christian doctrine that God sent his only Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins and that all those who do not accept Jesus as Lord & Savior will be condemned to hellfire for eternity. Note the word “doctrine.” A “doctrine” is a statement of belief or tenet of faith that was agreed upon between 1500 to 1700 years ago. I encourage all to read a history of the first 1000 years of the Church … read the writings of those we call the Church Fathers. What you will find is the story of men fighting amongst themselves over the explanation of who Jesus was … why was he crucified … which books to include in the Bible … and how the Church will give symbolic expression to the selected doctrines. Millions of pages were written … the arguments were often filled with hate for those who disagreed. It was during this time that many were condemned as “heretics”—their writings destroyed. The writers were often burned at the stake or beheaded, for no other reason than that their belief system “differed from the stated doctrines of the Church”—the definition of “heresy.” The history of the religion called Christianity is filled with hate, violence, and bloodshed.
On the other hand, Jesus—the Prince of Peace—stands as an example to humanity of the Way of Love. His physical plane life demonstrated to us how to live as an expression of Divine Love … how to treat our fellow human beings … how to pray … how to heal and be healed … how to give unselfishly. He taught us who we really are. With his life, he revealed to us our heavenly Father. Because Jesus knew humanity was not yet ready to hear all that he could teach them, he used parables … he used examples having to do with their everyday lives and nature.
Biblical scholars consider the Gospel of John to be a Gnostic gospel. Gnosis means “esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth.” In other words, the Gospel of John contains hidden, or metaphysical, teachings that during Jesus’ time was reserved for only the inner circle of initiates/disciples. Around the late 19th century, the ancient hidden wisdom began to be revealed to the general public. However, the Church has remained hostile to revelations that differ from the orthodox teachings and to those who attempt to teach anything differing from the codified tenets of the Christian religion.
The Gospel of John offers clues to all that will be revealed in coming days—during many of our lifetimes. Re-reading John’s Gospel in the light of Jesus’ teachings about himself (found in John) can be an awakening experience. There is MUCH in John for each of us to comprehend as we are ready. I offer a few suggestions, than encourage you to study John with them in mind and to do so on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit. What new revelations do YOU receive?
Who does Jesus say he is?
Jesus repeatedly states that he does not speak his own words, but those of the Father—He came representing the Father. In essence, Jesus served as the channel through which “the Father” spoke to humanity. Read the Gospel of John and listen to “the Father” whenever Jesus makes statements like: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Read the verse as follows: “I [the Father] am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me [the Father] will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me [the Father] will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
“Then Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him [the Father] who sent me.’” (John 12:44)
Who does Jesus say we are?
In the parable of the true vine (John 15), Jesus states “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower…. I am the vine, you are the branches.” Think in terms of a grape vine: As the branches extending from the vine, who are we? Are we different from Jesus? Remember Jesus taught the hidden wisdom within his parables, so that those who have “the eyes to see and the ears to hear” may do so.
In John 14, Jesus states: “The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus expects us to do greater works than he did …. So who are we?
“I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.” (John 8:38) Jesus expects us to stand on our own … to approach the Father on our own … to trust the instructions we hear (with our intuitive mind) from the Father. We are to channel the Father, just like Jesus.
As Jesus prepared his disciples for his departure, he taught them: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:12-14) Jesus still had much [hidden wisdom] to tell his disciples. But they had not yet developed “the eyes to see and the ears to hear.” The disciples (including you and me) are to listen to the Holy Spirit, as He teaches us. Jesus knew who we are: intelligent beings capable of learning on our own from the Holy Spirit.
SO…….?
Where does Jesus fit within a creation that does not include a physical place created by God to punish some for eternity? As One with us … as our elder brother who came to show us the Father … who came to show us the Way of Love … who came to teach us to live our lives as a channel for the Father … who came to show us how to be a Christed Being—to possess the mind that was in Christ Jesus.
Each of us must walk the Path of Love as unique individuals. Jesus knew we cannot grow “to do greater works” than his by blindly following the dictates of others. We must “do what you have heard from the Father” … we must think and act according to the inner teachings of the Holy Spirit to us. What you hear and what I hear may differ. That is okay because as the Apostle Paul taught in I Corinthians 13:12-13: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
re: Important Question
Thanks for your reply.
I wonder though, why is our relationship with God [The Father] different than the one described in Genesis prior to the encounter with the serpent? This portion of scripture is much older than the examples you cite.
Peter
Did God change?
Peter,
I read the Bible as the symbolic "Story of our Soul's Journey." Thus, the God we see in Genesis 1 depicts the Source of All That Is. Since life is eternal, your Soul and my Soul lived within the heart of the Source until we were given the opportunity to develop as individualized entities. We came to Earth--the Garden of Eden prepared for our experiment in individual living--as pure Light Beings. We could talk to God face to face.
Within that Garden, we could make still further choices, one of which was to experience life on the plane of physical duality--to know good and evil. We were warned that to choose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would cause us to die. Die to what?...Life is eternal.
I perceive the Old Testament to be the Story of our journeys through the plane of physical duality. Gradually, we lost our conscious awareness of living within God's loving presence. We began to feel separated from God as we made one mistake after the other. We began to feel lost in a world that we created as we increasingly chose evil over good. Evil = Live spelled backwards. Evil is living with our backs toward God. We experienced the death of conscious awareness of walking with God. We thought God disappeared.
Never did God change or desert us. There is nowhere where God is not! Throughout the Old Testament, we see messenger after messenger coming to the people, instructing them how to turn around and face God.
As we move into the New Testament, our Souls are awaiting another Avatar (Messenger)to help us find the Way back to Conscious Oneness with God. Jesus came to speak the words of God (our Father)to the people. Jesus sounds as if He is speaking of a different God because He is having to remind the people of their innate knowledge of God. Jesus is revealing the God from which we all emerged by reminding the people that "I AM (God's name) the bread of life, the light of the world, the resurrection and the life ....
God did not change. We only thought God changed because our very valuable experience upon the physical plane of duality has been difficult and we lost our way. Jesus came to show us the Way Back Home, to re-introduce us to the God of our being.
So why is our experience of the knowledge of good and evil valuable? Because it allows us to develop along the Path of child-gods. We are in the process of learning to always choose good over evil. As we accomplish this level of self-discipline, discernment of the good, and intuitive attunement with the Father, we are ascending into increasingly higher levels of consciousness. We are regaining our knowledge of Self as individualized Beings of Light--child gods--Sons & Daughters of the Source of our Being. To evolve as individualized child gods is One Path. Those who chose never to leave the heart of God tread another Path.
In Psalm 82, we see God expressing exasperation "in the midst of the gods." God says, "You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince." Why? Because we lost our way; we forgot who we truly are. We seem no longer able to "give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." We forgot we are gods. Jesus, in John 10:34, reminds the Jews preparing to stone Him: "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? If those to whom the word of God came were called 'gods'--and the scripture cannot be annulled--can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, 'I am God's Son'?"
God did not change; our perception of God changed. We live and move and have our being within the energy of an omnipresent God of Love--always!
re: Did God Change?
Nancy,
Pardon me on this, but I wasn't questioning whether God had changed, but how, using the logic from your preceeding posts could the separation from God be explained.
We could easily dive into the theological pool, the result though would likely be something less than Glory to God.
Let's try something. At least for me this is deep water so here we go.
We read in the Bible of many experiences with God: walking and talking with Him in Genesis, the visions of Ezekiel and Isaiah, the experience of Paul and the numerous appearances of the risen Christ. Have you had encounters of this type? Unexplainiable, by normal means, things like miraculeous occurances after prayer and/or the laying on of hands, visions or anything that could considered of the prophetic realm?
re: ???
Please forgive me for asking, but where does Jesus fit into this?
A Most Important Question!
Peter,
Your question is probably the most important one Christians can ask at this point in time. We live in the midst of myriad cover-ups—religious, educational, governmental, and planetary. Although many of these cover-ups initially took place hundreds, sometimes thousands of years ago, they are now increasingly being exposed. Christians are and will be faced with the question: “How does Jesus fit in?” The more we turn to the Holy Spirit for guidance, for Truth … the more we openly discuss our dilemma … the more we read the Bible after putting aside all preconceived ideas of what we will find there, the better prepared we will be to move forward on our individual spiritual journey.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I refer readers to the link on my website—www.pathwaytoascension.com—entitled “What Is Really Happening in America” for an excellent summary of many cover-ups described by a former U.S. State Department language interpreter. Since the article is about 14 pages long, I hesitate to post it as a blog on Crossleft. It will be easy to locate on my website as I am giving it headline attention for the foreseeable future—look to the right top of my home page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your question is based on the Christian doctrine that God sent his only Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins and that all those who do not accept Jesus as Lord & Savior will be condemned to hellfire for eternity. Note the word “doctrine.” A “doctrine” is a statement of belief or tenet of faith that was agreed upon between 1500 to 1700 years ago. I encourage all to read a history of the first 1000 years of the Church … read the writings of those we call the Church Fathers. What you will find is the story of men fighting amongst themselves over the explanation of who Jesus was … why was he crucified … which books to include in the Bible … and how the Church will give symbolic expression to the selected doctrines. Millions of pages were written … the arguments were often filled with hate for those who disagreed. It was during this time that many were condemned as “heretics”—their writings destroyed. The writers were often burned at the stake or beheaded, for no other reason than that their belief system “differed from the stated doctrines of the Church”—the definition of “heresy.” The history of the religion called Christianity is filled with hate, violence, and bloodshed.
On the other hand, Jesus—the Prince of Peace—stands as an example to humanity of the Way of Love. His physical plane life demonstrated to us how to live as an expression of Divine Love … how to treat our fellow human beings … how to pray … how to heal and be healed … how to give unselfishly. He taught us who we really are. With his life, he revealed to us our heavenly Father. Because Jesus knew humanity was not yet ready to hear all that he could teach them, he used parables … he used examples having to do with their everyday lives and nature.
Biblical scholars consider the Gospel of John to be a Gnostic gospel. Gnosis means “esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth.” In other words, the Gospel of John contains hidden, or metaphysical, teachings that during Jesus’ time was reserved for only the inner circle of initiates/disciples. Around the late 19th century, the ancient hidden wisdom began to be revealed to the general public. However, the Church has remained hostile to revelations that differ from the orthodox teachings and to those who attempt to teach anything differing from the codified tenets of the Christian religion.
The Gospel of John offers clues to all that will be revealed in coming days—during many of our lifetimes. Re-reading John’s Gospel in the light of Jesus’ teachings about himself (found in John) can be an awakening experience. There is MUCH in John for each of us to comprehend as we are ready. I offer a few suggestions, than encourage you to study John with them in mind and to do so on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit. What new revelations do YOU receive?
Who does Jesus say he is?
Jesus repeatedly states that he does not speak his own words, but those of the Father—He came representing the Father. In essence, Jesus served as the channel through which “the Father” spoke to humanity. Read the Gospel of John and listen to “the Father” whenever Jesus makes statements like: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Read the verse as follows: “I [the Father] am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me [the Father] will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me [the Father] will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
“Then Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him [the Father] who sent me.’” (John 12:44)
Who does Jesus say we are?
In the parable of the true vine (John 15), Jesus states “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower…. I am the vine, you are the branches.” Think in terms of a grape vine: As the branches extending from the vine, who are we? Are we different from Jesus? Remember Jesus taught the hidden wisdom within his parables, so that those who have “the eyes to see and the ears to hear” may do so.
In John 14, Jesus states: “The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus expects us to do greater works than he did …. So who are we?
“I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.” (John 8:38) Jesus expects us to stand on our own … to approach the Father on our own … to trust the instructions we hear (with our intuitive mind) from the Father. We are to channel the Father, just like Jesus.
As Jesus prepared his disciples for his departure, he taught them: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:12-14) Jesus still had much [hidden wisdom] to tell his disciples. But they had not yet developed “the eyes to see and the ears to hear.” The disciples (including you and me) are to listen to the Holy Spirit, as He teaches us. Jesus knew who we are: intelligent beings capable of learning on our own from the Holy Spirit.
SO…….?
Where does Jesus fit within a creation that does not include a physical place created by God to punish some for eternity? As One with us … as our elder brother who came to show us the Father … who came to show us the Way of Love … who came to teach us to live our lives as a channel for the Father … who came to show us how to be a Christed Being—to possess the mind that was in Christ Jesus.
Each of us must walk the Path of Love as unique individuals. Jesus knew we cannot grow “to do greater works” than his by blindly following the dictates of others. We must “do what you have heard from the Father” … we must think and act according to the inner teachings of the Holy Spirit to us. What you hear and what I hear may differ. That is okay because as the Apostle Paul taught in I Corinthians 13:12-13: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”