The Laws That Perfect Mankind

-- Cause And Effect --

What Is The Source Of Evil?

Why Does Bad Things Happen To Seemingly Good People?

Would A Benevolent God Permit Human Suffering?

If There Is A God, Why Doesn't He Fix This World?

If we pose the question as to what degree life on earth is predestined?   It is at this point where the biblical teaching of predestination gets really frightening for the vast majority of people.   Why?   They are in denial -- and not only did they corrupt the scriptures to suppress this important fact of life -- but they simply refuse to believe what the scriptures and Jesus originally taught.   Therefore, in our present time they do not possess even the necessary knowledge of the Laws that control every event, every endeavor, and every person in this world.    From a biblical perspective, this all-pervading fact of life is demonstrated in Jesus' own words when he said: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will” (Matt 10:29 RSV).   If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart from the Will of the Father, then we have no other option than to come to terms with the biblical fact that everything in this life is directly orchestrated by God?   On this verse the Adam Clark Commentary states: “The providence of God extends to the minutest things; everything is continually under the government and care of God, and nothing occurs without his will or permission”.   And this fact of the Laws is expressed in the Wisdom of Isaiah: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isa 46:10 NIV).

Lacking even the basic knowledge to understand these statements, most students of the Bible choose to ignore what they do not, and cannot understand, and ignore the ramifications of the countless biblical verses that confirm this all-pervading message that controls every aspect of life that man lives upon the face of the earth.   Moreover, just as important as the above statement by Jesus, is the very words he spoke to the man who he healed when he warned: "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14 KJV).   We must therefore ask: If our own actions can cause "...a worse thing [to] come unto [us]", how is this tribulation brought about?  How is this "...worse thing" that is the result of our sinful and negligent actions, is said to have the potential to come upon us, orchestrated and brought about?  The answer is that there were Organic Laws that are an integral part of Creation itself -- Laws that were put into action at the very beginning of Creation which returns to each person the fruit of their own actions -- i.e., “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7 NIV).   With respect to the above, Paul went on to say that someone who professes to believe in Jesus, and continues to sin, are not only apostates to the Gospel, but that their fate is worse off than the unbelievers -- i.e., "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.. For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." (Heb 6:4-6;10:26-27 RSV).   Which means that we must ask the question: How is this judgment brought about?  The answer is: By virtue of the Laws that return to each person the fruit of their own past.

Without Exception, every person is at their present station in life, by virtue of the road they personally traveled to get there.   Without Exception, everything that exists in one's present life, exists for a reason -- and has been brought about as the result of a pre-existing causal action, which has become manifest in order to bring about a preordained result.   Without Exception, your present life is the result of your past, and you are presently creating and forming your future.    Without Exception, if you are a victim of any of life's circumstances, then you have made yourself a victim by virtue of your own actions, inactions, or complacency.    Without Exception, your own past actions are responsible for your present gender, race, sexual orientation, social and economic station in life, manner of thinking and mindset, and even the religious, political and cultural conditions of the life you are presently living.    And the fact that you fail to understand even the basis of Jesus' words on this subject, indicates that you lack any real practical understanding of any of Jesus' fundamental teachings. 

It is the mind that raises man above the beasts of the earth -- that permits him to prevail over the forces of nature -- that enables him to rule over his environment -- overcoming even the very force of gravity that holds him to the earth, and traveling to distant heavenly bodies that his ancestors worshiped as gods.   And to escape the limitations of this world, and begin to rule over one's self in pursuit of the Inner Kingdom (see Gate Of Eden) -- and through this expansion of the mind and being beyond the organic limitations of earth-consciousness, the prodigal sons and daughters are able to fulfill the Laws in the same way as their Elder Brother Jesus taught, and become re-born in the Kingdom while still in the body-vessel.   Thus, to this end the Gospel of Philip declares: "Those who say that first they shall die and (then) they shall arise are confused. If they do not first receive the resurrection (while) they live, they will not receive anything (when) they die"( http://DivineManna.org ).

  Early Church on Predestination: In the words of the third century Church Father Origen -- the man St. Gregory of Nyssa called “the prince of Christian learning in the Third Century”: “We have frequently shown”, writes Origen, “by those declarations which we were able to produce from the holy Scriptures, that God, the Creator of all things, is good, and just, and all-powerful… But since those rational creatures themselves, as we have frequently shown, and will yet show in the proper place, were endowed with the power of free-will, this freedom of will incited each one either to progress by imitation of God, or reduced him to failure through negligence… Now God, who deemed it just to arrange His creatures according to their merit, brought down these different understandings into the harmony of one world, that He might adorn, as it were, one dwelling, in which there ought to be not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay (and some indeed to honor, and others to dishonor), with those different vessels, or souls, or understandings. And these are the causes… why that world presents the aspect of diversity, while Divine Providence continues to regulate each individual according to the variety of his movements, or of his feelings and purpose. On which account the Creator will neither appear to be unjust in distributing (for the causes already mentioned) to every one according to his merits; nor will the happiness or unhappiness of each one's birth, or whatever be the condition that falls to his lot, be deemed accidental; nor will different creators, or souls of different natures, be believed to exist” (De Principiis, Bk 2 Ch 9).   

What Origen is stating is that, in the beginning, each soul was created equal and the same, and their place in life is not the result of an accident, or the indiscriminate manifestation of God's Will in the form of Divine Providence -- but rather, each soul's lot in life is the result of the exercise of their own freewill, and consequently is arranged “according to their merit”.   This merit is not the result of some unknown condition -- but rather, is imposed upon each individual in accordance with what they have accomplished in their previous lives.

Origen then goes on to demonstrate this truth by using the very example which the Apostle Paul gave with regard to why Paul wrote that God hated Esau, and loved Jacob -- even before they were born into that life -- and writes: “‘What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?' And that he might furnish us with an opportunity of inquiring into these matters, and of ascertaining how these things do not happen without a reason, he answers himself, and says, 'God forbid.' For the same question, as it seems to me, which is raised concerning Jacob and Esau, may be raised regarding all celestial and terrestrial creatures, and even those of the lower world as well. And in like manner it seems to me, that as he there says, 'The children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil,' so it might also be said of all other things, 'When they were not yet' created, 'neither had yet done any good or evil, that the decree of God according to election may stand,' that (as certain think) some things on the one hand were created heavenly, some on the other earthly, and others, again, beneath the earth, 'not of works' (as they think), 'but of Him who calleth,' what shall we say then, if these things are so? 'Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.' As, therefore, when the Scriptures are carefully examined regarding Jacob and Esau, it is not found to be unrighteousness with God that it should be said, before they were born, or had done anything in this life, 'the elder shall serve the younger;' and as it is found not to be unrighteousness that even in the womb Jacob supplanted his brother, if we feel that he was worthily beloved by God, according to the deserts of his previous life, so as to deserve to be preferred before his brother”.

God did not hate Esau and love Jacob for no reason!   To even believe such a preposterous concept of Divine Wisdom, is to affirm Peter's assertion that the Gentiles believe these absurdities because “their minds are accustomed to take in things spoken against God" (see Books With The Power To Deceive).   Respecting the Divine Order of Creation, Origen then continues referring to Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and goes on to explain: “For God must be believed to do and order all things and at all times according to His judgment. For the words which the apostle uses when he says, ‘In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor;' and those which he adds, saying, 'If a man purge himself, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master's use, unto every good work,' undoubtedly point out this, that he who shall purge himself when he is in this life, will be prepared for every good work in that which is to come; while he who does not purge himself will be, according to the amount of his impurity, a vessel unto dishonor, i.e., unworthy. It is therefore possible to understand that there have been also formerly rational vessels, whether purged or not, i.e., which either purged themselves or did not do so, and that consequently every vessel, according to the measure of its purity or impurity, received a place, or region, or condition by birth, or an office to discharge, in this world. All of which, down to the humblest, God providing for and distinguishing by the power of His wisdom, arranges all things by His controlling judgment, according to a most impartial retribution, so far as each one ought to be assisted or cared for in conformity with his deserts. In which certainly every principle of equity is shown, while the inequality of circumstances preserves the justice of a retribution according to merit. But the grounds of the merits in each individual case are only recognized truly and clearly by God Himself, along with His only-begotten Word, and His Wisdom, and the Holy Spirit”.

Origen again demonstrates that our lot in life is the result of our own deserts, and writes: “For God the Creator makes a certain vessel unto honor, and other vessels to dishonor; but that vessel which has cleansed itself from all impurity He makes a vessel unto honor, while that which has stained itself with the filth of vice He makes a vessel unto dishonor. The conclusion from which, accordingly, is this, that the cause of each one's actions is a pre-existing one; and then every one, according to his deserts, is made by God either a vessel unto honor or dishonor. Therefore every individual vessel has furnished to its Creator out of itself the causes and occasions of its being formed by Him to be either a vessel unto honor or one unto dishonor. And if the assertion appear correct, as it certainly is, and in harmony with all piety, that it is due to previous causes that every vessel be prepared by God either to honor or to dishonor, it does not appear absurd that, in discussing remoter causes in the same order, and in the same method, we should come to the same conclusion respecting the nature of souls, and (believe) that this was the reason why Jacob was beloved before he was born into this world, and Esau hated, while he still was contained in the womb of his mother”.

Why Does Knowledge Of The Laws Matter?

Jesus not only taught that the life that everyone is living has been predestined from before they were even born, but that one's failure to embrace and abide by the Higher Law of Creator-God, will bring about a type of imprisonment -- an  imprisonment that is portrayed as the "outer darkness" of mind and being below.  Thus the oft ignored warning: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7 NIV).   In speaking of this prison of the "outer darkness", Jesus warned that “Thou shalt by no means come out from there, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing” (Mat 5:26).   And while this reality was understood by the early Ebionite Nazirene disciples of Jesus (see Ebionite), and the early Gentile Christians (see The Secret Doctrine), this higher understanding of the journey of the pre-existent soul and the interaction with the Laws, was declared heresy by the Emperor Justinian because his wife who was said to have previously been a circus prostitute, rejected these important teachings of the Church (see The Ten Reasons Why The Church Rejected The Doctrine Of The Pre-Existent Soul).    And many of the biblical teachings which supported these teachings, had previously been removed to make the scriptures support the pagan doctrines of Rome (see http://BibleCorruption.com ).  

The Parable Of The Talents: Even in what remains in the corrupted scriptures, it can still be seen that Jesus taught that each person is born into this life in accord with their own past accomplishments.   "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey" (Matt 25:15 NKJ).   The key concept here is that each person in this world is not only entrusted with a different amount, but that each person is entrusted with an amount "...each according to his own ability."   What this means is that each and every person was born into this life, exactly as ordained for them in accord with their own past accomplishments, and those who find fault with their lot in life, are in reality judging themselves (see a more in-depth presentation on the parable of the talents at Christian Blindness To The Scriptures).  

One of the many paradoxes that confront the believer is explored in these biblical verses by the Wycliffe Commentary which writes: “Herein is the crux of the interpretation. If this reckoning is the judgment of the believer's works, then we apparently have a true believer suffering the loss of his soul because of the barrenness of his works. But that interpretation would contradict John 5:24. Or, if the unprofitable servant represents a mere professing Christian, whose real nature is thus unmasked, then it appears that the judgment of believers' works and the damnation of sinners occur together, although Revelation 20 separates these judgments by 1,000 years”.

What does John 5:24 say?  “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24 NIV).   What we must recognize is the fact that there is only a contradiction with respect to our interpretation of the word belief.   The Bible is very clear that those people who claim an allegiance to the Lord, and yet continue to live in the manner of unbelievers, are themselves self-condemned; as seen in the words: “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21 NIV).   Thus, only those who actually live in accordance with the Royal Law of God, and do the Will of the Father, are those of whom John 5:24 states will be saved.

A Most Important Warning To Christians:  Where in the above the Wycliffe Bible Commentary correctly makes note of the great conflict between the message of the scriptures and the doctrines of the Church where it is noted that "...we apparently have a true believer suffering the loss of his soul because of the barrenness of his works", even more important is the message at the end of this parable that proclaims: “That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:47-48 NIV).    When you put this message together with the warning of the Apostle Peter that "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." (2 Pet 2:20-22 NIV) -- the message that emerges from the Gospel is so radically different than what is preached in the Churches, that the Christian world is seen to be so spiritually disenfranchised by their manmade dogma, that they are not at all prepared to even read the very scriptures they have attempted to champion.   In the picture that emerges, not only is the  "...true believer suffering the loss of his soul because of the barrenness of his works", but his fate is worse off than those portrayed as unbelievers who are deemed sinners by the very limited and inept understanding of the Church.    Not only is it demonstrated that the believing Christian is held to much higher standards than the unbelieving sinner, but it is clearly stated that the believing Christian is subject to the greater damnation -- i.e., “That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows".   And is we even pose the question as to what is the fate of the believer who has been  "...beaten with many blows", versus the unbeliever who "...does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows", it is impossible for the Church to even begin to answer the very serious questions that are raised by this warning of Jesus.  

In the removal of important key Gospel teachings and concepts, the Church of Rome has not only left a great void in the understanding of the modern Christian world which totally inhibits their ability to come to terms with these foundational truths taught by Jesus and his disciples, but this great void in their understanding of the very core Gospel concepts has made the modern Christian little more than ladder-day blind guides.   The fact that it is impossible for the modern Christian to explain why they are being held to a higher standard than the unbeliever who "...does things deserving [much] punishment" -- and as supposed believers, their fate is far worse than these unbelievers -- indicates that the doctrines of the modern Church is demonstrated by the Gospel message itself, as being in grave error.   Which means that the only valid explanation is that given by the Church Father Origen above who had access to more pure copies of the scriptures before they were totally corrupted in the fourth century, where he explains that "...The conclusion from which, accordingly, is this, that the cause of each one's actions is a pre-existing one; and then every one, according to his deserts, is made by God either a vessel unto honor or dishonor. Therefore every individual vessel has furnished to its Creator out of itself the causes and occasions of its being formed by Him to be either a vessel unto honor or one unto dishonor" (see Early Church On Predestination).   And this is the only explanation in the warning of the parable of the Talents (Mt. 25:14-30 - see Christian Blindness To The Scriptures And The Parable Of The Talents), where the servant who put his talent into the earth, instead of multiplying what he had received through spiritual works, was cast into the "outer darkness" -- i.e., "Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt 25:28-30 NKJ).     

Totally contrary to modern Church doctrine, the above reality confirms what Peter warned in the words: "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit, and, A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud" (2 Pet 2:20-22 NIV).   Where the modern Church promotes the doctrine that they are saved by Grace regardless of the manner in which they live their lives, Peter not only states that this doctrine is in grave error, but correctly states that: "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them."

Other than the foregoing writings and explanations of the early Church Father Origen, this answer to this Christian dilemma is presented in scriptures which the modern Church rejects.   There are verses pertaining to the plight of the servants that still exist in the Gospel of the Nazirenes, which explain the inconsistencies that abound in Christian doctrine and understanding of why each of us enters this life at greatly differing levels of spiritual awareness.   Thus, we again see the words: "And that servant which knew his lord's will and did not prepare himself, nor followed his will, will be beaten with many stripes. But he that did not know, and did commit things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. For to whomsoever much is given, of him will they much require, and to whom they commit little, of him they will require the less.  For they who know the Godhead, and have found the way of life, the mysteries of light, and then have fallen into sin, shall be punished with greater chastisement than they who have not known the way of life.  Such shall return when their cycle is completed, and to them will be given space to consider, and amend their lives, and learning the mysteries , enter into the kingdom of light."    And thus, the cycles of life are explained in the Gospel of the Nazirenes in the words: "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 to Him, Master, if a man die, shall he live again?  He answered and said, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the good, the beautiful, the true; if a man believe in me he shall not die, but live eternally. As in Adam all are bound to cycles of rebirth, so in the Messiah 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.  For them that persist in evil there is no rest, but they go out and in, and suffer correction for ages, till they are made perfect. But for them that have done good and attained to perfection, there is endless rest and they go into life everlasting. They rest in the eternal.   Over them the repeated death and birth have no power, for them the wheel of the eternal revolves no more, for they have attained to the center, where is eternal rest, and the center of all things is God.   And one of the disciples asked him, How shall a man enter into the Kingdom? And he answered and said, If you don't make below as the above, and the left as the right, and the behind as the before, entering into the center and passing into the spirit, you will not enter into the kingdom of God."

It was the many verses such as the above that were contained in the more pure copies of the original Gospels, that prompted the Church Father Origen to proclaim: “Every soul... comes into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of its previous life” (Origen, De Principiis).    And this is why Paul warns that the complacent believer who continues to sin after coming to the knowledge of the Gospel, "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who ...then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.. For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." (Heb 6:4-6;10:26-27 RSV).     And with the important teaching on the pre-existent soul that evolves to perfection (Mt. 5:48) removed, there simply is no means left for the modern Christian believer to understand the core Gospel teachings which is imperative for them to comprehend. 

It is interesting to note that the most popular and used scripture of the earliest Gentile Christians was the Shepherd of Hermas (see Shepherd Intro), which was later suppressed by the Church of Rome because it was unacceptable from a pagan mindset and lifestyle.   And in addition to revealing the threefold nature of the scriptures (see Threefold), the understanding of caring for the poor, the widows and orphans, that is not at all understood today, is presented in this important writing (see Widows).  

The proper mindset with respect to the Laws, is expressed throughout the scriptures.   The Ten Commandments thus state: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's" (Exod 20:17 NKJ).   Why?   Because each man's life is the direct result of their own previous actions and accomplishments -- and that they fail to remember these pre-existent actions, is because they dwell in the "outer darkness".    And this is further confirmed in the Shepherd of Hermas which commands: "The expenditure of the heathen then practice not ye; for it is not convenient for you the servants of God.  But practice your own expenditure, in which ye can rejoice; and do not corrupt, neither touch that which is another man's, nor lust after it; for it is wicked to lust after other men's possessions."

By virtue of the Laws that orchestrated and dictated every part of the life that every man, woman and child is presently living, every person is at their present station in life, by virtue of the road they personally traveled to get there.   The conditions of your birth, as well as the life you are living, has been brought about, orchestrated, and maintained, by the Laws of God -- Laws that insure that each and every "...man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7 NIV).

And everything that exists, not only exists for a higher reason -- but has been brought about and is the direct result of pre-existing causal reasons, which have become manifest in order to bring about a preordained result.    When you desire or lust after what the Laws of God has provided for your neighbor, or any other group of people, then you not only reject the Hand of God that provided in accord with your own needs, but you have sinned against God because you reject His Wisdom in what was provided for others. 

Christianities Foundational Error: It is impossible to find Truth, when you have erected error built upon error, built upon still further error, which is conceived by the carnal understanding of man, in order to attempt to explain away the primary error that creates a defective foundation upon which you are attempting to build.   

Jesus-god

teaching men to sin and break the Law

The Chickens Come Home To Roost!

As portrayed in the above presentation of The Laws That Perfect Mankind, the term the chickens come home to roost is merely an acknowledgement of the workings of these Laws.   Malcolm X used the phrase in response to the assassination of Pres. John Kennedy.   While Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson did not explicitly use this phrase, the meaning was the same when they attempted to portray the disaster of 9-11 as being caused by the sin of the American people in their rejection of the Laws of God as presented in the Bible.   Because Pat Robertson has embraced the doctrines of Pagan Rome (see The Christian Judas), Robertson was forced to deny the teachings of Jesus, and apologize because of his own spiritual ignorance which inhibited him from explaining what both the Bible and Jesus directly taught.   More recently, it has been demonstrated that just after 9-11 the spiritual mentor of Sen. Barack Obama used this phrase to present the argument that God is punishing (white) Americans, because of their past where they enslaved the black race.  

While the statement with respect to the chickens coming home to roost is true, because the religious leaders who have attempted to use it are all ignorant of the Movement of the Laws of God, they have been unable to explain exactly how and why the chickens do come home to roost.   On September 11^th, 2001, the very liberal New York City and the very liberal United States was brought into the presence of reality, and was mugged by Islamic terrorists who believed they were doing good by striking a blow against the Great Satan.   What the left leaning liberal Bill Clinton, and the right leaning Jerry Falwell each predicted, was that the United States had angered God.   Falwell and Clinton had each suggested that the September 11^th attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was the result of debts that were owed by the American people.   While Bill Clinton in his speech at Georgetown University did not out right attribute the devastation at the hands of Islamic terrorists directly to the Will of God, as did Falwell, there can be no other reasonable explanation.

Interestingly, when Jerry Falwell proclaimed that the cause of the World Trade Center disaster was due to God’s anger over the immorality and ungodliness that has overcome the Nation as it continues its downward spiral into the decadence of Sodom and Gomorrah, the liberal leaning media was aghast that he would make such a statement.   People were appalled that Jerry Falwell, and then Pat Robertson, could even suggest that God had brought judgment upon the American people in the manner of the biblical portrayal of Sodom and Gomorrah.   Yet, as typical of liberals, very little protest was raised by the left leaning media when Bill Clinton warned that we were suffering the consequences of a nation that was both founded on slaves, and disposed and killed native Americans in order to get their land.   Regardless of the fact that we don’t like the message that both have expressed for very different reasons, there is an element of truth to what they are saying.     

In much the same manner, many of the mainstream Reform and Conservative Jews were angered when Rabbi Ovadia Yosefan, the former chief rabbi of Israel, a religious scholar who was also the spiritual leader of the Shas party, made the statement that no innocent Jews died in the Holocaust.  What Rabbi Yosefan said was that the 6 million Holocaust victims "were reincarnations of the souls of sinners, people who transgressed and did all sorts of things that should not be done.”   Rabbi Yosefan explained that these souls who had previously lived lives of sin, “…had been reincarnated in order to atone.”   Immediately, all sectors of the population -- from then Prime Minister Barak, to the Holocaust survivors -- condemned the rabbi's remarks.   In a communiqué issued from his office, Barak stated: “His words are liable to harm the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust and are liable to hurt the feelings of their families and the feelings of the entire nation.”

Legislator Yosef (Tommy) Lapid, who had been himself a Holocaust survivor who at that time headed the secularist Shinui party, condemned Rabbi Yosef’s statements and said he was “… in effect confirming what Hitler said, that the Jews are sinners.”    Holocaust organizations and the two main Israeli radio stations reported that they were inundated with phone calls and fax messages, most of them criticizing Yosef's statement.   The Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum labeled Yosef's remarks “miserable” and said they “seriously harm the memory of the victims.”    In a released statement the museum said: “With all due respect to such a leader, it's hard to understand where Rabbi Yosef gets the courage to explain the intentions and ways of the supreme authority.”    Attempting to clarify his words in the following week to a populace that did not comprehend one of the most paramount teachings of both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, Rabbi Yosef cited a 16th century Jewish mystic, Isaac Luria, who wrote: “If the soul was not purified entirely the first time, and it left this world, that soul must come back in a reincarnation, even a few times, until it is entirely purified.”

What Rabbi Yosef stated was that all those Jews who died at the hands of Hitler, were merely reaping their own debts they had themselves committed in a previous life!    From the perspective of the Laws that everyone is in denial of, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7 NIV).   And this could just as well be expressed in the words: The chickens of those people who suffered under Hitler, had come home to roost.  

What the Rabbi suggested was even though we may appear to be the innocent victim in this present life, this was not always the case -- and each of us inherits both the good and the evil that we have personally and collectively engendered in the previous existences our soul has lived prior to our being born into the present life we are now living -- as so clearly stated in the words of the Church Father Origen when he wrote: “Every soul... comes into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of its previous life” (Origen, De Principiis).   

Thus, the common message that Jerry Falwell, Bill Clinton, Pat Robertson, Jeremiah Wright and the Rabbi Yosef all proclaimed, was the conformation of the great biblically defined truth that what goes around comes around: “Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same” (Job 4:8 NKJ); “Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies” (Prov 1:31 NKJ); “But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception” (Hosea 10:13 NIV); “God will give to each person according to what he has done” (Rom 2:6 NIV); “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal 6:7-8 NIV); “If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Rev 13:9-10 NKJ); “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man” (Gen 9:6 NIV); “His disciples asked him [Jesus], Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (Jn 9:2 NIV).   Yet, because certain New Testament teachings were removed by the Pagan Church of Rome, modern Christians are at a total loss when they attempt to explain how the Laws work in the life of man -- and even the very reason why bad things seemingly happed to good people -- or why a benevolent God ordains the good and evil that man is incapable of understanding.

While Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson do not believe in the pre-existence of the soul, and we are not quite sure exactly what Bill Clinton believes in, we can easily see that the position of Rabbi Yosef was not only biblically based, but is very much in accord with the original teachings of the New Covenant.   In the 69^th chapter of the Gospel of the Nazirenes (see Gospel), Jesus is asked: “Master, if a man die, shall he live again?”   While every Christian will agree with the reply of Jesus in the words: “I am the resurrection and the life, I am the good, the beautiful, the true; if a man believe in me he shall not die, but live eternally,” where modern believers depart from the original teachings of TheWay is seen in the biblical interpretation of what it means to believe in the Lord, and what is required in order to live eternally.   Of those who believe, Jesus said: “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.”   While modern Christians will readily accept the idea that they will be made perfect in the image and likeness of Christ, the problem is seen in the words that they will “…go out no more”.

While Jerry Falwell and Bill Clinton agreed that man will be judged and owe a debt for his evil, only Rabbi Yosef correctly predicted the means and process by which the Most High God employs to correct the evilness and debts of mankind, as seen in the very next warning of Jesus: “For them that persist in evil there is no rest, but they go out and in, and suffer correction for ages, till they are made perfect. But for them that have done good and attained to perfection, there is endless rest and they go into life everlasting. They rest in the eternal. Over them the repeated death and birth have no power, for them the wheel of the eternal revolves no more, for they have attained to the center, where is eternal rest, and the center of all things is God.”   

If these words are true, and there is no rest for those who persist in doing evil because they are forced back into life in this world where they “…go out and in, and suffer correction for ages, till they are made perfect,” then we must pose the question as to how we will recognize these souls when they re-enter this life?   For the most part we can’t -- and they will appear to us as innocent men, women and children, unless we ourselves possess the spiritual eyes to see their more distant past that was beyond their entrance into this present life.   Thus, we can see the words of wisdom when Rabbi Yosefan said of the Jews who died in the Holocaust that they "were reincarnations of the souls of sinners, people who transgressed and did all sorts of things that should not be done.”  

What this means is that those who suffered in the Holocaust came into that life to pay back a debt that was incurred in a previous life, and what Rabbi Yosefan was merely acknowledging was the very clearly defined doctrine that everything in life is predestined -- as demonstrated in Jesus' own words when he said: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will” (Matt 10:29 RSV).   If, as Jesus taught, a sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart and without the Will of the Father, then we have no other option than to come to terms with the biblical fact that everything in this life is directly orchestrated by God?   On this verse the Adam Clark Commentary states: “The providence of God extends to the minutest things; everything is continually under the government and care of God, and nothing occurs without his will or permission”. Perhaps even more enlightening is the biblically based explanation provided to us under the heading of Providence in the Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary where it is explained that: “Divine government is the continued activity of God by which He directs all things to the ends He has chosen in His eternal plan… He governs insignificant things (Matt. 10:29-31), apparent accidents (Prov. 16:33), as well as man's good (Phil. 2:13) and evil deeds (Acts 14:16). God acts in accordance with the laws and principles that He has established in the world. The laws of nature are nothing more than man's description of how we perceive God at work in the world. They neither have inherent power nor do they work by themselves. Man is not free to choose and act independently from God's will and plan; he chooses and acts in accordance with them. In His sovereignty, God controls man's choices and actions (Gen. 45:5; Deut. 8:18; Prov. 21:1). God's actions, however, do not violate the reality of human choice or negate man's responsibility as a moral being”.

What is truly important for us to begin to comprehend in these words is the profound statement which truly conveys the reality of life in the words that “God acts in accordance with the laws and principles that He has established in the world. The laws of nature are nothing more than man's description of how we perceive God at work in the world. They neither have inherent power nor do they work by themselves.”  

What does this mean to us?   If it is true that not one sparrow can “…fall to the ground without your Father's will” (Matt 10:29 RSV), then Jerry Falwell and Bill Clinton would be correct in their assertion that the United States owes a debt, and the terrorists attacks on us were not only known beforehand, but were actually permitted by the “…laws and principles that He [God] has established in the world.”   Moreover, what this means is that those who appear to be innocent victims, actually entered into this life knowing that they would be required to repay a debt for their own past actions in a previous life.   And this is the very reality portrayed above by the Church Father Origen when he explained: "...that the cause of each one's actions is a pre-existing one; and then every one, according to his deserts, is made by God either a vessel unto honor or dishonor. Therefore every individual vessel has furnished to its Creator out of itself the causes and occasions of its being formed by Him to be either a vessel unto honor or one unto dishonor.

 "He who does not remember history is condemned to repeat it" (Georges Santayana).   Unbeknown to the majority of people, because the very same souls from the past are here in the present, continuing to wage the same conflicts that immersed mankind in ignorance and violence in the past, the people themselves submit to the shackles of almost perpetual enslavement -- from life, to life, to life -- until the person breaks the shackles of enslavement.   Einstein's definition of insanity was when a person does the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.   While I would not dispute with Einstein on this very insightful definition, the Laws that control the events of this world often initiate soul-growth by forcing each soul to switch the polarity of the life.    But because of the greatly expanded population of the earth in this timeframe, such souls as Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Mussolini, Mao Tse-tung, Napoleon, and all the other would be despot conquers are presently on the world's stage as political, religious and philosophical leaders -- along with their followers.   Thus, the reality of the words: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7-8 NIV) -- which of course means that not only does each man's own actions come back upon him, but so does this same Law apply to a group.  

The Secondary Effect Of The Laws

Secondary Karma

The Reason And Nature Of Evil

While religious and non-religious philosophers have forever bloviated on the cause and nature of evil, because they lack any functional understanding of either their own divided reality, the journey of the soul, and the Laws which bring about the higher objective of this journey, few people possess any real understanding of what is called evil.   Where our modern cultural mindset is driven by ideological philosophers who pontificate from the vision of how they would like the world to be -- while remaining totally ignorant of their own divided natures and realities -- the vast multitude of people are truly the blind being led by the blind.    On the other hand, while the the ancients and visionary mystics of the past understood man's true reality, the people in our modern culture do not possess the perception and insight to even understand the scriptural writings that have been placed in their hands.    But what man portrays as evil, is merely the Law that returns to each person the fruit of their own actions and ways.    

While Paul correctly stated that it is necessary to "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Col 3:5 NIV), one of the realities that he is conveying to the people is the fact that man has a lower earthly nature that must be transformed.   And this is stated to the degree that Paul warned: “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:13 KJV).   Yet, our modern-day philosophers -- both religious and non-religious -- remain totally ignorant of the reality of this lower nature that has the potential to deprive the people of Life.    And the fact that both our modern cultural religious and non-religious leaders fail to understand the reality of human nature which is divided across a multitude of seven kingdoms, man's ignorance of self is depriving the prodigal sons and daughters of their true inheritance.  

In order to create and play a great symphony, a multitude of musicians must take instruments in hand, and come together to play in harmony.   We can't just simply randomly grab people off the street, place instruments in their hands, and expect them to play a selection of a master composer.   But more importantly, before a multitude of musicians can even begin to come together, each of the musicians must perfect the playing of their own individual instruments.   And what is true of musicians playing a great symphony, is in like manner true of the reality of the soul whose destiny is to mature and evolve to a state of Wholeness and Completion.  

Unlike our modern-day (religions/non-religious) philosophers, the authors of the scriptures we have inherited were not ignorant of man's divided reality -- and when the Key of Knowledge (see Key of Knowledge) that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for throwing away, is properly applied by turning the scriptures within self, and understanding them as a blueprint of one's own mind and being, only then can a seeker begin to find both Truth and their own higher soul-reality.    And in the same way that there is a multitude of people portrayed in the textual body of the written word of the scriptures, this same multitude exists within the mind and psyche of every individual person.   And the pattern of the mind is presented in what the biblical authors portrayed as the Tree of Life which is presented at the right.   As stated on the Nazirene web site ( http://Nazirene.org ): "Unless the Son of God personally teaches you the meaning of these symbols, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God."    The true spiritual objective of the teachings of Jesus and TheWay is not the blind belief that is preached in the Churches today -- but rather, to prepare the body and the mind in order to bring about the necessary spiritual transformation that enables the believer and disciple to learn directly from what the Ebionite disciples of Jesus and TheWay portrayed as The True Prophet (see True Prophet).    To the degree that the disciple Peter warned: “Hence, O beloved Clement, if you would know the things pertaining to God, you have to learn them from Him alone, because He alone knows the truth. For if any one else knows anything, he has received it from Him or from His disciples”.    And it is this spiritual reality that is presented in the words: "It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me" (John 6:45 NIV).   This is why Jesus commanded his disciples not to be called teacher or rabbi -- because their is One Teacher, and unless you live the necessary life and manifest the necessary Wholeness of mind to enter and dwell in the Inner Kingdom (see http://GateOfEden.com ) and learn directly from the True Prophet within, then you possess no real enduring knowledge of any substance beyond the organic limitations of this world.  

As a prodigal son who is lost in this, the Far Country, the return trip to the Kingdom is accomplished through the development and evolutionary expansion of the mind.   The soul who lived as the historical Jesus, is not only our elder brother as he, himself stated -- i.e., "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'" (John 20:17 NIV) -- and he was in fact the first of the prodigal sons who overcame the Laws, and returned to the Edenic Kingdom of Origination.   That Constantine, and the Church of Rome recreated Jesus as a pagan god (see The Christian Judas) -- typical of the pagan gods that had been worshiped in the Gentile world -- and edited the scriptures in order to make the Bible support the pagan doctrines of Rome (see Bible Corruption) -- is a reality that has inhibited believers from knowing the spiritual essence of the teachings of Jesus and TheWay.  

The objective of Constantine and a very secularized Church, was to insure that the people were subjects to the state -- and remained in mental subjugation to the government ordained body of priests.   Where the essence of the original teachings of Jesus and TheWay was the development and expansion of the mind so that the lost prodigal sons could break free of the "Citizen... of the Far Country", which Paul portrayed as the god of this world, this original objective and goal had to be totally suppressed in order to maintain the people as subjects to the state -- with their thinking in total subjugation to the body of priests.   And thus, the original Ebionite Nazirene Disciples, and the Spiritual (Gnostic) Christians, were hunted down as heretics (see The Death Of The Religion Of Jesus).    And as predicted by the biblical authors, what Paul portrayed as the satanic god of this world ruled over the Church that called itself Christian, and the believers worshiped the AntiChrist (see Church Of The AntiChrist).    And while most Christians today continue to dwell in denial of this fact, what they fail to recognize is that the corruption of the Gospel and the scriptures was necessary in order to reach a greater number of the lost prodigal sons (see The Necessity Of The Church Of The AntiChrist).   

While it is impossible for the lost prodigal sons who dwell under the influence and control of the "Citizen... of the Far Country" to comprehend the higher reality of their own soul and the Kingdom of God (see Why The Truth Of The Gospel Can't Be Written Literally), because the minor mysteries of the Kingdom were concealed in both the parables, and the allegory of the healings, these important concepts remain preserved even though many of the more spiritual teachings were removed by the Church (see Bible Corruption).   And one of the most important and ignored realities is presented in the words: “If any of you really determines to do God’s will, then you will certainly know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own” (John 7:17 TLB).    In the parable of the prodigal son, after squandering away his inheritance and coming under the control of the "Citizen... of the Far Country", -- the prodigal son who dwells in what is portrayed as the "outer darkness" (see Outer Darkness) -- where he is portrayed as being dead -- i.e., "...let the dead bury their dead" (Matt 8:22).    And this condition of death is confirmed in the words: "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found" (Luke 15:24).   Being (spiritually) dead, and having squandered away their inheritance and dwelling in the "outer darkness", mankind is oblivious to the lower three earthly kingdoms which rule over his body and organic mindset, and he remains totally disconnected from the higher three earthly kingdoms which is the source of his essence of being.   With the problem being that, without transforming the lower carnal/animal earthly nature, organic man remains totally disconnected from the higher three heavenly natures.   And thus, the secret to his plight in this, the Far Country, is to do the Will of God in order to bring about the transformation of the lower three earthly kingdom -- i.e., "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature".  

The Seven Kingdoms: The secret to man's dilemma as the lost prodigal son, is found in the Star of David once it is overlain on the pattern of mind portrayed in the Tree of Life.     And within what is portrayed in this symbol, lies the Answer to man's Destiny.    In the same way that the Tree of Life portrays the twelve spheres of mind that is allegorically presented in the twelve disciples of Jesus, the Star of David in like manner has six outer points and six inner points.    And what is actually portrayed in the symbolism, is the Wholeness and Completion of mind and being.   When Jesus taught that the Law must be fulfilled -- i.e., "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (Matt 5:17-18 NKJ) -- what he was making reference to was the Fulfillment of the Laws as portrayed in this diagram at the right.   As presented in the words of the early Church writer Hippolytus, the Ebionite Disciples affirmed that Jesus "was justified by fulfilling the Law. He was the Christ of God, since not one of the rest of mankind had observed the Law completely. Had any one else fulfilled the commandments of the Law, he would have been the Christ." Hence "when Ebionites thus fulfill the law, they are able to become Christs, for they assert that our Lord Himself was a man in like sense with all humanity."  (Hippolytus, Refut. Omn. Haer. vii. 34).   And that the Greeks and Romans who called themselves Orthodox, were too heathen to comprehend the inner meaning of the Law and the scriptures -- and this condition of Absolute Ignorance which causes them to worship the AntiChrist, they have brought upon themselves by rejecting and denouncing the Law that Jesus warned is still in effect.   Thus, because they reject the Law, Jesus warned: "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 5:19-20 NKJ).  

The mind and consciousness of man is focused in the fourth kingdom -- three earthly kingdoms beneath him, and three heavenly kingdoms above him.   And in his very narrow spectrum of vision, perception and understanding, he is oblivious to the other six kingdoms that make up his mind and being.    One of the most important teachings on the Kingdom that was removed from the Bible (see Bible Corruption), is still preserved in the Second Epistle of Clement which reads: “Let us expect, therefore, hour by hour, the kingdom of God in love and righteousness, since we know not the day of the appearing of God. For the Lord Himself, being asked by one when His kingdom would come, replied, 'When two shall be one, that which is without as that which is within, and the male with the female, neither male nor female’”.    In the Divine Pattern (see Divine Marriage), all aspects of Creation dwell within the pattern of male/female and third-force balance.   The forbidden Tree of Duality (aka Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil), is the outer male/female columns of the Tree of Life -- and the division of the columns, divides the top heavenly point, from the bottom earthly point.   

  

 





 

In failing to understand the very nature of good and evil, few people can make any gains at achieving the primary objectives of the life they are living.   And while there is a necessary reason for the existence of all things, few people possess the vision and knowledge to perceive and understand the reality of this world. @HERE

One of the primary essentials of the scriptures and especially the teachings of Jesus, is the proper actions.   In what has been called The Epistles of Christ Unto The Churches, it has been noted that modern Christianity is so far in opposition to what Jesus actually taught, that “...it is impossible, if the canons of the Church be followed, for these epistles ever to be read in the public services”.  

In total contradiction to modern Christian doctrine, the criteria of judgment that will be used for the followers of Messiah/Christ is not passive faith, or philosophical belief -- but rather, the criteria is the peoples “works” -- i.e., what they accomplish with their lives -- and it is used in this fashion eighteen times in The Epistles of Christ.   At Revelation 3:2 we find an example of one of the main differences in the religious perspective of the first century followers of Jesus -- those who knew him, and personally sat at his feet and learned the requirements to enter the Kingdom -- and what we believe today: “for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God” (Rev 3:2 ASV).   All genuine Christians must therefore ask the question: What does it mean when Jesus condemns the people because they failed to have “perfected works” -- which in many other translations is rendered “completed works”?   From the perspective of what Jesus taught his faithful disciples, completed and perfected works is demonstrated by their ability to enter into the inner (Luke 17:20-21 @ http://GateOfEden.com ) parallel realm that he called Heaven, and another realm he called the Kingdom of God, and be spiritually pure enough to sit in the House and be taught by the One Teacher.   To follow Christ, literally means to go to where the Master is.   Since the Master is in the Kingdom, then we cannot be his followers if we are not with him.   Thus, the term “works”, takes on a whole different dimension that neither the Sadducees, Pharisees, the Church of Rome, nor the modern believer is able to comprehend.   And when this reality is understood, Paul was 100% correct to proclaim that believers can't find salvation in the ritual works of the Law.    Yet, because those who read the Bible are of a carnal mindset and lifestyle, the reality that Paul is attempting to convey is beyond their ability to even imagine.    Thus, while Paul condemned the rituals of the carnal Jews, he emphatically warned of the necessity of the works of the spirit that opens the inner "narrow gate" to the Kingdom.

The profound Truth that Jesus taught, was that every encounter in the outer world is a test -- and all tests are presented as opportunities -- to invoke the Laws that begin to open the inner door to the Kingdom, and expand the mind and consciousness of the believer/disciple to grasp the higher reality of all things in this and the inner world that he declared.     What this means is that the people who Christians call sinners -- as well as the perpetual evils that we observe in the world as the Laws return to each person and group of people the fruit of their own thinking, actions and ways -- are maintained in the unspiritual manner that we observe in the outer world, as a test for those who are worthy to gain entrance into the Inner Kingdom ( http://GateOfEden.com ).   In portraying those who gain entrance into the Inner Kingdom, in relation to those who remain in this, the "Far Country... outer darkness", the end of the Revelation states: "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie" (Rev 22:14-15 NKJ).    Thus, not only are those who are portrayed as the "...dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie" perpetually maintained by the Laws in this, the "outer darkness" of mind and being (see Outer Darkness) -- forever inheriting the fruit of their own actions and ways -- but they go from life to life under the control of what Jesus portrayed as the "Citizen of the... Far Country" in the parable of the prodigal son.  

In the article Science Proves Religion (see http://UnityOfMind.org ) it is demonstrated that what is called the underlying Etheric Field that surrounds all physical matter, lies the Source of not only what you see and perceive, but of all events that transpire in this world.    And what the findings of modern quantum physics have proven, is that reality is in reverse of Darwin's Theory of Evolution.    But more importantly is to understand that the life that everyone is living is like a Labyrinth which has been created by the Laws -- and every person as well as every encounter in the outer world, invokes Laws which directly effect our future -- both in the present life, and the future lives which are to come.   

What does the Bible actually teach?   Jesus warned that every encounter with respect to each and very word that one speaks, will be used as a judge to test every person -- i.e., "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matt 12:36 KJV).    Paul warned to bring every thought to Christ -- i.e., "…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor 10:5 NIV).     The brother of Jesus and first leader of the New Covenant Congregation taught to bring the whole of the body under control -- i.e., "…bridle the whole body" (James 3:2 KJV).   And Paul went as far as teaching the necessity to put to death one's earthly nature and the appetites of the flesh -- i.e., "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Col 3:5 NIV). To the degree that Paul warned: “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:13 KJV).