<1>Again people wanted him to show them signs
from heaven as did the
Prophets of old. But with all these signs those
Prophets showed them, still they did not follow their teachings.
Therefore, what was the point for
Esa to do the same?
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"He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will
be fair weather: for the sky is red."
"And in the morning, It will be foul weather to
day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern
the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
(Matthew 16:2-3) |
<2>Instead of meditating on and contemplating
the evidence that the coming of the
Messiah was imminent, and then listening to
Esa's teachings and seeing the truth behind them, they were
resisting him and the truth he had brought.
<3>Even with all his miracles and truth he taught, they still
wanted more evidence. In reality most humans do not want to hear the
truth. Many love
darkness
and are blinded by The Light.
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"A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after
a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of
the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed." (Matthew 16:4)
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<4>Only a wicked people who truly do not want
to see the truth ask for signs from
God. Those who are ready to receive the truth with an open heart
see His signs everywhere. <5>Also again the only thing that
was given by Esa to them as
the sign of his messiahship
was the sign of the Prophet Jonas. That is, as described before, he
would stay in the heart of the earth for three days and three
nights, and then would come out of it, as Prophet Jonas remained in
the belly of a big fish for three days and three nights.
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"And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had
forgotten to take bread.
"Then Esa
said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and of the Sadducees." (Matthew 16:5-6) |
<6>Leaven is like
sin, when it is added to
human life it inflates and increases more and more. <7>Also
the hate and resentment of the Pharisees and Sadducees were
inflating toward them, because of their own dirty spirits.
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"And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have
taken no bread."
"Which when
Esa
perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye
among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?"
"Do ye not yet understand, neither
remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets
ye took up?"
"Neither the seven loaves of the
four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?"
"How is it that ye do not
understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye
should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?"
"Then understood they how that he bade them not
beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees
and of the Sadducees." (Matthew 16:7-12) |
<8>But his disciples could not understand
this simple truth he told them and thought he was blaming them as to
why they had not brought any bread.
Esa perceived their thoughts and again was unhappy about why
they did not understand him. <9>He actually did not need
bread, as he himself had declared, "I have meat to eat that ye know
not of" (John 4:32). So he did not need human bread to live on.
<10>Also he had fed a great multitude with a
few loaves, so he could feed his disciples too. But because of their
little faith they did not trust him and were always afraid about
their physiological needs. So they were earthbound and could not
think about higher things. Only after he explained what he meant by
the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees did they understand that
he was referring to "the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the
Sadducees."
<11>This shows how the disciples of a Prophet
(Messiah, teacher,
etc.) can misunderstand their teacher and misinterpret His
Revelations. <12>That is why we should not put our trust on
the teachings and interpretations of the disciples of a Prophet, but
contemplate His direct Words and rely on
God to understand them, "Ask and ye shall receive,..." (Matthew
7:7). The disciples might mislead us from the truth, and the truth
of the Prophet might become lost, as it has happened in the past.
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"When Esa
came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?"
"And they said, Some say that thou art John the
Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the
prophets."
"He saith unto them, But whom say ye that
I am?"
"And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the
living
God."
"And Esa
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father which is in
heaven." (Matthew 16:13-17)
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<13>Esa
wanted to know that at least his disciples knew who he was. So he
asked them first who the people thought he was. They said that they
think he is John the Baptist who has been resurrected, or one of the
Prophets. <14>Then he asked his disciples who they
thought he was. At least Peter realized that he was the
Christ, the Anointed One who everyone was expecting to come.
<15>He wanted to make sure that at least his
disciples knew who he was, because the end of his ministry was near.
He wanted to see that his disciples had realized who he was. When
Peter declared it,
Christ was so joyful and
blessed him because of this realization. <16>If Peter had
remained in his lower nature, "flesh and blood," he could not have
seen this truth. But because he had gone out of his lower nature, he
could see the higher realities and therefore
God revealed to him this
truth, "but my
Father which is in
heaven."
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"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of
hell
shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
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<17>The name "Peter" means "stone," the
steadfast. Because he had reached a higher consciousness, he was
chosen as the head of his disciples, their leader who would build
Esa's church. <18>That
is the basic requirement for the leaders of men. Only those who have
overcome their lower natures and have reached their higher selves
are worthy to be chosen as leaders for others.
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"And I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed
in
heaven." (Matthew 16:19)
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<19>Those who reach their higher selves will
be given the key to enter into
Pure Consciousness, "kingdom of
heaven," and he who is in
Pure Consciousness will receive all the powers on earth and in
heaven.
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"Then charged he his disciples that they should
tell no man that he was
Christ [The Word
( / )]."
(Matthew 16:20)
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<20>Now he was sure that his disciples knew
he was
Christ. It was enough
for the time being, so he could continue the rest of his ministry to
the end and he knew the world would realize that he was the
Christ through his disciples.
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"From that time forth began
Esa
to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and
be killed, and be raised again the third day." (Matthew 16:21)
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<21>After he was sure that his disciples knew
who he was, he revealed the last part of his mission, which was to
be killed and rise again after three days. <22>The very
meaning of being crucified and rising again is that whoever wants to
be risen (resurrected) to his
higher self has to
crucify his lower self (false-ego, lower nature). Only then will he
be
born again.
This was as he taught that one has to be
born again.
<23>The lower nature is made up of the lower
propensities in the first three
chakras: excess fear for survival, temptation, excess attraction
to the external world, unhealthy sexual desires, and hunger for
power and prestige to satisfy the lower desires (physiological and
safety). Also, in reference to staying in the earth for three days,
each day can be a symbol of overcoming the lower propensities of one
chakra.
<24>Furthermore, the sign (
)
is the third sign in our
Greatest Sign, and it is the third church (Rev. chapter 2) of
the seven churches.
<25>All of these clearly indicate where
Christ's teaching stands
in history and why it is so celebrated by all, because going from
the lower nature to the
higher self is the
first and most celebrated point in spiritual progress.
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"Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far
from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee."
"But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee
behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest
not the things that be of
God, but those that be of
men." (Matthew 16:22-23)
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<26>Peter, who had received his blessings,
still did not understand that what he said should happen, and like a
regular person who becomes very unhappy about the death of a dear
one and thinks the physical death is the end of human life, started
to show his love in such a human fleshly way. But
Esa rebuked him and said he
was in his lower nature (satan) that he talked like a regular
unspiritual man.
<27>If Peter was in his
higher self, he
would have known that it was the desire of the Lord to happen, and
whatever He desires to happen is good.
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"Then said
Esa unto his disciples, If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)
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<28>That is the way of
Christ. Those who want
to be
born again
should crucify their lower natures, "deny himself, and take up his
cross," so that they might be
born again
to their higher selves. That is the way of the truth, "I
am
the way and the truth." Only such a person is the true follower of
Christ, "and follow me,"
the way, the truth.
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"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:
and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
(Matthew 16:25)
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<29>Those who save their
false egos by being
selfish and self-centered will lose the opportunity to go to their
higher selves. But those who crucify their
false egos for the
sake of their higher selves or truth, "my sake," will be
born again
and will find everlasting life.
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"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
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<30>The
Soul is the only thing
that is ours. Even our bodies are not ours, as they will be departed
from us. <31>So what gain can it be if the only thing that is
truly ours is lost in the process of gaining things which are
transitory and are not ours, "world?"
<32>That is why The Goal Of The Life Is To
Be(come)
Divine. Only by
beautifying and progressing spiritually and using our bodies and
this universe for this purpose, will we gain the true profit from
our lives. <33>The body, wealth, and all illusions of this
world will pass, but even the slightest spiritual progress will
remain with us forever, and that is the true gain.
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"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of
his
Father with his
angels; and then he shall
reward every man according to his works." (Matthew 16:27)
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<34>No spiritual progress is in vain, but
will be rewarded accordingly.
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"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing
here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man
coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:28)
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<35>There were some with
Esa who were in their
higher selves and would stay there. <36>They would never go
back to their lower natures, "shall not taste of death [spiritual
death]," until eventually "they see the Son of man coming in his
kingdom." They also will eventually reach
Pure
Consciousness, and the Kingdom of
God will come to them and to the earth through them.
