Return Path to Eden
(Part 5)
The Greatest Paradox: He Who Restrains Himself Is Free.
This is the mystery (and the riddle) which
the wise can now understand,
during these transitional end times, but the wicked cannot understand.
A synopsis of the Aquarian
Gospel
Interpreted by
Michael F. O'Keeffe
(The wise can understand.)
Yes, He who restrains
himself is free! The Mystery, now
revealed, is concisely stated in these six golden words.
As God’s children, we
are descendants of our Father in heaven, and we bear His image within our
souls, and therefore, as our souls mature, we become just like Him. Jehoshua, the
greatest teacher, and the greatest Hebrew prophet, came to Earth as a mature
soul, who had received his inheritance.
He had become exactly like our Father.
He came to teach a world full of immature souls, to help us attain
maturity. He came to show us The
Way. Jehoshua
(Jesus) is our elder brother.
Jesus taught that we are
eternal spirit beings, and we never really die.
When our earthly tasks are done, we simply pass on to the realm of soul,
and remain for a time; and we often return to the physical realm, so we may
learn all our lessons. God’s children
have countless preparatory lessons to learn, and after we have learned them, we
become heirs to the deific attributes: love, wisdom and power; but without
teachers (which our father sends us) we cannot learn our lessons. (We have so much to learn, we experience
many, many incarnations.)
A teacher is a messenger
sent from God. A great teacher is called
a prophet.
Jesus was a great
teacher – and indeed, he was a great prophet.
Teaching by word and by example, he totally restrained all selfishness
and carnal desires. Consequently (by
natural law) he received his inheritance: access to our Father’s unlimited
treasure, including miraculous powers, infinite wisdom and divine love. Therefore, he was free! He was free of discontent and worry. His life was filled with peace and joy; and
he experienced great pleasure in teaching others how to achieve this life of
liberty and serenity.
The only difference
between Jesus and most of us is that he was a fully mature child of God, who
received his divine inheritance, and we are immature children of the
divine. As a mature, wise soul, Jesus
fully understood the Covenant, and thus, he accomplished much. His life and his
accomplishments are example for us to follow.
Jesus explained the
Covenant to his disciples:
He taught that anyone who succeeds in conquering his carnal nature (as He did)
receives access to the treasure, and is therefore free. He (or she) never experiences poverty,
disease or distress. Rather, one who has
overcome himself always has all that one needs, and his life is filled
with peace and joy, and when earthly work is done, he simply discards his
physical body, without experiencing death.
This is Liberty! And
our Father has determined that all His children shall be free.
Each victorious person
is eventually shown how to use inborn, natural powers – to heal, and to control
the elements. His (or her) assigned work
is teaching others how to attain this life of serenity; and when his earthly
tasks are done, he experiences a painless and joyful transition to the realm of
soul, and there he continues his (or her) pleasant work, teaching – preparing
other souls to learn The Way.
In due
time, each soul reincarnates again, to gain new heights of blessedness – by
teaching less informed souls.
Thus, each male teacher, with his female
partner, returns to the physical realm, and they again assume the role of “teacher of
youthful souls.” Eventually, after many
incarnations spent instructing and leading the way, each teacher becomes so
wise, powerful and skillful, he (and his female soul mate) are
strong enough to incarnate into a physical world (somewhere in God’s boundless
space) and become a Supreme Teacher – an Avatar, a Christ, a Messiah!
This is a description of
eternal life, and the attainment of Immortality – every person’s destiny.
After becoming a
Messiah, Immortality is achieved; no more incarnations are required.
As God’s Children,
this is our inheritance!
We have a long way to
travel. The trek to Eternal Life and
Immortality is long indeed, yet, as Peter said to Jesus, “we have no place else
to go.”
God and His plan of Salvation have
been revealed to you,
during these times of Revelations.
God and Man are one.
This legacy awaits all
of us. Our Father has placed this
endowment high upon a very lofty pedestal, and when the soul of any of His
children has grown, and attained sufficient strength, he or she may reach up
and grasp the treasure; and this bequest can never be taken away from one who
has attained it.
Each person who has
overcome himself becomes a Master Soul (a teacher of souls) and, in
future incarnations, each gradually becomes an ever more powerful teacher, and
eventually, attains absolute, pure perfection – just like Jesus. The life of Jesus and Miriam is our example
of master souls who achieved absolute perfection – full human maturity, one-ness with God.
Jesus, the Christ, lived
a Perfect Life 2,000 year ago. (Miriam,
his female partner, also achieved Perfection.)
The story of their lives is (in a very real sense) our “photograph of
God,” because their mind and will were so united and attuned with God’s mind
and will, they spoke and acted as God.
(Yet, they retained their individual human identity.)
This is Christ, the
Messiah – Immanuel.
Jesus’ and Miriam’s epic
life-story is the chronicle of one couple’s final physical incarnation.
(Each person is really
only half a person.) Each man has a
woman counterpart, and vice versa, and together, they are one. Very advanced souls know this, and although
their bodies perform independently, they are one in spirit, and as they
go about doing our Father’s business – teaching youthful souls – they act in
unison, as one.
Jesus never claimed to
be God. he
said, however, “the words I speak are not my own; they are
the words of him whose will I do.” he proclaimed, "I
am your brother-man, just come to show the way to
God.” he also stated (many times, in different
ways): “All
men and women are invited to follow me.
You can travel the same straight and narrow path, which I have walked –
the path of self-restraint. You can
learn self-control, and achieve maturity.
You can become The Way, and receive your inheritance. You can do all that I have done!”
One who walks The Way
becomes The Way;
Jesus was often heard to
say, “I am The Way.”
We are given our
inheritance only when we have tamed a beast.
The brute each one of us must bring under control is the physical body
each person inhabits, here, in the physical realm. This is extremely difficult, yet every one of
us must learn to restrain himself; that is, we must overcome all the appetites
and passions of the lower self. This is
the Pearl of Greatest Price.
To win this Victory is
to clear the way for the higher self (the divine spark within each of us) to
ignite (to be fanned into a flame by the Holy Breath of God); to become the
single motivating source of all one’s thoughts, words and deeds. This is maturity; and God requires all His Children to
become mature. Every God-child must
eventually wean himself from the bodily desires and the selfish ego. Each divine descendant must conquer the
carnal self; each must attain The
Victory.
The only difference
between Jesus and most of us is that, when he was born, he had already attained
The Victory (many times) and we (most of us) have not yet attained (even
once). He truly is our elder brother; much
elder.
We are invited to follow
Christ (to walk the path that leads to victory). However, with very good reason, he advised:
“take stock of yourself before you start to follow me.” The carnal self is a mighty foe. Yet, each God-child has within, all the
powers of God, undeveloped, and therefore, each will eventually conquer; each
will win the battle. Our Father requires
each of us to do his best. By striving
to do our best, we develop our inborn deific attributes and powers.
Jesus taught that the
lower self, a formidable foe, is nothing but an illusion; and all illusions
will pass away. But we, as God’s
children, are eternal truth (the very substance of God) and therefore we can
never pass away. We are stronger than
illusions!
In our pursuit of The
Victory, no one is ever carried over any obstacle or past any resistance; each
must attain the victory for himself. Our
Father just illuminates the way (through unseen holy spirits, and through His
prophets and other faithful men and women).
These teachers constantly send us messages, all designed to prepare us
to comprehend the two selves, and the path that leads to our inheritance.
They know full well that
anyone, who comprehends the two selves and the secret path, will resolve to
cease using his God-given energies to serve the lower self’s requests (and
demands) for gratification. The wise
person overcomes this addiction.
He or she departs from
the selfish path (of sensuality and ego) which always leads to pain,
wretchedness, misery and that unpleasant transition to the realm of soul,
death. The wise person, instead, makes
the very difficult choice (to travel the straight and narrow path) which always
leads directly to these three things: peace of mind, joyful transition, and
free access to our Father’s treasure chest.
Any person who has
attained these three blessings has found the state of mind called “Heaven,” and
has gained the crown of Eternal Life. He
(or she) has indeed found the Return Path to Eden, and can see with eyes of
soul; can see beyond the veil (which separates the physical realm from the
ethereal) and therefore, is fully conscious of the fact that there is no
such thing as death! Because
death is an illusion.
As nails were driven
into his wrists and feet, Jesus could gaze upon the faces of those who live
beyond, where souls reside, and he knew he was about to joyously and painlessly
leave his body, and Pass Over. (He also
knew that, by the divine power within him, his execution would be painless.)
By the power of mind,
Christ (who heals and raises others from death) can easily block all pain
sensation. His ability to block pain
within his own body is unbounded. (because his inheritance of joy and peace can never be taken
away.) The crucifixion, therefore, was
an ecstatic experience; and it was not difficult for Christ to say (after the
nails were driven in) “My Father-God, forgive these men; they know not what
they do.”
One does
not discover the path to maturity and liberty (and win The Victory) in just one brief lifetime; nor in just a few. The journey of a soul, from the time our Father first sows its
eternal seed, until The Victory is finally won, is a long, long voyage
indeed. Many, many incarnations are
required.
We have
experienced many lives in the physical realm just to prepare us to comprehend
this information, and be convinced the Victory must be accomplished. We are given as many incarnations as
required. It has taken many ages to
prepare us for these wondrous and important times – these times of Revelation,
and the dawning new age.
During
every one of our incarnations we have learned many difficult lessons, just to
prepare us for the Age of Aquarius. We,
who can understand, are now prepared to accept and comprehend the sacred
riddle. We can now be convinced. The
Mystery is now revealed:
What
is a covenant? It is a promise from one party
to another; it is a sacred promise that cannot be broken, and the giver of the
promise is of higher authority and power than the recipient. God has promised Mankind,
“He who restrains
himself is free.”
Jesus,
our elder brother, knew this sacred secret even before he was born. He had already conquered himself (many times)
in previous incarnations. He had
previously weaned himself from all the carnal desires. He came again to show us the way. He came to demonstrate The Victory, and to
demonstrate that which every mature God-child is capable of achieving –
perfection, and victory over death.
Remembering
lessons learned in past lives, Jesus knew we are not free until we have won The
Victory; and that, in each incarnation, no one gains access to one’s inborn
miraculous powers until he accomplishes this.
Jesus knew he was required to overcome his lower self again. He knew his mission was to win The Victory
once again, just to show us the way.
Furthermore,
he knew his mission was to win The Victory in such dramatic and powerful
fashion, that his life would become a magnificent drama, a beautiful epic and
beacon-light – a story, which paints on the walls of time, a picture of The Perfect Man; in order that we, in
the Aquarian Age, may view that picture (a portrait of The Christ) and know
full well that this is Who we all are destined to become!
It is
now time for all men and women (who have ears to hear) to understand “the
mystery” – to know what it means to be a Child of God. It’s time for God’s Children to comprehend what
full Human maturity and perfection look like; and as we continue our long trek,
we can now keep within our sight, the beacon light of Christ – our destination –
our destiny.
To
view The Perfect Man (and the Life of Christ) just read “The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, The
Christ,” by Levi.
We are no longer in the
dark; we have the light. We can now know
our origin, our purpose and our destiny; we can understand our Father’s
plan. The complete, accurate and
unedited story of the Life of Christ is finally available, and many mysteries
are revealed in this epic; and as we read and comprehend, we view our own
future.
Yes, each one of us can now view his own future, because
every person will one day live the life of Christ!
In an infinite universe, there are an unlimited number of worlds, and
whenever any man attains exceptional maturity, and becomes an advanced Master Soul
(and is prepared to live the Life of Christ) our Father sends him to a world
that is calling out for Christ, and there he incarnates. He doesn’t go alone. For every man, there is a woman (and they are
ONE) and together, they bring Messiah into their assigned world.
As we read the story of
Messiah, now available in The Aquarian Gospel, we learn how Jesus and Miriam brought
Messiah to this world. She aided him in
his pursuit of The Victory (over himself) and her ministries harmonized with
his. Their story is a model for us to
emulate. Their story is our story. Their story is every ONE’S destiny!
Jesus’ mission was to show us how to become free, so that we may become
worthy to receive our natural inheritance; and learn to live the life he
(and Miriam) led. His message is about
liberty! Our elder brother and elder
sister demonstrated that which we all are capable of doing (and must
do) because our Father has determined that all His children shall be free.
According to our
Father’s plan, Jesus, in his early youth, quickly re-established that which he
had already attained in previous incarnations.
As a child and young man, he restrained his carnal nature; he tamed the
beast once again. Thus, he attained
Liberty! Victorious over himself, and
therefore totally free, he went forth and achieved new heights, which he had
not achieved before. He became Christ,
the Messiah; and then he demonstrated the apex of human maturity! He conquered death.
Jesus
was able to demonstrate the zenith of maturity because, as a free man and a Son
of God, he received his divine inheritance: strength,
wisdom and love – the
trinity of God, the attributes of our Father. (These attributes
belong to every God-child who attains The
Victory.) Jesus, our Lord and
Savior, used these gifts well. He
demonstrated that anyone who totally conquers himself is totally free, even
from the grip of death.
Immature,
foolish souls, in a jealous rage, declared Jesus a wicked criminal, and he (in
willing sacrifice) submitted to their desire to officially discredit him,
publicly humiliate him, and permanently expel him from their midst, by means of
a brutal, legal, public execution; but after his crucifixion (on the third day)
he re-entered his physical body and brought it back to life.
Then,
after consoling and reassuring Miriam and his family and friends, he went to
the temple in Jerusalem, and stood triumphantly before his astonished
executioners.
We who
believe in Christ must contemplate (long and well) the full meaning of his
words, “follow me.”
We
have no place else to go!
The
physical body (in which we reside during earth-life) is a garment, a living
garment – full of impulses, which we must overcome. The body is also a Temple, which must be
prepared (made fit) to become the residence of the Holy Spirit of God. Each physical incarnation we experience is an
opportunity to prepare the Temple. We
are given many of these opportunities.
God’s children must experience many physical incarnations just to reach
the stage of consciousness and level of will-power required.
Vast
multitudes of people are now finally prepared to make the monumental effort –
to purify the Temple, to cleanse the physical body through self-control, and
make it a fit residing place for the Holy Spirit. In this way, the Kingdom soon will be
established. Messiah will come again, to
lead the way. We must prepare.
God’s
three attributes are Strength, Wisdom and Love.
We are descendants, children of our triune Parent. Therefore, Strength is the Father of the
human race; Wisdom is our Mother. These
are conjoined, and the cement of this union, which makes them one, is Love;
unconditional, infinite and eternal, Love.
This is God. In His mercy, our
Father commanded us (ages ago) to “honor our Father and our Mother;” and so,
let us be grateful for their mercy.
Every
person has deep within his soul the triune image of our Father-Mother God. When any child of God conquers his or her
lower self, the divine Image within develops, and overshadows the lower
self. The higher self prevails. All the carnal impulses fade away. “The beast” is expelled. The Holy Spirit within becomes the sole
resident of the Temple!
The
only difference between Jesus and most of us is that when he was born in
Bethlehem, he was already an expert at preparing the Temple, while we are not
yet even novices. However, by all the
learning opportunities that have been given us down through the ages, we are
now prepared to become novices. We are
prepared to win The Victory – for the very first time.
Our
elder brother invites every one of us to learn The Way. To everyone who can hear, to everyone who can
understand, he says, “Follow me.”
Miriam
(Jesus’ other half) was a renowned prophetess.
Standing with the Lord before a throng of his followers, she sang “The
New Song:”
Bring forth the harp, the vina and the
lyre;
bring forth the highest sounding cymbal, all ye choirs of heaven.
Join in the song, the new, new song.
The Lord of hosts has stooped to hear the cries of men, and lo,
the citadel of Beelzebub is shaking as a leaf before the wind.
The sword of Gideon is again unsheathed.
The Lord, with his own hand has pulled far back the curtains of the night;
the sun of truth is flooding heaven and earth;
The demons of the dark, of ignorance and death, are fleeing fast;
are disappearing as the dew beneath the morning sun.
God is our strength and song; is our salvation and our hope, and
we will build anew a house for him;
Will cleanse our hearts, and purify their chambers, every one. We are the
temple of the Holy Breath.
We need no more a tent within the wilderness; no more a temple built with
hands.
We do not seek the Holy Land, nor yet Jerusalem.
We are the tent of God; we are his temple built without the sound of edged tools.
We are the Holy Land; we are the New Jerusalem; alleluia, praise the Lord!
For many centuries, Jews have longed to rebuild the holy temple
in Jerusalem; and devout Christians and Jews alike have long awaited this
event. Yet, listen; hear the message of
the song! Miriam’s song tells us that
whenever any person conquers his or her lower self, the holy temple of
Jerusalem has been rebuilt; made fit to receive the Lord of Hosts! Our God is pleased, and His Spirit joyfully
occupies His renovated Temple. This is
Christ! And Christ belongs to all.
Now we
know how God lives, acts and speaks through men and women – through any person
who has overcome. All the prophets of
God throughout History were first required to overcome the carnal self, before
they became prophets. Jesus so
completely conquered his lower self, he became virtually indistinguishable from
God, yet he retained his individual human identity. Thus, he often said, “The Father and I are
one.”
Fastened
to the cross by nails, Jesus looked up and pled for mercy for those who were in
the very act of foolishly and brutally taking his life. (Using divine power, he had previously healed
friends and family members of the very people who sat down to watch him
die.) Because he sincerely requested
forgiveness for these immature, ungrateful and jealous souls, he received the
ultimate gift – the power of self-resurrection.
He found the costliest gem within our Father’s treasure chest –
immortality.
A few
days later, after his resurrection, Jesus said, “All men can do what I have
done, and all men will.”
When
Jesus said, “follow me,” he invited every one of us, who can now understand
the mystery, to travel The Way he went.
Eventually, everyone understands, and eventually, everyone
attains maturity and receives access to the treasure, including Eternal
Life. Eventually everyone walks the
straight and narrow path (first as a novice, and then many times, as an expert)
until finally, each person becomes just like Jehoshua
and Miriam – our elder brother and elder sister, our teachers. Immortality awaits all God’s children.
The
Jews were set apart by God, chosen to be the culture which would reveal God to
the world. This Revelation is now
unfolding. This monumental task was
begun by the great Hebrew prophets of ancient days, and the crowning
achievement belongs to the greatest Hebrew prophet, Jehoshua
– our Lord and Master.
He
showed us the way. He and Miriam
demonstrated how God may live and act and speak through men and women, through
any person who has overcome. They
demonstrated that when the grand illusion called “the physical” is defeated,
the Truth appears; it becomes crystal clear: God and Man are one!
The Mystery has now been
revealed to you! And you can
understand! Just read on.
Down through the ages,
this simple, sacred secret was revealed to only a few people - each
generation. Now, through the sacred book
known as “The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, the
Christ,” this most precious information is available to all who care to
know, to all who can understand. The
full story of the Life of Christ is here.
Our Father did not cease
sending us His guidance and instruction when ancient scriptures were
written. Occasionally, when His plan
calls for the human race to receive additional enlightenment, he sends us new
scripture.
Jesus’
life was a great beacon-light, sent to us by our Father, to show us, vividly and
dramatically, the life all of us are destined to eventually live: the life of
Christ. This vivid drama unfolds
graphically and powerfully in The Aquarian Gospel.
The Aquarian Gospel is
nothing less than a transcription from the pages of the “opened book,” referred
to in the Book of Revelation. Make no
mistake: The Book is now opened! Levi
(by following the path of Christ) became strong enough to open it.
The book that has been
opened is The Book of God’s Remembrance (the Akashic Records) and a transcription
from some of its pages is now available to all, and this transcription contains
the most precious document that has ever existed: the complete, accurate, and
uncensored story of the life of Jesus, the Christ. And we can read.
Yes, all who wish may
now read “The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, the Christ,” transcribed by Levi.
Any honest person, no
matter his or her religion or personal beliefs, who reads this transcription
with care and an open mind, cannot fail to comprehend. (The wicked cannot comprehend.)
Many
mysteries are revealed in this book, now available to all, during these times
of Revelation.
There are more than 12
essays presented in this Website Publication; each is a synopsis of the
Aquarian Gospel. Combined, they offer a
comprehensive explanation and interpretation.
The complete text of the Aquarian Gospel is also presented here, and
provides ample evidence to support the statements and claims presented in these
essays. Keep an open mind and a warm
heart, and you cannot fail to understand.
Just read,…and you will know!.
In summary, Jesus gave us this message: “Each person is a child
of God, and must overcome his or her carnal self, in order to become free. Do your best to win the battle over your
lower self; love our Father-Mother God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength,
and love your neighbor as yourself. If
you do these things, you abide in Christ, and he abides in you. If you abide in Christ, and Christ abides in
you, and if you keep my words within your heart, you are the way, you are
disciples in the way, and you shall know what is the truth,
and truth shall make you free.”
Yes, Truth shall make you free, and here is Truth:
Within
each human heart there are two bubbling springs. From one of them bubbles up
every selfish and evil thought. From the other bubbles up every thought of God – pure thoughts of
love, kindness and righteousness.
The
person who conquers his carnal nature has capped the evil spring within his
heart, and has freed himself, and all he can think are the thoughts that come
from God, and he (or she) speaks and acts as God’s delegate on Earth, and has
attained eternal life.
As I write these words, the 21st century dawns. The return of Christ is nearly due. (Certainly during the 21st century.) We must prepare. Soon he will come. He will speak with power, and all men and
women will recognize the Prince of Peace.
There will be no doubt.
Before he comes, these things will happen (and we must be prepared):
False and deluded prophets will appear (and some have already
appeared) in many lands, and many people (even among the wise) will be
deceived.
Selfishness, faithlessness and greed will rage into a fever
heat, and insane violence will become even more common, and indeed, the world
will plunge into a horrible convulsion of violence, carnage and war, along with
outbreaks of disease and other pestilence.
As these events unfold, many wondrous, perplexing (and
frightening) signs will appear (and some have already appeared) on Earth, in
the skies, and in the sun and moon and stars; and even the bravest of men will
become faint with fear in anticipation the coming of more frightful things upon
the earth.
Then, as furious battles rage around the world – on land and
sea, the Prince of Peace will speak.
Every person on Earth will hear; all combatants will lay down their
weapons. War will cease to be. The sifting time will come; each will find
his own kind, and each will read for himself, from the opened book,
all that he has written there (all that he or she has
ever done, or said, or even thought) and each will therefore know his own fate
– before the judgment.
Regarding
the imminent return of Christ, Jesus gave us this advice:
“None can know the hour nor the day…keep watch at every season
of the year…let not your hearts be overcharged with sensuous things, nor with
the cares of life, lest that day come and find you unprepared…and pray (each
day) that you may meet the Lord with joy, and not with grief.”
The
Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, the Christ
my email address:
mokeeffe@ix.netcom.com
Go to next page – “Our Conduit to God”
– Part 6