A Dream Vision of Jesus

Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (John 14:23) He is present where there is love and goodness, for he says, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matt. 18:20) And for those who do not accept him, he says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Rev. 3:20). To any who accepts him, he will be present with them to the very end, for he says: "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:20).

A shift occurs in one's heart when one becomes a Christian: instead of every action and effort being focused on the selfish ego, it begins to shift towards thoughts on the Lord. It is a gradual life long process. It comes from acknowledging one's faults, turning away from them, and living according to God's commandments.  But a skeptic will say, this is all just subjective feelings, and the statements of Jesus are just poetic.  There is just no way they will believe it because it is something they cannot see with their eyes.  So is it true, that Jesus is present with every Christian? Yes - and the way that is possible is that he was God incarnate in human form, and God is outside all of time and space, and yet is everywhere present. For hidden behind this material world is the spiritual world, while our body is in the material, the soul that directs the body dwells in the spiritual world. It is only at death we become aware of who we truly are, and where we are.  And that is all determined by one's love. Love and how one lives is more important that one's belief.

So I noticed a gradual shift when I became a Christian at a young age - the intention or focus of my thoughts began to shift away from my self towards God.  My outward actions were the same. But the intentions of those actions were different.  I did not become in any sense of the word "religious" - in fact, in a search for the truth, the more I knew, I became more alienated from the church as I became aware of false teachings within it. But at the beginning, I began to notice that every day, my thoughts dwelled on Jesus.

So many years pass, and I have on occasion bumped into that unusual person here and there which we would call "psychic," but puts no sign on the door to advertise it.  One person in particular is very sensitive, and can pick up details - very personal details - on the people and friends that this person has encountered - or will encounter. I will call this person "Mr. X." So, on occasion, Mr. X has been able to pick up on some very personal details about my life which appeared in Mr. X's dreams. And in several instances, after Mr. X began to know me Jesus began to appear in Mr. X's dream. And keep in mind: Mr. X is not Christian, does not believe Jesus is Divine, has not read the Bible, and in fact was (is) unaware of many details of his life. So it took me by surprise when Jesus began to appear in some of these dream visions.

I will describe the dream as I remember it being told to me.  It is short, and from memory it went something like this: in the dream, Mr. X sees a hill before them.  And on that hill was a cross, and a man is standing beside Mr. X.  It was Jesus.  Mr. X, being quite oblivious to anything about Christianity, except that perhaps Jesus was a teacher or prophet, did not recognize the cross for what it was. So Mr. X turns and asks Jesus, "What is that?"  Jesus then turns to Mr. X and says, "That is what they did to me." And Mr. X stared straight into the face of Jesus, clear as day, and then sees the look in his eyes: one of utter sadness. The dream ends.

The dream visions of Mr. X are quite accurate, and have been known to predict the future. Being oblivious to Christianity, Mr. X is somewhat of a blank slate without preconceived notions. No glorious revelation here, no thunder nor lightening, no clouds of heaven being parted.  And while in present day the cross is an object of religious worship, in the past it represented the most despicable kind of human torture. It is one of the worst forms of death by torture, slowly prolonged over hours or even days. I carefully chose my questions for Mr. X. "Were you aware that Jesus was crucified on a cross." No (hard to believe but true).  "Were you aware that Jesus was crucified on a hill?" No (that I found more believable). I was trying to confirm in my mind that this indeed was a visionary dream, and not just a dream about something Mr. X had read or heard about. But from other dreams I have heard, all indications point to it being valid.

The end of the dream, the reaction of Jesus, is something I often think about. It is as if the crucifixion was not necessary. It was simply due to the evil we had done to him. It may not have had to have happened that way. But for reasons unknown, this was the last temptation Jesus had to face, and anyone seeing his prayer in the garden of Gethsamane could see that Jesus prayed to avoid it. And now, distant in time, the cross is a symbol of Christianity.  But in the early church, it was not so, it was the sign of the fish, or Jesus as the shepherd. So what was the point of the cross? It was the last temptation among many against Jesus, to see if he would hate humanity for what they did to him. But he does not hate, instead he loves them, and forgives them.

Swedenborg on the Divine Order of Human Evolution

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG ON HUMAN EVOLUTION

There are lots of unsolved problems with human evolution, but the main mystery in my mind is why is life progressing to increasing orders of complexity? This order is not random - the human form shares 50% of its genetic code with a simple banana. Its as if life itself is not "happy" to be just a single cell in a muddy pool, it wants to progress to something more complex. Its as if there is this "universal template" of the human form, and life is striving toward that goal of satisfying the "plan" of the "universal template" of the human form.  And what is more mysterious - from some very odd but reliable testimony I have seen from U.S. military insiders - is that all of life across the universe seems to have this tendency to evolve towards the human form. According to current theories of evolution, evolution should be "random." Something is missing here: I suspect that even in the most basic simplest life form, somewhere there is this "universal template" of the human form. And this template does not seem to be in DNA. So where is it?

On the creation of man, scripture says this:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Many theologians and philosophers think that we as humans have a tendency to "anthropomorphize" God - that we imagine that he has a human form.  The surprising revelation in the visions of Swedenborg is that God does have a human form, whom he calls the Divine God Man, but outside all of time and space. The human form is the ultimate image or form whereby we can concentrate our thoughts on God. If our concept of God is "amorphous", our thoughts can not be focused on something that has no image or form. That ultimately God is Man, is the very reason He could incarnate in human form as Jesus Christ. Swedenborg makes is clear that there is an invisible God outside of time and space beyond all human comprehension, but the ultimate idea or form of Him in our mind - or in this material universe - is that of a person, in human form. Is this the possible origin of the "universal human template" that somehow flows into all of life?

Swedenborg answers this as well. God is life. All of life flows into our soul. The human soul, is the recipient of God's life, and this very life is love. Without love we cannot live.  And despite having no knowledge of the theory of evolution, which was developed by Darwin and others about a hundred years later, Swedenborg then says this:

Love or volition is constantly striving toward the human form and toward everything the human form comprises. This we can see from the way the heart corresponds to volition, since we know how everything in the body is formed in the womb. We know that everything is formed there by fibers from the brain and by blood vessels from the heart and the fabric of all our organs and viscera are made from these two materials. This enables us to see that everything within us comes into being from the life of our volition, which is love, from beginnings in our brains, through these fibers, with everything in our bodies coming from the heart through its arteries and veins.
Clearly then, life (which is love and its consequent volition) is constantly striving toward the human form; and since the human form comprises everything that is within us, it follows that love or volition is engaged in a constant effort to form all these things. The reason this effort is toward the human form is that God is a Person and divine love and wisdom is the life of that Person. This is the source of every trace of life.
Everyone can see that if the life that is the essential person were not activating something that intrinsically is not life, nothing that is within us could be formed the way it is. There are thousands upon thousands of things within us that are acting in unison, totally united in their effort toward an image of the life that is their source so that we can become his vessel and dwelling.
We can see from this that love--and from love, our volition, and from volition, our hearts--is constantly striving toward the human form. (Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 400)

This is the overall revelation explaining why we have human evolution. Swedenborg gives the answer before he even had knowledge of evolutionary theory. How did he arrive at this conclusion?  Basically his mind was opened to receive heavenly visions of the spiritual world, and in heaven he saw everything originated from a bright light - the Sun of heaven - and in that Sun was God, in human form, the Divine God-Man, from whom all things flowed. And this is why we see all of life evolving towards the human form. As to how that happens, science is still searching for that answer, but we do not have to wait for the ultimate answer, we already have it.

A Divine Revelation of True Christianity

Christianity is currently divided from within, and throughout the centuries false doctrines have entered into it until a lot of what is taught to people is not only false but the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. This has led to a certain spiritual uncertainty and doubt among many, thus many have left the Church and have become spiritual independents.  You would think, that after 2,000 years, God would correct this?  Why has he been silent?  The truth of the matter, he has not been silent.  In the 18th century Jesus appeared in a vision to a highly intelligent scientist, Emanuel Swedenborg, and for over a period of 27 years was allowed to have waking visions of the spiritual world. It is without a doubt he had clairvoyant abilities: see The Confirmed Clairvoyance of Emanuel Swedenborg. I have talked about some of the revelations in this blog, but I have noticed some of these entries have become "buried" in this blog.  So instead of writing separate blogs on each point, I decided to just sum everything up in one blog entry and hit the major issues of Christianity. Why is it you may not have heard of Emanuel Swedenborg? Well for one, he shows that the theology - the foundation of many churches - is false. Some churches get it right here and there, but the truth is scattered (see The Older Forgotten Branch of Christianity). The other reason is many churches are uncomfortable to talk about those who have received visions, and quite frankly, will have a tendency to label anything of that sort as "from the Devil."  So, for people who are still searching for answers, here is a summary of some major points of what was revealed in waking visions - not from any angel, but from Jesus himself, who Swedenborg saw in a central bright Sun at the center of heaven (seen by those who have had a Near Death Experience - which Swedenborg described in detail over 200 years ago). It is this revelation is what the New Church calls the beginning of the Second Coming. I have published all these revelations on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and ITunes - see The Divine Revelation of the New Jerusalem (click here for standard edition or click here for the expanded edition.) I described this publication a while back on The complete works of Emanuel Swedenborg - on your tablet or smartphone!, where each reference (thousands of them) is hyperlinked. If you prefer to delve into this online, I prefer the web site The Heavenly Doctrines.

Or, you don't have time, and want a high level overview in 5 minutes? See the summary below. Its not complete, if you see something missing (on any spiritual topic) drop a note and I will add it.

Old Christianity	New Christianity
God is divided into three persons, who are somehow "one"	God is one Supreme Being, one Person: Jehovah. He is Being and Existence itself, and cannot be divided into separate "persons." He is love itself, and truth itself.
The Son is the "second person" who descended and was born as Jesus Christ	The human body born in time, derived from the virgin Mary, is the Son of God
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three persons	Jesus is Jehovah in human form, and simply calls God his Father as he was born of a virgin with no human father. See The False Belief of a Trinity of three beings: TRITHEISM
The Trinity of three persons existed from eternity	The Trinity is NOT three persons. There is a trine of soul, body, and spirit in each human. The Holy Trinity came about When Jehovah became incarnate in a human form.
Among Catholics, when Mary was born she was free from "original sin" (known as the Immaculate Conception).	Mary was like any other human person, and was born in sin. She was however highly spiritual. Swedenborg does offer explanations for the Marian apparitions within the Catholic church (hard to summarize here). Prayer should only be focused on Jesus Christ.
Jesus was also born perfect	Jesus, initially, was like any other human. The body derived from Mary had sinful tendencies, by which Jesus could be tempted. But his soul was Divine and could not sin. Through Jesus, a spiritual war arose between Jehovah and all of hell.
Various Christological disputes about whether or not Jesus has one nature (Divine) or two natures (Divine and human)	Jesus initially had two natures, the external human nature that had sinful tendencies, and a Divine soul. Gradually the human was absorbed and Jesus became a "Divine Human" or "God Man".
Among Catholics, Mary is known as the "mother of God."	Mary was the mother of the human vessel of Jesus. Initially Mary was his mother, but once the human was absorbed the human became Divine. It is this human body which is the Son of God. As the human was made Divine, Mary is no longer the mother of Jesus.
God was angry and wrathful with humanity for their sin	God is love itself, and can never be angry. He appears "angry" to those who turn against Him.
God seeks to punish us for our sin	God created a law of Divine order where each sin contains within it its own punishment. These laws are designed to lead man back to good.
Various theological debates about the meaning of the Eucharist ritual, the body and blood of Jesus Christ	The Eucharist ritual is symbolic. Symbolic rituals conjoin the human mind with heaven. The body represents God's love, the blood his truth. The Eucharist is the central ritual because Jesus made his very body Divine
Jesus had to suffer and die as "payment" for our sins. Our sins were transferred onto him.	Everyone is responsible for their own actions. Sins are removed by repentance. The sins that Jesus bore are the ones he inherited from his mother Mary
Jesus saved humanity from a wrathful God by taking on punishment to satisfy this "legal debt."	Jesus saved humanity by making his very human Divine.  Once the human was made Divine, the Holy Spirit could flow through him to other humans
Jesus saved humanity by his death on the cross where sins were somehow "transferred" to him.	Jesus saved humanity by gradually making his human Divine, and resisting temptation. The cross was simply the last temptation before he made his human Divine.
Among Protestants, all one has to do is "believe" to be saved. Good works mean nothing.	Protestants have misinterpreted the writings of Paul, who was talking about the external Mosaic rituals, due to Judaizers at the time. Belief alone is a "devilish faith." Faith means "living by the truth," not mere belief. See The Fundamental Error of the Protestant Faith
Among Protestants, sins are supposedly removed by a lip confession and belief	Sins can only be removed through repentance, or turning away from them and living by God's commandments.
Among Protestants, salvation is "free" and "unconditional."	Salvation is dependent on whether or not one lives by God's commandments
Among Protestants, the 10 commandments are abrogated	The 10 commandments are based on the two great commandments of Jesus: love God, and love your neighbor. Only the Sabbath was changed from a day of rest to a day of worship and instruction.
Certain Messianic Jews seek a return to the Mosaic rituals	The external Mosaic rituals of the Jews have been abrogated. They along with the Jewish people were a symbolic representative form of the Christian Church
Among Protestants, grace means "unmerited" favor.	This is false: scripture shows God has favor to those who live by his commandments. Mercy and grace describe God's love for each person to save them. See The False Theological Definition of the word "Grace"
Atonement means somehow God will no longer see the sins you commit and will see the righteousness of Jesus	God will always know a person for who he or she is.  "Atonement" describes the spiritual protection one obtains from evil temptations after repentance and obeying God's commandments. Also see What is Blood Atonement or Vicarious Atonement?
One is sanctified by the blood of Jesus	The blood is symbolic of the life of Jesus, and his outflowing spirit of Divine Truth. One is sanctified by living according to the Divine Truth
Among Protestants, man has the capacity to do nothing through their own will. Everyone is passive, God does everything	Inasmuch one resists sin and turns away from evil, and lives by the truth, one will eventually desire to do good out of love. Inasmuch one approaches God with their whole heart, God's spirit will dwell within them. All goodness and love comes from God, but each person must be an active willing participant.
Among Catholic, ultimate authority is placed in the priesthood. Among Protestants, ultimate authority is placed in scripture	The Protestants are correct: scripture contains within it the Word of God and is the ultimate authority. Interpretation of scripture, however, is influenced by doctrine. A reading of scripture with an open heart opens a connection between the mind and heaven, according to one's understanding
The Catholic Church claims that through Peter, the Papacy is the "Vicar" of Christ and there is a direct line of succession	Catholics have misinterpreted a symbolic reference to Peter in scripture. Moreover, the decree of Chalcedon declaring Christ has two natures was done so that the Papacy could claim to be the Vicar of Christ on earth. However, what was revealed is that the Catholic church was allowed to be dominant for a time through Divine Providence, in order to remove various heresies from the Christian Church.
The Bible is the "literal" and "inerrant" Word of God.	Hidden behind the literal sense of the Bible there is a symbolic spiritual meaning. In the literal sense there are many "appearances" of truth that are not literally true.
Among Protestants there are 66 books that are equally Divinely Inspired; Catholics also have additional "Deuterocanonical" works not found in the Masoretic.	The canon of the Bible is defined as those books which contain an internal symbolic spiritual sense. The canon of the Old Testament closely follows the Jewish Canon of the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the Psalms, but many books of the writings are not inspired. In the New Testament, only the Gospels and Revelation are inspired. However the writings of Paul were included for instruction of the masses.
Among literalists, the world was created in seven days	The seven days of creation are symbolic of seven stages of spiritual development
Among literalists, we are all descended from Adam and Eve	The story of Adam and Eve is symbolic of how the first church established here on earth eventually turned away and lost direct communion with heaven. Mankind is much older than what Biblical chronology presents; the first 11 chapters of Genesis are highly symbolic.
We all have "original sin" from Adam and Eve (plus other types of sin from Catholic theologians.)	Our evil nature is distinguished between what we have successively inherited from our parents and ancestors, and the sins we commit by choice. One will be judged by the actions one committed by choice according to the intent and one's knowledge.
Many believe in a heaven and hell. Catholics also subscribe to the concept of "Purgatory" - an area between heaven and hell.	A very detailed description of the spiritual world from firsthand visions, which includes heaven, hell, and an area in between known as the "world of spirits" which is closely associated with those still alive. This waiting area is similar to Purgatory, but different than what is described by many Catholics.
Certain denominations believe that after death, one just "falls asleep" to await a literal physical resurrection.	After death, the spiritual body - human in form - withdraws and separates from its physical body. One could go to heaven or hell, but others are not ready and wait for a time in the world of spirits, some close to a state of sleep. There is no literal physical resurrection - one rises from the dead in a spiritual body. Only Jesus physically rose from the dead.
For those who believe in a "wrathful" God, he condemns sinners to eternal torment in hell	We all go where we want to go, according to our desire. We are judged according to our conscience. Evil punishes itself, not God. The burning of hell is due to the burning of hatred and jealousy. The joys of heaven are according to one's love. There is an automatic separation between those in heaven and hell, according to order.
Many subscribe to a future "end of the world" where there will be this last judgment of all mankind on earth.	There is no literal "end of the world." There is an end to each church or age or dispensation. A church ends when it becomes corrupt, and a new revelation is then given. A this time a final judgment occurs in the spiritual world - in the region of the world of spirits between heaven and hell where those who sleep are awakened and judged at this time. These "last" judgments have occurred at certain key moments in the history of spiritual development on earth. Those in heaven and hell already are not judged
One is judged according to one's belief system or religion.	One is judged according to how one lived one's life according to your conscience. The more you know, the more responsibility you have. Those who have done good, and yet knew little, can still be taught in heaven.
There will be a kingdom of God on earth	The true kingdom of God is in heaven, and in one's heart. However there is a reflection of this kingdom of God on earth: it is the community of the Church.
Some religious people think we should just withdraw from the world and pray and worship	The physical world is not evil, but can be a reflection of the heavenly life if one lives according to God's laws. One lives a spiritual life by being practical and useful to the common good in everyday life.
"Instantaneous" salvation: once one "converts" one is "saved."	Salvation is progressive, and is a life long process of continuous improvement, and even continues after we die. There are distinct spiritual stages in reformation and regeneration of the soul.

The False Theological Definition of the word "Grace"

Throughout the centuries Christian theologians have created some doctrines and added them onto scripture, muddying the waters when it comes to the highly ethical teachings of Jesus. Truth is empowering, but when men invent doctrines that have no foundation in reason, and none that was revealed in scripture, the truth loses its power and effect.  Before truth can empower people to change, we have to remove what is false. And in many ways, falsehoods are propagated when theologians invent false definitions for words in scripture. It then blinds the masses.

And this brings us to the importance of having an exact language to describe things exactly how they are. There have been several attempts at fixing this by philosophers and mathematicians. How does language influence how we see the world? In many ways, language controls our thinking, and the thinking controls our behaviour. For example, in our day and age, we have three words: murder, manslaughter, and execution. In our current legal definitions, we distinguish between murder and manslaughter. Externally, it is the same act, but internally, quite different. How is murder and manslaughter different? It is the intent of the person who committed the act. And how the current legal system behaves mirrors how our actions are judged in the afterlife: it is the intention or purpose of the act that counts. Someone may do something extremely stupid with bad results, but if their intention is good, and they learned from it, the act was not evil. As one learns the truth and is guided by it, good intentions will begin to lead to good results. So, returning to my example, we distinguish between murder and manslaughter. But that was not always the case. If we turn back the clock, we see that in ancient Hebrew there was just ONE word that meant murder, manslaughter, or executing someone who committed a murder. Since there was one word, they had one concept in their legal system: blood revenge. Someone got killed, no matter what, if blood got spilled more blood had to be shed. And cultures got caught in an endless cycle of bloodshed. There was just one word for someone getting killed. So in the Mosaic law, one can see laws were given to distinguish these different acts, and cities of refuge were provided for those who committed manslaughter, or acted out of self-defense.

THE THEOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF THE WORD "GRACE" ????

So now we come to the word grace, which is a word that has acquired some false theological definitions. I came across the Hebrew word for this when translating, so I was curious, what was the definition? In one sense, the Hebrew word at times does mean something similar to our word for judging how things physically appear: we will call it "graceful." If one does a favor toward another, we call them "gracious." And in English there is a modern idiom where one can say, "Goodness, gracious!" - which in fact, is a verbal pattern that has a true hidden spiritual origin which Swedenborgians will understand. Apparently people used to say if one has "grace in one's sight" which means one has a favorable opinion of that person. But theologians, being as they are, sometimes invent definitions according to their theology. So, what is the modern Christian theological definition of grace? I did a random search, here is one modern theological definition:

Grace: (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

I remember seeing this added in footnotes in some study Bibles. And just to be sure, I doublechecked by checking About.com - Christianity:

Definition: Grace is God's unmerited favor. It is kindness from God we don't deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift from God. Grace is divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration (rebirth) or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine favor.

And to be triple sure: lets check the Merriam Webster dictionary, who seem to be in survival mode in the internet age by having videos of people talking about word definitions:

GRACE: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification

So is this true? Does grace mean it is unmerited, undeserved, and it does not matter what you do? No, it is FALSE. This is a word definition that was INVENTED by the Protestant Reformers of the 16th century. If you look in any Hebrew concordance, grace simply means "favor." There is nothing in the word definition that says it is "unmerited" or "undeserved." And yet, Protestant theologians and ministers keep repeating it over and over again. IT IS A FALSE INVENTION OF THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES.

To confirm that "unmerited favor" is a false Protestant invention, lets check the Catholic Church and see what they have to say. Because much of Protestant theology was inherited from the Catholic Church. If I go to the New Advent Encyclopedia (which should be always double checked for accuracy) , they get a bit complicated, with a distinction between "actual grace" and "sanctifying grace."  I am not going to go through it all (since the Catholic Church has misconceptions of its own), but the Catholic Church confirms that the modern English definition is a Protestant invention. From Actual Grace:

With the early Protestants and Jansenists, the necessity of actual grace may be so exaggerated as to lead to the assertion of the absolute and complete incapacity of mere nature to do good

On this point the Catholic Church is correct. And I honestly first ignored it because the Catholic Church has so many other errors in it. One of the reasons I first ignored it is I thought the Catholic Church was talking about good for the sake of self-credit, this is not good, it is hypocritical. Remember, every action is judged by its INTENT. Good deeds, good works, are the result of a living, active faith of the human will. Where does the false definition of grace come from? It comes from a Protestant misunderstanding of the apostle Paul. For this see The Fundamental Error of the Protestant Church. Otherwise, why would Jesus himself say that everyone will be judged according to their works? (see Matt. 16:27, Rev. 2:23).

THE HEBREW VIEW OF THE WORD FOR GRACE

Lets go straight to scripture, ignoring what any Christian church has to say. Because many Christian churches have to ignore many passages of scripture, and hope that their congregations just listen to them and not read it for themselves. Here is the first passage that mentions "grace", which is right after God decides to destroy the entire land with a flood:

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Gen. 6:8)

And the word grace can easily be translated as favor. Was this favor unmerited? Undeserved? It did not matter what Noah did? NO. This we know from the next verse:

Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. (Gen. 6:9)

In other words, Noah lived a good life, obeying God's commandments. Favorable actions will simply lead to favorable outcomes. And the outcome we are looking at is one's eternal destiny. SIMPLE. If you want to live a good life, you have to ignore a lot of false theology. The Protestant theological definition of grace is unethical, immoral, and has no rational justification. You cannot apply it to your life, and the judge cannot apply it to the courtroom. Nor can managers apply it in their job when reviewing the work of those who report to them, nor can parents apply it when disciplining their children. It makes no moral or rational sense, and should be rejected.

THE NEW CHURCH VIEW

I say "New Church" because one is needed due to the falsity found in both Protestant an Catholic churches. Because actions are judged by one's intent, one CANNOT do good until one first removes false ideas and sinful behaviours. For this see The Three Steps of Spiritual Development, which also covers the symbolism of the Jewish festivals of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.

One Protestant reasoning I have heard is that the law was to teach everyone they cannot be perfect. So what do they say we should do? GIVE UP! Don't even try! But this is utterly ridiculous, and leads to spiritual and moral apathy. And it is in contradiction with scripture. So why in the world did Jesus say this:

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matt. 5:48)

Which means, we should eternally strive towards perfection. Its a goal that will never be reached, but we should constantly try to correct ourselves for the better.

Another New Church doctrine: "grace" or favor is what spiritual people who live according to truth seek, but those who are of a higher level of spirituality do no seek God's grace or favor, but his mercy. It is a deeper acknowledgment of one's sinfulness, done from the heart. Swedenborg explains it in this way:

...there is a distinction in the Word between mercy and grace, and this in accordance with the difference of those who receive. Mercy is applied to those who are celestial, and grace to those who are spiritual; for the celestial acknowledge nothing but mercy, and the spiritual scarcely anything but grace. The celestial do not know what grace is; the spiritual scarcely know what mercy is, which they make one and the same with grace. This comes from the kind of humiliation of each, which thus differs. They who are in humiliation of heart implore the Lord's mercy; but they who are in humiliation of thought beseech His grace; and if these implore mercy, it is either in a state of temptation or is done with the mouth only and not from the heart. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 598.2).

That there is a distinction between mercy and grace, which correspond to God's love and favor to save humanity, is hard to describe to those who have not experienced humility. There are many things that Swedenborg describes that one will not know until they experience it. Mercy and grace (or favor) often appear together in scripture, and concerns God's desire to bring humanity to himself.

RECIPROCOL CONJUNCTION

There is no such thing as "free" salvation which Protestant theology likes to talk about so much. In scripture, a relationship between a person and God is known as a "covenant" - you do your part, God will do his. If you don't move, God won't move toward you. If you turn away, he will turn away from you. This relationship can be described as a "reciprocol conjunction." Every action has a reaction, and what goes around comes around. I will quote from Swedenborg on recipocol conjunction between man and God:

...From the Lord, through man's internal, life continually flows into man's rational, and through this into his external, and indeed into his knowledges, external and internal — and not only adapts them to receive life, but also arranges them into order, and so enables man to think and at last to be rational. This is the conjunction of the Lord with man; without which man could not think at all, still less be rational. This may be plain to every one from the fact that there are in man's thought numberless arcana of science and of analytical art, so many that they cannot be explored to eternity, which do not flow in through the senses or through the external man, but through the internal. But man on his part, by means of knowledges external and internal, goes to meet this life which is from the Lord; and so he reciprocally conjoins himself. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2004.2)

This is a central doctrine: this reciprocol conjunction is the union of love and truth, which is also represented in the marriage of one man with one woman. Do good by the truth that you know. Inasmuch as you try and approach God, he will approach you. It is a universal law. I like this image below to describe it: the Yin-Yang tree. Inasmuch as you reach down and remove the sins in yourself (your earthly body) so your soul will reach up to heaven. Look at any tree - the branches above the earth will be a mirror of the roots in the earth below it. Inaction - unmerited favor, belief alone, what have you - this STOPS the spiritual process.

So if anyone tells you that grace means "unmerited" favor - check again. It is a man-made definition, and dates back to the 16th century. It is UNAPPLICABLE to any actual situation in life. It is not pragmatic or useful whatsoever. If there is any truth in it, it is this: that any good that you do does not originate from you, but from God, who is goodness itself, and the source of all good in humanity across the universe. But it is no excuse for spiritual apathy and to do whatever evil you want.

And for those who believe all they need to do is believe, and God somehow does everything else, perhaps they may find this poem a bit "uplifting":

GRACE DOES NOT MEAN UNMERITED FAVOR

I thought I would add a final update here, because this is important. Much of what is taught in the church today is based on a false theology. And that false theology uses false word definitions - and this word "grace" is one of the key words to the Protestant theology. As most Christian denominations are uncomfortable with Emanuel Swedenborg due to the fact he had visions, I want to emphasize here that he backed up many of his key points with scripture throughout his theological works.  I will simply start adding in this section other web blogs of Christians who have discovered that grace does not mean unmerited favor - from SCRIPTURE ONLY. But if you really want to know how evil this doctrine this is in the sight of God and heaven, then read up on Emanuel Swedenborg. Here is a list below:

IS GOD'S GRACE UNMERITED FAVOR? or GRACE IS NOT UNMERITED FAVOR

This is a good post. It begins with this statement: 

Is a sinner commanded to do anything to receive God's Favor?

Today's Christianity says there's nothing one has to do!

      This is the teaching in today's accepted Christianity that there is nothing a sinner must do, no action or change, no behavior change, no repentance of sins and changes in one's life that are based on the breaking of God's 10 commandments in order to receive God's Grace.

And another quote:

God demands a heart that is humble, because He says in James 4:6, "God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble." Every sinner coming to Christ, must humble himself, as a small child, and become converted, Mat. 18:3-4, to receive God's grace and His kingdom, and he must remain humble to grow in God's grace, or God is going to resist you and eventually reject you! God will resist the proud! God will resist any one proudly wrapped up in himself as a professing minister or a professing member and all that each has done, or as he thinks he has done, as in being some great spiritual leader. People as members of a church  should not be looking to these proud leaders, but instead they should be looking to the true, great, spiritual leader and Shepherd, Jesus Christ and trusting what He teaches from His Word and not from traditions and commandments of men.

Grace is Unmerited Favor" - This Common Definition is Wrong - this from a long time Christian. He begins on the false definition of grace:

There are a few key words in the Bible that are given wrong definitions even though the definitions are widely accepted. Such wrong definitions created much confusion and a weak church.

He however does not know (as most don't) the difference between mercy and grace.  When trying to come up with a definition, he comes up with this:

James Ryle defines it as, "Grace is the empowering Presence of God enabling you to be who He created you to be, and to do what He has called you to do."

Which is not what it is. See The Fundamental Error of the Protestant Church, as Protestant ministers have a tendency to make us "passive subjects." Mercy and grace is God's desire to save humanity.  So what is that "empowerment" that God gave man to do what you should do? Its not called grace. It is your own will power. Yes, in addition to a brain, giving everyone power to reason and think, God gave you this thing called a body which allows you to act according to what your brain says. There is no complicated theology here. Grace and favor also occurs when you are given the opportunity to do something:

He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5)

And Protestants will take that verse to mean everyone can do nothing and has no will power, which is not true. It means it begins with trust and hope in God, and an acknowledgement that any good that you do (bearing fruit) originates from God. Thus I brought up the concept of "reciprocol conjunction" above, thus Jesus says abide in me, and I in you. Reciprocol action/reaction. It also means that the smallest matters are governed by Divine Providence. There are no accidents.

Grace is not Unmerited Favor - this one is good. It asks some very simple questions:

1. If Grace is unmerited favor (that is to say, God is good to us even though we don't deserve it.) Then every body gets this grace right?

Then why does God only give it only to the humble? James 4:6, and 1 peter 5:5

If it is truly unmerited favor, wouldn't God give it to the proud more then the humble? Wouldn't they "not merit" it more then the humble?

2. If Grace is unmerited favor (God is good to us even though we don't deserve it.)
then why can you fall from it?

Gal. 5:4 says you are fallen from grace.- So, God is going to give me something I don't deserve and then take it away if I don't deserve it. I'd be better off backsliding so I could get more grace.

3. If Grace is unmerited favor (God is good to us even though we don't deserve it.)
Then why was Grace upon Jesus? Luke 2:40

A quote from Grace is not Unmerited Favor:

Many, or most of us, have been conditioned by religion to believe that Grace is unmerited favor. The thought that it could be more than that, will be difficult for some to grasp. The truth is, we have all been affected by the teachings of the Babylon system of religion.

The sorry weak Evangelical meaning of grace has kept the saint’s sin-conscious and sinning. The thinking of many is, since we are such undeserving worms, we are too weak to be anything but “Sinners saved by grace.” Rubbish! 

A quote from a forum at Grace is not unmerited favor

In my understanding ( I work in a baptist-run environment), it is an offshoot of the doctrine that man is completely wretched, vile and deserving only of God's wrath. The "unmerited favor" doctrine is another one of those theological ideas that transforms grace into another judicial act, making Christ's sacrifice a legal matter, not an act of supreme love. In fact, in many Baptist circles, GRACE is an acronym : God's Riches At Christ's Expense. And I cringe everytime I see it...

Which is observant: the false definition stems from a false idea of "vicarious atonement" - a theology that did not exist until the 11th century A.D. I have blogged about that before. See The Error of Vicarious Atonement.

I can go on and on.  And since this poster said "I cringe everytime I see it" I will conclude with this particular lesson from a chalk board:

Tony Dodd, Human Extraterrestrials, and a Stranger in the Pentagon

In Extraterrestrial Contact from Epsilon Eridani and Emanuel Swedenborg, I finally found the object of my research into UFOs and extraterresrials: independent evidence that the visions that Emanuel Swedenborg had of them in the 18th century was correct. My main interest in Swedenborg was on the subject of the visions he had about Christianity, the afterlife, and the proof he provides showing how certain (not all) books of the Bible are Divinely inspired. But I always thought he must have been mistaken when in his visions of the spiritual world he encountered other humans, just like us, who were not from our planet. When one studies UFOs, specifically extraterrestrial contacts, in several cases the occupants looked human just like us. The assumption of everyone is that when we will meet extraterrestrials, they will look different. So where is the proof? Take a look at The Atamaca Alien Skeleton - an Extraterrestrial Hybrid?. Some of the DNA is human, thus some scientists will cautiously say this is a human deformity. Thus wikipedia states:

While it has been claimed that Ata is an alien, by ufologists, this is inconsistent with the human genetic material which is present.

So that is how the story is covered up. What is not mentioned is that not all the DNA matches. When was the last time you saw a 6 inch tall human walking around? Analysis of the bones indicate this person lived for some time.

Extraterrestrials may have been visiting earth for a long time, remaining hidden to allow us to independently develop, perhaps since the beginning of our history. Evidence indicates that the explosion of the atomic bomb changed all that, and they decided to initiate contact in the middle of the 20th century. As some make look human (and are probably another branch of the human race), I discussed the possibility that they are here now, walking among us, in Human Extraterrestrials Hidden Among Us. This seems to be the hidden story behind the script for the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness. I thought there was not much else to discuss on the matter, until I encountered British UFO researcher Tony Dodd, an ex British police officer. In the following interview, he states that extraterrestrials are here now, and maintaining contact with certain elements of the military:



Tony Dodd died in 2009, but before he did so he gave some information to some UFO researchers, which he was told was very sensitive classified information: not only are there human extraterrestrials among us, but he was told there were certain government agencies trying to track them down. I will quote from TONY DODD - ET INFILTRATION OF THE GOVT AND MILITARY:

I'm now much closer to the complexities involved in the UFO field and the government involvement. There's certainly a serious threat by some visiting UFOs and further problems caused by alien visitors who are integrated into our society, possibly holding high positions in government. These aliens - who look like us - are here for unknown reasons and this is causing many problems for those trying to find them. We've heard a little about this from Bill Hamilton, and also from Bob Dean, as you know. ...There's very little doubt they've been here for many years and they have occasionally had meetings with certain very high ranking people. One very high ranking military officer wrote about one such meeting. These meetings are far and few between and the individual is chosen by the alien for such meetings which take place under extreme secrecy.
These aliens operate above normal government knowledge and they are pursued by highly trained hunter killers of several nationalities who operate to eliminate them. Normal people getting close to the truth of what is happening are getting into very dangerous areas and will quickly have a fatal accident. They will not permit anybody to rock the boat. I was warned I would be killed because of some of my work.
The aliens are highly intelligent and have possibly obtained positions at a very high level and this is of great concern to senior authorities. My information is that the only way they can be recognized is by a deformed finger on one of their hands. To hide this they usually wear gloves or a bandage on the finger as if they have had an injury.
The fact that they look like us and mingle amongst us secretly begs the questions: Why are they here and what are their intentions? Why are they so secretive? There are people in very high places who consider them a threat and have squads out looking for them with intent to kill. This is no doubt why they stay secret. The truth is that we fear what we don't understand. Have you also learned where they are from – and whether they really do look like us, or whether they have amended their appearance to look like us as a disguise? The deformed finger might seem to suggest that this is their true appearance. Why do you think these beings do look like us - if this is their true appearance? Are they our ancestors, or possibly even our descendents? It's not known what their true form is. The deformed finger strongly suggests that do not look like us in their true form. Either way they're obviously highly intelligent and far ahead of us technically. It is not known their planet of origin... or if they are time travelers, they've never disclosed this as far as we know. Do you have any idea what the relationship or connection may be (if any) between these aliens and the various other visitors? No. Are there any well-known public figures, anywhere in the world, who you suspect or are suspected to be non-human? I don't know. If it became known that there was one such person, he would certainly disappear in very quick time. The authorities would immediately subject him to interrogation in an effort to find out how many of them were here and what their intentions were. This is why they remain secret. But once again, we must question what they're here for and what their intentions are. Always remember: throughout the course of history, a more advanced race has always enslaved a lesser advanced race. This is what worries the authorities. Have any of these aliens actually been 'successfully' killed, to your knowledge? If so, what means are used? I don't know. Do you suspect or believe you've ever met any of these aliens personally? I've met some very interesting people, but none who have admitted being alien. So again, I have to say I don't know. Are you at liberty to say how you have come by all this information? Can you, for instance, say more about the provenance of your information? Is this single-source material, or have you heard this from multiple sources? If your sources are insiders, what level/ branch of intelligence/ military/ government are they? How much do you trust them? My intelligence background was very useful and I've traveled the world meeting contacts. My information has come from high level military, scientific and political sources. Enough said.

At first Tony Dodd gave the above information anonymously, and only after he died did the UFO researchers reveal his identity. So two questions pop in my mind when reading the above account: one, why is the information regarded as sensitive, and two, if extraterrestrials are here, why would they be hunted down? It sounds just a bit too fantastic. However, I previously blogged about the testimony of Sergeant Clifford Stone in the The Censored Disney Documentary on Extraterrestrials, where he, among others, indicated he was part of a highly secretive military unit that was tasked with extraterrestrial recoveries following UFO crashes. I also blogged a bit earlier about the NSA, who not only like to monitor just about everything on the internet, but have been involved in monitoring extraterrestrial communications.

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. STRANGES AND THE STRANGER IN THE PENTAGON

But returning back to the first question: why would this information from Tony Dodd be regarded as sensitive? It is just far out there. One reason why it would be regarded as sensitive is that government agencies, who are tasked with hiding evidence of UFO activity and extraterrestrials in the media, want to make sure that no one can take two separate pieces of information and put two and two together to confirm that a story is in fact real. If there is one witness, fine, but once you have two or more, it gets harder to poke holes in the story unless you can convince the witnesses to be silent. There is one piece of information in the above account of Tony Dodd that caught my attention: these human looking extraterrestrials, have a deformity on the finger. And they seek to hide it by wearing gloves. What is that deformity? My hypothesis is this: these extraterrestrials lack any fingerprints on their fingers. It also happens to be a rare genetic mutations found among some humans known as adermatoglyphia.

This brings me to a particular case of an extraterrestrial contact that took place over 50 years ago. It is the case of a direct contact that took place in 1957 between the U.S. Government under President Eisenhower and human looking extraterrestrials. It is claimed that a saucer landed in Virginia close to the Pentagon, and a human looking extraterrestrial was taken by the police to the Pentagon. His name, he said, was "Valiant Thor." The U.S. Government and military attempted to keep him holed up in the Pentagon for several years. However he decided to go outside normal channels when he discovered he was making no progress with the government, and contacted someone from the outside: a Christian minister named Frank Strange. He wrote about his meetings with Valiant Thor in his book, Stranger in the Pentagon. At one point Valiant Thor, along with three of his crew members Donn, Jill and Tanyia, appeared at a small UFO convention in High Bridge New Jersey. A photographer took photos of them, and for the curious, here are some photos of them:

So if true, you can bump into them in the supermarket and never know it. I have been meaning to investigate this particular case more closely when I have more time. But I put it off to the side, as I was not sure how to confirm whether or not it was true. Some of the information was confirmed by Rear Admiral Richard R.E. Byrd, but still, how do you confirm if this is true? But when I saw the account given by Tony Dodd, it reminded me of this case. Why so? Here is what Frank Stranges said he noticed about Valiant Thor when he shook his hand - his hand had no fingerprints:

The only thing he said that troubled me was his use of the expression "when the time is right" in response to my question as to whether or not I would see him again. His lack of fingerprints intrigued me as I had been involved as a private investigator for quite some time, even working at times on loan to some of the Government agencies.

I had learned the science of fingerprints ...with the impression of the lines and whorls on the inner surface of the last joint of each finger on the human hand. He told me that all Earth people were thusly marked since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, during the very dawn of civilization as we know it today.
He began to prepare me for the road which lie ahead. It would not be an easy one. There would be adversities, organized attempts to both discourage and discredit me, but the rewards have proved to outweigh these trials which continue even to this day.

Dr. Frank Stranges, unfortunately, died in 2008. There is a tribute to him here: A TRIBUTE TO DR. FRANK E. STRANGES. Now here is where it gets interesting. When Frank Stranges asked where Valiant Thor came from, he said they come from the planet Venus. When he asked how was that possible, Val replied they live underground. Venus, on its surface, is very inhospitable and too hot for any human life. But underground is a different story. I found this information from Venus Hot Outside, Cool Inside?:

The heat in the atmosphere of Venus, induced from a strong greenhouse warming, might actually have a cooling effect on the planet’s interior. This counter-intuitive theory is based on calculations from a new model presented at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) in Rome on Tuesday 21st September. 

The scientists ran a 3D model, and to their surprise, while the atmosphere got hot, the interior of Venus cooled:

“Interestingly, due to the rising surface temperatures, the surface is mobilized and the insulating effect of the crust diminishes,” says Noack. “The mantle of Venus loses much of its thermal energy to the outside. It’s a little bit like lifting the lid on the mantle: the interior of Venus suddenly cools very efficiently and the rate of volcanism ceases. Our model shows that after that ‘hot’ era of volcanism, the slow-down of volcanism leads to a strong decrease of the temperatures in the atmosphere.”

So if there is any life on Venus, the only way that can happen is underground, and by a more advanced civilization than ours. And that may be more of the rule than the exception: most planets do not have an inhabitable atmosphere and are subjected to cosmic radiation. So after developing for thousands of years, should a civilization start expanding to other planets perhaps an easy way of doing that is having underground bases as way points. So what did Emanuel Swedenborg have to say? Was Venus inhabited? He said yes, but spoke very briefly about them:

In talking with me they said, that when they were in the world they acknowledged and now more fully acknowledge our Lord as their only God. They said that in their earth they had seen Him, walking among them, and they also represented in what fashion they had seen Him. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 7252).

When Frank Stranges spoke with Valiant Thor, he said they knew who Jesus was and followed him. However they had no need for a Bible, as contact with God was not broken off with them as it was with the inhabitants of our earth:

We discussed the merits of Jesus Christ ... how He gave His Life freely... so that men could enjoy the benefits of eternal life. I questioned him about a Bible on Venus and he assured me that a personal unbroken fellowship with the "Author" did not necessitate the printing of a "book". He found it amusing that many theologians attempt to discredit both Jesus Christ and The Bible. The very God many have said is "dead" continues to lavish them with all good things. Perhaps they will, in time, permit the spark of Divine Light to again illuminate their troubled hearts.
In answer to my question of what he thought of Jesus Christ, he said, "I know that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega of yours and everyone else's faith. He today has assumed His rightful position as the ruler of the universe and is preparing a place and a time for all who are called by His Name to ascend far above the clouds to where His Power and Authority shall never again be disputed.

"I believe that Jesus Christ is the wonder of wonders and changes not. No, not forever and forever." As he spoke these words, my own heart burned within me and tears filled my eyes. He turned to the window and said, "Frank, it will not be long. Contend for the faith, and you will never miss the mark."
I asked him if there is life on other planets. His reply was, "There is life on many other planets of which people on Earth know nothing. There are more solar systems for which man has not even given God credit. There are many beings that have never transgressed the perfect laws of God. Man does not possess the right to condemn the whole of God's creation because he himself has broken the perfect laws of God through disobedience."

Like Swedenborg, this stranger at the Pentagon said there are many inhabited planets. Unlike most we have broken off our contact with the Creator, and that is why we have more evil and human suffering: it stems from disobedience.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE MOVIE, DARK CITY

When I read Tony Dodd's account the next question that popped into my head was are we hunting them down? Why would we do that? Tony Dodd suspects it is because our military fears something it does not understand. But I suspect it is something else. In Extraterrestrial Contacts by HAM Radio, extraterrestrial messages warned not only of nuclear weapons but of a contact being made between the U.S. government and a race of beings from Orion. And in separate extraterrestrial contact cases, the alien greys have indicated that they come from Orion: see The Orion Messages of Stan Romanek. And from a brief research in UFOs, there are indications from multiple witnesses that certain sections of the U.S. military have been cooperating with them in exchange for technology. And what do they want? Apparently the alien greys are involved in some genetic hybrid program involving humans. This is the reason why the U.S. military cannot completely reveal everything to the public should it choose to do so: we may have been forced to enter into an agreement, and not everyone fully knew the consequences.

In Human Extraterrestrials Hidden Among Us, I surmised the script of the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness was based on some truth: that there was a hidden war going on between the alien greys cooperating with the government (represented by Spock) and another highly intelligent group of human looking extraterrestrials (represented by Khan). This was just a guess, but when I read Tony Dodd's account that seemed to have confirmed something like that may in fact be happening. Let's hope not. But if a secret group within the U.S. military is cooperating with the alien greys, it is safe to assume that other groups will try to keep a close eye on that. So Tony Dodd's account makes sense.

This brings me to the movie Dark City, a rather strange one, but one of my favourites. I do not want to give away the movie, but it is most certainly based on human abductions by alien greys, who have an ability to not only erase one's memory, but implant false memories as well. Others have said that the alien greys do not have an individual sense of the soul like we do, but are part of a collective, and the movie Dark City has that as well. There are also elements of mind control, which I previously discussed in Alien Abduction and EMF Mind Control.

In this movie the strange group of aliens are studying the human soul, and have enlisted the help of a human doctor (Kiefer Sutherland) to help them do that. I was looking for a video clip of the movie, found this one, and check it out - I just noticed there is a FINGERPRINT in it:



One scene reminds me of the account of the descent of Jesus into the netherworld. Unfortunately, can't find one on the internet, and if I upload the clip the video sharing sites immediately remove it (I guess I have to edit the video somewhat to upload it).  I was trying to find one, but when I saw the above clip, the image of the fingerprint really surprised me. It then reminded me: there is a police officer in the movie who keeps drawing spiral fingerprints on the walls.

I completely missed that one.  I guess I have to watch the movie again. Very clever.

UPDATE: DIRECTOR'S CUT OF DARK CITY

After I wrote this blog, and noticed the fingerprint in the movie Dark City, I discovered that a director's cut has been released for the movie.  So I wondered, was there anything significant cut out or censored out of the theatrical version?  Indeed there was.  I checked out Movie Censorship - Dark City, which discusses the differences in detail. Most changes were insignificant. But a key piece of content was cut out of the theatrical version, and this really took me by surprise. Honestly I had no idea until today. I will quote directly from the web site:

The spiral subject is a bigger issue in the DC. We get to know that John's finger print is spiral-shaped, which is being considered a development by the Strangers. Bumstead is also being confronted with that several times.

Why would they cut out such a significant piece of information, central to the movie? In the movie Dark City, John is hunted down by the strangers, there is something different about him that attracts their interest. The movie never explains his true background, as he has lost his true memory. He is being hunted down, just exactly as Tony Dodd described in his strange account. Towards the end, the doctor keeps repeating to John one word: remember.

UPDATE #2 (Jan. 11)

I would like to add here, there is more to this story, but a bit hard to blog about publicly. There is some other information I have been trying to absorb and think about myself. The information that Tony Dodd gave may not necessarily refer to this group that made contact with Frank Stranges and others, and I am beginning to understand the sensitivity around this issue. I will probably talk about other things first before I come back to this, but in the meantime, I will let everyone know that there is more symbolism hidden inside the movie Dark City.

The Jealousy of Beauty among Women

I was listening to a radio song in my car and a woman was singing a song with the phrase "I came in like a rainbow."  So I imagined a woman coming into a man's life, bringing brightness and happiness, like a rainbow.

Later, the same song came on the radio, and I got the words all wrong. She was not singing I came in like a rainbow. She was singing, "I came in like a wrecking ball." I sure got this song wrong.

And it gets worse. I then see this song is quite popular, and the artist made a music video of herself practically naked, riding on the wrecking ball. Yes, she has completely destroyed my beautiful image of a rainbow. And so, the promotion of sexual immorality continues in American media. I ask, what is the end result for these women that are loose when it comes to their sexuality later in life? First they begin to lose their self respect and honor. And once they lose their self respect and honor, they lose their respect and honor among other women. They become wives, mothers and your neighbor. And the way they often display this loss of self respect is in a very ugly manner: for no reason they display very ugly jealousy and envy of the beauty of other women. This they try to hide in front of men by appearing like a rainbow. But inside, they are a wrecking ball, seeking a wall to break down.

Many think if you have beauty you have it all, but it is not true: one's beauty can become a curse. I looked on the internet, and I am not seeing much publicity about it. I did find this web site devoted to women who have decided to join the legal profession: When Other Women Hate You Because You're Beautiful. Even this woman had trouble writing about it:

Many of you reading this are probably already feeling an aversion to the topic—none of us likes to admit that other people are better looking than we are or, even worse, that we resent them for it. In fact, many of us don’t admit it, not even to ourselves. Instead, we channel the jealousy into resentment and let it lurk inside of us until the object of it does something that we can interpret maliciously—and then we hate them for that reason. I was inspired to write this post when I got a tearful phone call from a law school friend about how women at her new job don’t like her.

The blog post is interesting, because of the many comments from women confirming that this behaviour is wide spread. Is it ridiculous behaviour? Yes. Here is one comment on the blog post from a law student:

I'm not even in a job situation yet and I'm already hated. I am a student, and upon my first day of walking into the history department...I met someone who was ready to demolish me off the face of the earth before I even opened my mouth. I was shocked, but I just kept this tiny, cute little polite smile. This had a severe impact on me because this woman could not control herself. Her face was contorted, brutal...she showed me her teeth...narrowed the eyes...this is your basic serial killer behaviour. 

Despite opening the topic, the author had additional problems about the topic. First, she wondered why were women jealous in the first place? She had no answer. But I will give you the answer: women who act in this way do so from their background morals. People of low morals assume everyone to behave like they do. You cannot commit a sin and not expect it to have an effect on your character. Sleeping around is perhaps promoted as a western way of life, but it has its consequences.

Second, the author asked what could be done to stop the vicious cycle of jealousy? Again no answer. Her advice: don't talk about how pretty you are. Well, except that does not work. Women who happen to be beautiful do not have to talk about it, it is so obvious. My advice: meet it head on, but don't stoop to the idiotic level of getting angry. Ignoring the hatred will not work. You have to be willing to fight and put that evil down with the truth. Being friendly with evil behaviour will only make it worse. Exposing the evil, putting it out in the open, will put it down:

Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

Every evil comes with its own level of falsity (darkness) where the person committing the act will try to justify it and cover it up. Jealousy in its essence is hatred, and finds enjoyment in making other people angry. But recognize the origin of that hatred: either the woman has pride in herself and wants attention, or it is because she has lost her own self respect and honor. For these jealous behaviours have nothing to do with a woman who happens to be beautiful, it comes from inside the person commiting that behaviour. People usually point the finger at others where their hidden fault lies:

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matt. 7:1-5)

So why is it necessary for me to talk about this jealousy among women? Because this sort of jealousy can not only destroy families, it can destroy a church community if left unchecked. No sense in trying to build a spiritual community if you never talk about the evils contained within the society, right? For in reality, it is women who tend to hold the bonds of a community together. If there is no love, and hidden jealousy, you have nothing.

FINDING YOUR RAINBOW AND AVOIDING THE WRECKING BALLS

Some women happen to be very clever in covering up their character. So how do you find that rainbow among all the wrecking balls? Some will say its like finding that pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. There is this interesting story about King Solomon, one of my favourites:

Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.
And one woman said, "O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house.
Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house.
And this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him.
So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne."
Then the other woman said, "No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." And the first woman said, "No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before the king.
And the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'"
Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king.
And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other."
Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!" But the other said, "Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him."
So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother."
And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. (1 Kings 3:16-28)

Most people will never end up as a king of a nation. However most will eventually have to decide whom to marry. And on the surface, many people may appear alike. It is truth, and distressful situations, which can uncover a person's true character. How a person will treat others is how they will treat you. And note the origin of the women's jealousy between each other: from a life of harlotry. Jealousy seeks to destroy, and who will be destroyed the most? The children from these women will be most affected. So choose wisely. Choosing a spouse is more important than choosing a career or job. Applying the truth of discernment will allow one to find that rainbow among the wrecking balls. Impossible? Not so:

Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the LORD. (Prov. 19:14)

You will be surprised, if you have faith and are willing to wait. I have seen it happen.

THE SPIRITUAL DANGERS OF A LIFE OF FORNICATION AND ADULTERY

How spiritual one is can be seen in how one values marriage. There are many spiritual dangers one can commit, but very few are worse than the sin of adultery. Have you been told that it is OK to sleep around, or do you think marriage does not matter when it comes to sex? Think again. What are the exact consequences of this? I have already described one: you can see it women who wish to tear apart another woman who happens to be beautiful. But what about the afterlife? The afterlife was described in a series of visions by Emanuel Swedenborg in his work, Heaven and Hell. But among his visions, he was given very specific warnings about adultery. If you are not aware of who Swedenborg is, see The Confirmed Clairvoyance of Emanuel Swedenborg. For someone who has the ability to see things clairvoyantly, I pay attention. First: fornication is light, but adultery is worse, and one is judged by what one knows:

There are girls who have been enticed into harlotry and thus persuaded that there was no evil in it, being in other respects rightly disposed. These, because they are not yet of an age to be able to know and judge about such a life, have an instructor with them, quite severe, who chastises them whenever they burst out into thought of such wantonness. Of him they are in great fear, and in this way they are vastated. But adult women who have been harlots and have enticed others, do not undergo vastation, but are in hell. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1113)

Sex without spiritual love becomes merely a natural desire, and those who tend to engage in it will hate true love. And even if one acknowledges spiritual truth, the natural desire will pervert it:

Natural love separated from spiritual love is opposed to spiritual love, because natural love is the love of self and the love of the world, and spiritual love is the love of the Lord and the love of the neighbor; and the love of self and the world looks downward and outward, and the love of the Lord looks upward and inward. When, therefore, natural love has been separated from spiritual love, it cannot be elevated above the proprium of the man, but remains immersed in it, and so far as it loves it, is wedded to it. And then if the understanding ascends and sees from the light of heaven those things which are of wisdom, the love draws down the wisdom and conjoins it to itself in its own proprium, and there either rejects the things which are of wisdom, or falsifies them, or places them around itself that it may speak of them for the sake of good repute. (Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 424)

In another passage, Swedenborg describes a mere belief in God, without purifying oneself from evil desires, as a well-painted harlot (Divine Providence, n. 121). This is the reason why the Protestant theology of faith alone is quite evil, as it does not tell people that they must repent of their sins (see The Fundamental Error of the Protestant Faith). Thus one sees people acting superficially in church, but living a life completely separate from that. Thus Swedenborg saw the miserable end of many who believed that they were saved by their faith or belief alone, without attempting to purify themself from their evil sins through Jesus.

I should mention here, that not all jealousies originate from low sexual morals or a desire to get attention, but some may stem from a particular mental illness - both among men and women:

That with some jealousy is from a varying mental infirmity is no secret in the world; for there are jealous men who are continually thinking of their wives that they are unfaithful, and believe them to be harlots if only they hear or see that they talk in a friendly way with men, or about men. There are many vitiated states of mind which induce this infirmity,—first among which is a suspicious fantasy, which if long cherished brings the mind into societies of similar spirits, from which it is difficult to be released. (Angelic Wisdom concerning Marriage Love, n. 374)

For those who commit adultery, or desire it, their end in the afterlife is not good. I should preface this account with some background: after death, our life continues, but in a higher form in a complete spiritual body. All restraints are removed, and we will automatically go where our own desire takes us. For those who have not resisted their internal evil desires, they will be brought forth. So its important to examine and reform oneself in this life. For one's heaven or hell is determined by one's attitude towards marriage. So for adulterers, I will just repeat a small portion of the terrible end that Swedenborg saw for them in his visions:

The excellence of the life of every one is according to his marriage love; for it conjoins itself with the life of the wife and by the conjunction ennobles itself. But as with these not the least of marriage love remains, nor therefore anything of the inmost of life, for that reason their lot after death is wretched. After passing a period of time in their externals, in the world of spirits—during which they speak rationally and act civilly,—they are let into their internals, and then into the same lust and its delights, in the same degree of it, in which they had been in the world. For after death everyone is introduced into the same state of life that he had appropriated to himself,—to the end that he may be led out of it; for one cannot be led away from his evil unless he has first been let into it. Otherwise the evil would hide itself and pollute the interiors of the mind, and pour itself forth like a pestilence, and finally burst the barriers and ruin the externals, which are of the body. To this end brothels are opened to them,—which are at the side of a hell where there are harlots, with whom there is opportunity of varying their inordinate desires; but indulgence is permitted with only one in a day, and with more the same day is prohibited under penalty. Afterwards, when it has been established by test that the lust is so implanted that they cannot be led away from it, they are taken to a certain place which is directly over the hell assigned to them, and there appear to themselves as if falling in a swoon, and to others as if they were sinking down with upturned face; and the ground is actually opened under their backs and they are swallowed up, and glide down into the hell where their like are. They are thus gathered to their own. ...these same from a long way off do not appear as men, nor as monsters, but as gelatine. And it should be known that such do they become who are imbued with that lust to such a degree that they have rent in pieces and annihilated the human desire for marriage within them. (Angelic Wisdom concerning Marriage Love, n. 510)

The above shows the importance of examining and repenting from one's internal desires. In the afterlife, the world of imagination and ideas becomes one's reality. It is not good enough just to hide it - one must deal with the actual desire itself. It is one's desire which will lead each person to their particular heaven or hell.

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

In summary, jealousy can come from self pride to get attention or honor from others, but when it comes to extreme irrational jealousy of beauty among women it can often originate from the low sexual morals of those women. In other ways, it so consumes the mind it can be regarded as a mental illness. I would also say a religion that emphasizes that one is "saved by belief alone" regardless of one's life makes this behaviour worse. How one regards marriage is very closely related to one's relationship with God. I will mention some personal observations.

In one, I was walking down a busy street of a city in a Muslim country. And what did I see? I saw two women walking together, arm in arm, enjoying each other's company. What love in friendship, I thought. Not that it does not happen in America, it is just something I do not personally see that often. But it is so normal there: kindness, and an inner happiness in the face.

In another observation, at a certain IT company there was a party at a lunch room. Certain groups sat with each other, but among the women they just could not sit with each other. Even though seats were available, they would rather not sit down with each other. Why was this? They were from the sales and marketing area, and from their conversations it was well known they were sexually loose. Their manager saw it, and probably thought the same thing I thought: these people were not going to be able to work together as a team to get the job done.

In group settings, where people adhere to a belief in one God, and believe in a life of following his commandments, I have seen a different attitude: the absence of any sort of jealousy of a beautiful woman. They look at the person for who they are. Unfortunately, and perhaps more so in America, being beautiful can be a curse.

I say this for those women who have spoken to me privately, and have made me aware of what I regard as a very ugly behaviour. My advice is: choose your marriage partner WISELY. Try to find your rainbow, and avoid those wrecking balls.