"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick...." (Luke 5:31-32)

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:31-32)

Why did Jesus say this?

Here is the text just before Jesus' statement above:

'Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect* complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"' (Luke 5:30)

The phrase, 'teachers of the law who belonged to their sect' is being translated from the Greek αὐτός (autos) followed by γραμματεύς (grammateus). The word γραμματεύς (grammateus) means "a clerk, scribe, especially a public servant, secretary, recorder, whose office and influence differed in different states." This indicates a better translation to 'their scribes', or 'their secretaries', as in 'Pharisees and their scribes.'

The question posed by these teachers and their assistants was offensive, yet Jesus patiently explained to them his purpose and mission, using symbolism.

Jesus used an analogy when he said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

What does Jesus' doctor analogy mean?

Jesus' "doctor" analogy serves to illustrate that Jesus' mission was to help those who were spiritually sick. This was the purpose of his teachings: To save those who heard and applied his teachings.

Jesus confirms his mission with the statement, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

The word "call" is derived from the Greek word καλέω (kaleō), which means, according to the lexicon, "to call aloud, utter in a loud voice" and "to invite."

This illustrates Jesus' mission to invite us back home to the spiritual realm. He was calling us to come home.

Consider what a mother does when she leans out the back door to call her children in for dinner. She calls out in a loud voice, "children, come in for dinner!" She is calling them home. She is inviting them back into the house so they can eat dinner.

This is what Jesus was doing. Jesus was embarked by the Supreme Being to bring us back to the spiritual realm. He was executing God's invitation. God wants us to come home to Him.

This is why Jesus also said:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

"My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him who sent me." (John 7:16)

"For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it." (John 12:49)

In other words, Jesus came to deliver us a message from God. The Supreme Being sent Jesus to re-introduce us to God and invite us back to the spiritual realm.

Was Jesus a healer?

Jesus is utilizing an analogy about being a healer. But was Jesus a healer? He did after all, heal a few people's bodies.

Yet it is clear by his teachings that Jesus' central mission wasn't to heal people's physical bodies. If Jesus was a healer - a doctor - why didn't he set up a hospital and line all the sick people up and heal them all day long? Why did he spend so much time preaching about loving and serving God?

Yes, Jesus was a spiritual teacher. He taught about spiritual life. He is God's representative. And his healings were only accomplished to increase the faith of those who did not trust his teachings.

Jesus was trying to heal people's spirit.

We are not these physical bodies. Each of us has our own unique spiritual body, which sits within the physical body much as a driver sits down inside a car. And everyone in the spiritual realm is energetic and vibrant. The spiritual realm is not an extension of the physical world, where our old, decomposing bodies dwell. Our physical bodies decompose in the ground after we leave them at death.

Where is heaven?

Heaven is a place of love. This is where we belong. We don't belong in the physical realm. The physical world is a temporary place. Everything here dies. We are not these physical bodies, and this is why these physical bodies get sick and die.

Because of this misunderstanding of our identity, some have conjured up many speculative images of heaven and the Supreme Person. They imagine God to be this white-haired old guy and heaven to be a bunch of old people sitting around on cloud-tops playing harps all day.

Is this what heaven is? Sitting around all day with an old guy?

The spiritual realm is a beautiful place. It is a dimension that maintains many activities - just as the physical world maintains activities, but to a much greater degree.

The spiritual realm is a place of loving relationships and blissful activities. Every citizen of the spiritual realm is engaged in a loving, caregiving relationship with the Supreme Being. These relationships are full of joy and happiness, and lots of activities. The Supreme Being is not an old guy with white hair. He is ever-youthful. He is all-attractive. He is the Most Beautiful Being in the universe, and everyone loves and cherishes Him in their own unique way.

He thus enjoys innumerable relationships with each of His children, because He can expand Himself infinitely. There is no limitation to the power and the glory of the Supreme Being. His Personality is so attractive that everyone in the spiritual realm wants to be with Him every moment. And when they are not with Him they are thinking of Him, missing Him. All of these feelings are completely fulfilling and blissful to each of the citizens of the spiritual realm.

In fact, the citizens of the spiritual realm see Him as their Best Friend and Beloved. They are consumed with their love for Him and their caregiving activities for Him.

This is because we are each creatures of love. None of us can live without love. This is the commonality amongst every living being - we each need to love and be loved. And we each need an infinite amount of love - which only can be supplied by the Supreme Being - the infinite resource of love and loving relationships.

What does being sick mean?

Those who are "sick" - the "sinners" as Jesus describes us, are those who are self-centered. This is confirmed by the use of the word ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos), an adjective of the word ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) meaning "to err," "to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong" and "to wander from the law of God, violate God's law." And what is "God's law" founded upon?

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'" (Luke 10:27 and Deut. 6:5)

We are "sick" because we are looking to make ourselves happy. This is the opposite of love. Love is wanting to make someone else happy. And the spiritual realm is that place where everyone is focused upon making the Supreme Being and His associates happy. They are in love with God.

The word "repentance" in Jesus' statement is being translated from the Greek word μετάνοια (metanoia), which means "a change of mind."

To embrace our relationship with God requires we change. We must be willing to change our consciousness from being self-centered to being God-centered. And the way back home is to rekindle our loving, caregiving relationship with the Supreme Being.

This is the world Jesus is inviting us back to. This is our home, and Jesus is calling us home.

"You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come ..." (Luke 12:39-40)

"But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Luke 12:39-40)

Is this a doomsday prophesy?

That is a misinterpretation of Jesus' statement. The notion that Jesus was speaking of some kind of end of the world scenario where he would come riding over the clouds, swooping down to kill everyone except those who are members of their organization is a doctrine intended to scare people into joining those sects that teach this.

It certainly is a great membership recruitment strategy. Just threaten everyone who isn't a member that they will be slaughtered when the end of the world comes. And just in case there is any doubt about when the end of the world is coming - new predictions come out every year or two.

Yes, the necessary part of such a strategy is to convince everyone that this end of the world scenario is coming soon - very soon - perhaps this year, or even in a month or two.

How do we know this doomsday prophesy is false?

We know this 'end of the world' teaching is false because it has been taught for centuries and yet still the end of the world has not come.

In fact, sectarian teachers have been threatening us with this end of the world scenario for at least 17 centuries now. And the end of the world still hasn't come. Just consider the many preachers, priests, cardinals, popes, and founders of sects who have inaccurately predicted the end of the world:

Hilary of Poitiers: 365 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Martin of Tours: 375 to 400 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Hydatius (Bishop of Aquae) 482 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Sextus Julius Africanus: 500 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Hippolytus of Rome: 500 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Beatus of Leibana: 793 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Gregory of Tours: 799 to 800 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Thiota: 847 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Pope Sylvester II: 1000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Gerard of Poehlde: 1147 AD (predicted doomsday date)
John of Toledo: 1179 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Joachim of Fiore: 1205 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Pope Innocent III: 1284 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Joachimites: 1290 and 1335 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Jean de Roquetaillade: 1368 and 1370 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Amaldus de Villa Nova: 1378 (predicted doomsday date)

Thomas Muntzer: 1525 AD  (predicted doomsday date)

Johannes Stoffler: 1524 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Hans Hut (Anabaptist): 1528 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Melchior Hoffman (Anabaptist): 1533 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Jan Matthys (Anabaptist): 1534 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Martin Luther (Augustinian monk): 1600 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Christopher Columbus: 1658 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Joseph Mede: 1660 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Sabbatai Zevi: 1648 and 1666 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Fifth Monarchists: 1666 and 1673 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Benjamin Keach (Baptist): 1689 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Pierre Jurieu: 1689 AD (predicted doomsday date)

John Mason (Anglican): 1694 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Johan Heinrich Alsted (Calvinist): 1694 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Cotton Mather (Puritan): 1697, 1716 and 1736 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Henry Archer (Fifth Monarchist): 1700 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa: 1700 to 1734 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Camisards: 1705 and 1708 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

William Whitson: 1736 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Emanuel Swedenborg (Lutheran): 1757 AD (predicted doomsday date)

The Shakers (Ann Lee): 1792 and 1794 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Cardinal Pierre d'Ailly: 1789 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Charles Wesley (Methodist): 1794 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Christopher Love (Presbyterian): 1805 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Margaret McDonald: 1830 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Joseph Smith (Mormon): 1832 and 1891 AD (predicted doomsday date)
Johann Albrecht Bengel (Lutheran): 1846 AD (predicted doomsday date)

John Wesley (Methodist founder): 1836 AD (predicted doomsday date)

William Miller (Millerites founder): 1843 and 1844 AD (predicted doomsday dates)
George Rapp (Harmony Society founder): 1847 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Harriet Livermore: 1847 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Ellen White (Seven Day Adventists): 1850, 1856 and "early 1900s" AD (predicted doomsday dates)

John Cumming: 1862 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Joseph Morris (Mormon): 1862 AD (predicted doomsday date)

John Wroe (Christian Israelite Church): 1863 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Jonas Wendell and other Adventist preachers: 1863, 1874, 1870 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Mother Shipton: 1881 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Wovoka (Ghost Dance): 1890 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Catholic Apostolic Church: 1901 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses): 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975, 1994 and others more recent. (predicted doomsday dates)

Margaret Rowen (Seventh-Day Adventist): 1920 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Spencer Perceval (Catholic Apostolic Church): 1926 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Wilbur Glenn Voliva: 1935 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Herbert Armstrong (Worldwide Church of God founder): 1936 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Florence Houteff (Branch Davidians): 1959 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Johann Bischoff (New Apostolic Church): 1951 and 1960 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Jim Jones (People's Temple cult): 1967 AD (predicted doomsday date)

George Williams (Church of the Firstborn): 1969 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Herbert Armstrong (Worldwide Church of God): 1972 AD (predicted doomsday date)

John Wroe (Christian Israelite Church): 1977 AD (predicted doomsday date)

William Branham (evangelist): 1977 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Chuck Smith (Calvary Chapel): 1981 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Pat Robertson (evangelist): 1982 and 2007 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Lester Sumrall (Pentecostal): 1985 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Edgar Whisenant: 1988 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Elizabeth Clare (Summit Lighthouse): 1990 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Rollen Stewart: 1992 AD (predicted doomsday date)

David Berg (The Family): 1993 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Harold Camping: 1994, 1995, 2011 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Ronald Weinland (Church of God): 2011 and 2012 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Aggai: 1997 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Marshall Applewhite (Heavens Gate cult): 1997 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Archbishop James Ussher: 1997 AD (predicted doomsday date)

James Gordon Lindsay (Christ for the Nations): 1999 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Jerry Falwell (evangelist): 2000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Ed Dobson: 2000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Lester Sumrall: 2000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

Jonathan Edwards (Congr. Protestant): 2000 AD (predicted doomsday date)

David Meade: 2017 and 2018 AD (predicted doomsday dates)

Yes, all of these predictions were wrong. Should we now believe their next doomsday prediction? And what about those people Jesus is speaking to here? Doomsday didn't happen during their lifetime. So was Jesus making a false prediction for them too?

No. The reality is that Jesus is not predicting the end of the world as all those above did. It is a misinterpretation and a misunderstanding of the meaning of Jesus' statement and parable.

What is Jesus talking about then?

Jesus is speaking of the time of death of the physical body. The "house" symbolizes the physical body and the possessions of the house represent the things of the physical world - which include wealth, possessions, honor, reputation, fame, accomplishments, family and so on.

The "owner of the house" represents the spirit-person who dwells within the body. This is our identity, as each of us is spiritual by nature - not these physical bodies. Just as the owner of the house is not the house, each of us is not our physical body.

And the "thief" Jesus is discussing represents the death of the physical body. When the physical body dies, everything in the physical world is taken from us. We lose our name, our reputation, our wealth, our family, everything. Everything is lost in one moment.

This is because each of us - the spirit-person who occupies this temporary body - leaves the physical body at the time of death. We leave it behind, and it begins to decompose.

And the reason why the owner of the house does not know when the thief will come is because the thief represents the time of death - and none of us knows in advance when we will die. It comes as a surprise - even for someone who is condemned to death from a disease or by punishment.

The moment of death is never completely known until it happens. The moment of death arrives when the spirit-person leaves the physical body.

This fact has been proven scientifically by studies of hundreds of thousands of individuals who have died clinically and were revived later and describe leaving their physical body and looking down at it. Many accurately describe what was going on around their body even though their physical body's eyes were closed and their face covered.

How could they have described the events taking place around their dead body if they hadn't left the physical body? In fact, there are so many of these cases - now counting into the millions - that it is an understood medical fact that we leave the physical body at the time of death. There can be no other rational and scientific alternative explanation.

What about the Son of Man coming?

"the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him"

Why is Jesus speaking in the third person as he says this? If it were he and he only, why doesn't he say, "I will come at an hour when you do not expect me"?

Wouldn't this be logical? How many people speak of themselves - especially if it is themselves only - in the third person?

This would be akin to a person named Bob saying to someone at the table:

"Can you please pass Bob the peas?" Certainly, he would never say this. Rather, he would say, "Can you please pass me the peas?"

But now if the person is describing a role, rather than himself specifically, this is understandable. Consider, for example, a sergeant announcing to a squadron of troops:

"When you wake up in the morning, the sergeant will be in the barracks with you."

So does this mean that this sergeant person - who is saying this - will be there with each of the men? Certainly, if he is the sergeant of a particular company, he may be there with those troops in their barracks. But if the sergeant is not the sergeant of that particular troop - as 'sergeant' is a role occupied by many - then the particular sergeant who said this statement would not be there - another sergeant will be there in their barracks.

In other words, Jesus is indicating that the "Son of Man" is a role, not simply himself only.

This is confirmed by the fact that David referred to himself as the "son of man" (Psalm 80:17) and so did Job (Job 25:5-6) - and Daniel (Daniel 8:16-18) was called the "son of man" - and God called Ezekiel the "son of man" at least 60 times in the Book of Ezekiel.

What is a "Son of Man"?

The fact is, this is a mistranslation. The phrase, "son of man" has virtually no meaning. Every male is a son of a man. Therefore, it is a ridiculous notion that such a significant role would be translated to "son of man." Only those who don't understand what the role is all about could utilize such an empty phrase. The Greek phrase translated to "son of man" is:

υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου

The word υἱὸς can only mean "son" when speaking of a parent-child relationship, which, according to the lexicon, is "restricted." Otherwise, the word means, according to the lexicon, "used to describe one who depends on another or is his follower."

This would make this word - depending on its context - a follower or servant.

The word ἀνθρώπου is being translated to "man" but this is also a limited translation, as the word relates to "a human being, whether male or female" but also "generically, to include all human individuals" - which means the appropriate translation is "humanity" or "the people."

And the word τοῦ means "of" or "for"

This means the most appropriate translation of the phrase υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου would be 'servant of humanity' or 'servant of the people'.

This context is confirmed, as Jesus specifically taught the need of those who represent the Supreme Being and teach to others to be the servant of others, as he told his students:

"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant" (Matt. 20:26)

What is a servant of humanity or servant of the people?

From the scriptures - from the ascriptions to David, Daniel, Job, and Ezekiel, and from Jesus' descriptions - we know that the "servant of humanity" is specifically the loving servant of the Supreme Being.

But we know that this particular loving servant of the Supreme Being has a special task. He is sent into the world by the Supreme Being to save others. This is why God said to Ezekiel:

“Son of man [servant of humanity], prophesy against Gog and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says ..." (Ezekiel 39:1)

Thus we find specifically that God is suggesting that Ezekiel represent Him, and carry His message to others. This means Ezekiel is serving others that message. Jesus also confirmed himself in the same role as God's messenger:

“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the One who sent me." (John 7:16)

Note that the Supreme Being has unlimited numbers of loving servants, who perform all types of service to the Supreme Being. Some provide personal service to God, while others provide other types of services.

But a "servant of humanity" provides a particular type of service to God - that of being God's messenger - which is ultimately a service to all of humanity.

Why? Because the Supreme Being is calling us back to Him. He is wanting us to return to our eternal loving service relationship with Him.

He wants us to be happy. Currently, those of us in the physical world living within these temporary physical bodies are empty and alone without our relationship with Him. No matter how many people surround us, we are lonely without our relationship with Him. This is why everyone searches for their "soul mate" in this lifetime. We are searching for a "soul mate" because we know innately that there is someone special for us. There is someone meant for us to love and give our lives to.

Do we have a soul mate?

Yes. God is our Soul Mate. He is the One we have been looking for to love and give our lives to.

But because we are chasing after our self-centered desires within the physical world we have forgotten our relationship with the Supreme Being. In fact, God has arranged for us to forget Him. This is because we wanted to get away from Him, so He simply accommodated our desire to leave Him, and forget Him.

But like the perfect loving person He is, He never gives up on us. He knows that we can only be happy when we return to Him. So He sends some of His loving servants to us to re-introduce us to Him and bring us back to Him.

Let's use an example. Let's say that we have a friend who is a friend of the President of the U.S. And say this friend wants to introduce us to the President. How does this happen?

The friend of the President might invite us to a dinner at the White House. If we decide to come, what will happen? When we are ready to go to the White House dinner, our friend will arrange for a limo to pick us up, and then he will be there at the White House entrance to welcome us so that he can escort us into the White House and introduce us to the President right?

Such a friend would never just invite us to the White House and then leave us on our own to figure out how to get in. In that case, should we try to get in to the White House, the secret service people would probably arrest us?

But such a person - who invites us to the White House - could not act on his own and just invite people. They would need to make sure the President is okay with his inviting us. The President would likely have us vetted to make sure we were prepared to come to the White House - and we weren't some kind of a weirdo.

And it would be the President's authority that would allow our friend to order the limo and make the arrangements to get us into the White House. Our friend's authority to get us into the White House would ultimately be coming from the President, and only because our friend was a friend of the President. Right?

This is also the role of such a servant of humanity who invites others back home to their relationship with the Supreme Being. The servant of humanity works on behalf of the Supreme Being to carry God's message to others, and then advocates for his follower about God. And then becomes available at the time of the prepared follower's death to escort the person back home to the spiritual realm.

Of course, this is not a physical thing. While our minds want to interpret everything on the physical level, and the symbolism used here and used by Jesus is meant to help a person understand a spiritual concept with the physical mind - the point is that for those who follow God's representative - he will advocate for them and then be there to escort them back to the spiritual realm at their time of death. This advocacy element was confirmed by Jesus as he spoke to his followers:

"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—" (John 14:16)

Who is the 'another advocate'?

This "another advocate" is described in the next verses, as the Holy Spirit, who will remain with Jesus' followers after he was to leave them physically. But then we find here and elsewhere that Jesus stated that he would return to them at the time of death, because of his role as servant of humanity.

Of course, no one is forced to follow God's representative. God gives complete freedom, because love requires freedom.

But for those who choose to follow God's representative, the servant of humanity will be there at the time of death for his followers - to escort his follower back to the spiritual realm where they are reunited with their relationship with the Supreme Being.

Yes - the spiritual realm is a personal place. It is a place of relationships. It is not as though someone is tossed into some void or blurry zone to float around. The spiritual realm is full of relationships. These relationships are all related to the Supreme Being - and each of us has a unique relationship with the Supreme Being.

And God's representative - empowered by the Supreme Being as Jesus was, and thus authorized by Him - will appear before those who follow him, at the time of death, to escort them back to their relationship with God.

This is why Jesus utilized the word ἔρχομαι (erchomai) - translated to "is coming." This word can mean "to come," but also means "to appear" and "make one's appearance" according to the lexicon.

Thus the more appropriate translation of Luke 12:40, as Jesus describes their coming time of death, would be:

"You also must be ready, because the Servant of humanity will appear at an hour when you do not expect him."

"Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." (Luke 19:5)

This event illustrates the mercy, wisdom, and vision of Jesus, as he traveled the countryside preaching love of God. Here is the event, including this verse, from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Therein was a man there named Zaccheus. He was the chief tax collector and he was wealthy. He wanted to see Jesus but was unable, due to the crowd – and because he was very small. So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus – as he was traveling the path nearby. When Jesus reached that spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, because today I have to stay at your house.” So he hurried down and welcomed him with joy. When the people saw this, they began complaining, saying “He’s gone to be the guest of a man who is a materialist.” (Luke 19:1-7)

What does this indicate about Jesus?

We can see here that Jesus is offering the mercy of the Supreme Being to anyone and everyone who wants to receive it. It is not as if Jesus eliminated those who were wealthy, or those who were of a different race or a different sect. He saw the spirit-person within, and whether they were eager to return to our relationship with the Supreme Being.

This is our primary choice in life. If we boiled down all of the choices and all of the challenges that put us to the test, we find that it boils down to this one choice:

Do we want to return to our loving service relationship with God or not?

All of our choices ultimately add up to this one. Some of our choices relate to honesty, or virtue, or following instructions someone has given us or following our conscience. Sometimes we are faced with decisions that relate to our values.

While some of these choices may seem mundane, as we add them up over a lifetime we accumulate choices that essentially yield the grand choice: Whether we want to return to God or not.

Illustrating this, we find that Zacchaeus decided to climb a tree so he could observe Jesus. He was a short man so this was his best means to have a glimpse of God's representative.

Climbing the tree required a number of decisions. These included determining where Jesus might walk. It also required finding the right tree to climb. A short man would have needed a tree with some low-hanging limbs. Then, of course, he had to get up there in time for Jesus to pass by.

All of these decisions may seem mundane when looked at independently. But together they formulated a grand choice, also made by Zacchaeus: He wanted to get closer to God, and God's representative.

Jesus, of course, understood this. As God's representative and loving servant, Jesus enjoys an intimate relationship with God. And because God sees our hearts, He indicated to Jesus to stay at Zacchaeus' house.

Yes, when someone makes the choice to return to Him, the Supreme Being offers guidance. This includes the Supreme Being arranging contact with His representative.

Jesus stated this clearly:

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them..." (John 6:44)

Is this how God allows us to return to Him?

This illustrates the relationship existing between God and His representative, and those who wish to return to Him. He creates the opportunity: God sends His representative. Then He arranges for those who want to return to Him to meet His representative and take guidance from him. Jesus clarified this relationship elsewhere:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given me, but raise them up at the last day." (John 6:38-39)

Thus we can understand that not only does Jesus see his role in relation to serving and pleasing the Supreme Being - but he understands that his guidance is critical for the future of those who have accepted that guidance.

But what about "raising them up at the last day"? Some preach about some time in the near or distant future when Jesus will come back and round up everyone at the same time. As if everyone who has died up until that point has to wait around in some limbo state for him to come and get them. Does this make any sense?

What is the 'last day'?

In the NIV translation of John 6:38-39, "the last day" comes from the Greek words ἔσχατος (eschatos) and ἡμέρα (hēmera). The former means, "extreme - last in time or in place" while the latter means "the day, used of the natural day" and "used of time in general, i.e. the days of his life."

When used together, this quite clearly indicates that Jesus is speaking of one's last day of his life - which is the time of death - as indicated in the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"For I have descended from the spiritual realm not to please myself but to please Him who sent me. And what pleases Him who sent me is that I shall lose none of those He has entrusted to me, but raise them up at the time of death." (John 6:38-39)

What kind of "raising up" will Jesus be doing then? Some preach that Jesus is speaking of raising up their bodies into heaven.

Wait a second. It has been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus said this. That would mean that all those dead bodies of followers of Jesus that have died are in advanced stages of decomposition. Some have completely decomposed by now - even their bones turning to dust.

So how would he be "raising up" their bodies if they have decomposed?

This philosophy simply makes no sense.

Jesus was not preaching a doctrine that didn't make sense. This notion that the physical body rises up to heaven is a nonsensical notion invented by those who did not carefully learn Jesus' teachings regarding our composition as spirit - not matter:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." (Matt. 10:28)

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41 and Mark 14:38)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. (Matt. 6:25 and Luke 12:22)

"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life." (John 6:63)

"Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." (John 3:6)

These indicate clearly that Jesus taught that our composition is spirit, not matter. As such, when we die, our spirit-person leaves the physical body. It rises up, out of the body.

Does this happen with clinical death?

The reality that we leave our bodies at the time of death has been proven over and over in clinical death cases. Clinical death cases - also called near-death experiences - invariably detail a person experiencing themself rising up from their body and looking down upon it from the ceiling. They have left their physical body. They have risen up out of the body. How else could they look down upon it?

There have been tens of thousands of scientifically verified clinical death cases documented over the past few decades. now that medicine has developed so many procedures to revive the body, there are more and more of these cases.

With this has come a number of medical doctor researchers such as Dr. Raymond Moody and Dr. Kenneth Ring, who tracked hundreds of cases. Other researchers such as Dr. Jeffrey Long and Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, have followed thousands of near-death experiences.

The conclusion of all this research is that it is obvious that we live on after the body dies. Clinical death takes place when the physical body is clinically dead. Yet when that clinically dead body is brought back to life, the person inside that body explains they continued to live, and rose up out of the body at the time of death.

What about some of the popular 'I went to heaven' experiences?

There are also numerous popularized experiences where the person who clinically died actually went to heaven. Is this true? Not necessarily. Some of these are questionable.

For example, one popular story put out by a pastor that was involved in an auto accident says that he went to heaven. Yet when he recalls going to "heaven" he doesn't recall seeing Jesus or God. He only recalls seeing a bunch of old relatives and a few other people he knew whose bodies had died. They were all standing there in the clouds - in suits and ties - looking just like their bodies looked before they died. He recalls seeing his grandparents too - but in their suits and ties and with gray hair and all - just as their old pictures looked.

Was this man really seeing the heaven Jesus talked about? If he was in heaven why didn't he see the Supreme Being? Why didn't he at least see Jesus?

There are many possible explanations, including the problem of this man trying to physically describe an experience that was otherworldly. Regression hypnosis also has established that once out of the body we will see those in our spirit group who have incarnated with us. Although not in the physical body once worn, there is still a recollection of that body as one recalls the experience.

This can be the case for those who have otherwise had a clinical death experience and seen family members of their body. 

We typically incarnate with a close group that is more or less evolving together. Members of the group will become our family members. One might be our brother in one life and our spouse in the next. The roles will change according to the lessons to be learned and experiences to be grown from.

The definitive science from those who have experienced clinical death is that we live on after the body physically dies. We know from these cases that the person can be separated from the physical body and the body is declared dead.

Many imagine heaven as this place where all the body's relatives meet up again - whether in their suits and ties like in church or in white robes sitting on the clouds playing harps. In both of these scenarios, they imagine everyone in their old physical bodies - as if their bodies don't decompose after burial.

Jesus specifically criticized this imaginary view of heaven. When some Sadducees came and asked him about a woman who married seven brothers, they wanted to know whose wife she would be in heaven:

"Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?" Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection." (Luke 20:28-36)

Thus we find that Jesus clearly reveals that the family and relatives of the physical body are not relevant in the spiritual realm. The woman in the story would no longer be married to any of the brothers because in order to go to heaven, she would have to leave her physical body behind.

Because the family relationships of the physical world are based upon this physical body - when we leave this physical body we leave those relationships. Yes, we may still have close relationships with those who incarnated with us into bodies of family members. But those relationships are not the same as the family relationships of the body.

In the spiritual realm, our family is the family of God. We are all His children. Jesus confirms this as he instructs his students to transcend the family of the physical body:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

"Truly I tell you," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30) 

Why does Jesus want his followers to reject their families? Because the physical body is a temporary vehicle - that we leave behind at the time of death. We are composed of spirit - not the physical body. For this reason, the forms and names of the physical body are not important to our choice of whether we return to our relationship with God. And identifying with the family of the physical body can a hindrance to ones spiritual progress, as Jesus taught.

Jesus further clarified the identity of his (and our) real family:

"My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice." (Luke 8:21)

This is God's spiritual family. This family exists in both the spiritual realm and the physical world. Those who live to please the Supreme Being are part of God's family, whether they have a physical body in the physical world or they reside in the spiritual realm - where God's personal presence is seen everywhere.

“I will ask you a question: Tell me – was the baptism of John ...?” (Luke 20:3-4)

“I will ask you a question: Tell me – was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” (Luke 20:3-4)

This was Jesus' answer when he was asked by some Temple officials about his authority. Here is how it went:

One time, when he was teaching people in the Temple and preaching the Gospel, the chief priests and the scribes, along with the elders, confronted him. They said, “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things. Who gave you this authority?” (Luke 20:1-2)

What is Jesus saying about John the Baptist?

Why, when Jesus is asked about his authority, did he bring up John the Baptist? What did John's Baptism have to do with Jesus' authority?

The answer to this question will disturb some who don't know Jesus but claim to follow him. Why?

Because most of the Judean people accepted John the Baptist as a Prophet - as did Jesus - and Jesus was John's student. This was the meaning of Jesus' being baptized by John. Today baptism is a ritualistic ceremony to many institutions, often seen as that person's joining a particular sect or church. Yet this wasn't the meaning of the baptism given by John - as indicated by Jesus in his statement above.

The fact that most people accepted John as a Prophet was evidenced by the chief priests' discussion among themselves after Jesus' statement:

They discussed this among themselves – “If we say, ‘From heaven’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ everyone will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” (Luke 20:5-6)

Yes, the baptism of John was from heaven: It was spiritual. John's baptism also meant the student was accepting John as his spiritual teacher, and the spiritual teacher was accepting the student. This is why the spiritual teacher - in the case, John - was doing the baptizing. Those who were receiving the baptism by John - including Jesus - were accepting John as their spiritual teacher. They were being initiated as John's students.

What is baptism?

Whatever means God's representative uses to initiate a student becomes a rite of passage. This represents the student's decision to give up the chase for happiness within the material world. And it symbolizes giving oneself into the service of the Supreme Being. The student is essentially accepting the spiritual teacher as God's representative. And the teacher is accepting the student.

Teachers of many sects don't like to hear about this. They don't want to admit that Jesus was John's student. Nor do they want to admit that Jesus' teachings reflected John's teachings.

Yes, Jesus was special, and John realized this. But he still baptized him and Jesus still accepted John's baptism.

And yes, they did have different teaching methods. Jesus traveled to different towns while John taught in the desert. So their teachings may have differed in terms of delivery and time and circumstance. But essentially, John's teachings reflected the teachings of the Prophets, and Jesus' teachings reflected John's teachings.

Did Jesus pass on John's teachings?

How do we know that Jesus became John's student? We can know by the fact that Jesus carried on John's teachings. John's teachings were summarized in the following manner:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Matt. 3:1-2)

Then we find later that Jesus also taught this very same teaching:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Matt. 4:17)

But what is, "from that time on" referring to? We find the answer two verses back from this one:

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. (Matt. 4:12)

Thus we find that Jesus began to teach what John was teaching after John was put in prison. He was continuing the teachings of his teacher.

We also find that Jesus tells his own students to pass on this very same teaching:

"As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'" (Matt. 10:7)

Jesus didn't just tell his twelve disciples to teach this message of John's either. He told many others to preach this on his behalf:

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two....
"Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'" (Luke 10:1-9)

So we find that Jesus was passing on John's teachings, and asking his students to do the same thing that he was doing:

Was Jesus honoring John?

This is the central aspect of the spiritual realm: Love.

Yes, Jesus loved and honored his teacher, John. We can see that in another statement by Jesus:

"Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist..." (Matt. 11:11)

When the Supreme Being sends His representatives to teach us about Him, they come to the earth out of love. They are loving us. They are wanting us to return to our innate relationship with the Supreme Being. And each of His representatives loves and honors each other as well.

God's representative is also loving God and loving all of God's children. This is why they are willing to be persecuted for their teachings. This is why John would not retract his teachings - and was persecuted as a result. And this is also why Jesus would not retract his teachings to the chief priests or Roman governor either. Because of love. He loved us so much that he wanted us to understand just how important love for the Supreme Being is.

What does, 'the kingdom of God has come near to you' mean?

This is the NIV translation. The King James translation says, 'Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' And still other translations have it otherwise.

Many say that John and Jesus were predicting the end of the world. Why then hasn't the world come to an end then? Certainly, the students of John and Jesus didn't experience the end of the world 2,000 years ago. And neither have we. So were John, Jesus and Jesus' students all lying to their students about the end of the world coming?

Certainly not. The problem is with the translation and interpretation of this statement.

The phrases, 'near to you' and 'at hand' are being translated from the Greek word, ἐγγίζω (eggizō). This word isn't speaking of the element of time - as often portrayed, as in the end of the world. This word means, according to the lexicon, "to bring near, to join one thing to another" and "to draw or come near to, to approach."

This indicates that they were speaking of proximity. Being nearby. So what is it that is nearby?

John and Jesus are teaching us that God is nearby. God is available to us. We can each reach out to God personally from within our hearts and reconnect with Him.

For this reason, the Lost Gospels of Jesus translates this phrase differently:

“Change your heart, for the sanctuary of God is readily available.” (Matt. 3:2, Matt. 4:17, Matt. 10:7, Luke 10:9)

Yes the Greek word, μετανοέω (metanoeō), can be translated to "repent." But it functionally means to have a change of heart. It means to change from self-centeredness to God-centeredness.

You see, each of us is intimately connected with the Supreme Being. We each have a unique loving service relationship with the Supreme Being.

This is our natural position - to have someone we love and adore who is the center of our lives. This is why we each go through our physical lives searching for that one soul mate who is perfect for us. Because we have forgotten our innate relationship with the Perfect Person.

This is what Jesus - and his teacher John - and all the Prophets - and all the students of Jesus that passed on his teachings - have been trying to tell us. They have come to rescue us. They have come to help us remember our innate loving relationship with the Supreme Being. This is why Jesus' most important instruction was:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

“The subjects of this world marry and are given in marriage ...." (Luke 20:34-38)

“The subjects of this world marry and are given in marriage. But those considered worthy to attain the other world – indeed, be resurrected from death – will neither marry nor are given in marriage. For they cannot die anymore because they are spiritual and are the servants of God – being the subjects of the resurrection. This is because those who die will rise up. Even Moses illustrated this in the verses about the burning bush, where he calls the LORD, ‘The God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ So He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Because all these live for Him.” (Luke 20:34-38)

This is Jesus' answer to the following question posed to Jesus by some Sadducees. (The translation comes from the Lost Gospels of Jesus.) Here is the question:

Then some sadducees – who say there is no resurrection1 – approached him. They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother – who has a wife and no children – dies, his brother should marry the wife and raise children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died childless. The second and the third married her and similarly, all seven died leaving no children. Then finally the woman died. Therefore, in the resurrection, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” (Luke 20:27-33)

Is Jesus clarifying the meaning of resurrection?

Thus we see that Jesus is clarifying the meaning of resurrection - translated from the Greek word ἀνάστασις (anastasis) - which means "a raising up" or "rising from the dead" according to the lexicon.

So what is rising up in resurrection? To rise from the dead means the person is rising up from the dead body. The dead body obviously does not rise, because after the time of death the dead body begins to decompose. Without formaldehyde, a dead body will completely decompose within a year or so. It will be eaten and digested by worms. Even the bones will begin to break down and turn into soil after a while - leaving little trace of the dead body.

For many, the body is cremated. Here we know the body won't rise because it is burnt to ashes. The ashes are spread over some water or soil to become part of the environment.

Obviously, what rises at the time of death is not the physical body. It is the personality within - the spirit-person - the one who drives and operates the physical body.

This is clearly being defined by Jesus as he describes the fact that the spirit-person has nothing to do with the physical body. This is why Jesus is saying that the woman would not be married to any of the brothers in the resurrection. Because the marriage took place within the physical universe, between physical bodies.

This is why Jesus said, "The subjects of this world..." He is speaking of those who are wearing temporary physical bodies. The physical body is temporary because every physical body dies within a few decades. Yes, every physical body dies. Yours will, and mine will. Every body dies.

What is 'the other world' Jesus mentions?

"The other world" Jesus is discussing is the spiritual realm. This is the world that exists beyond the physical dimension. It is the dimension where the Supreme Being dwells personally, surrounded by His loving friends and children - all living as spiritual beings.

There is no death in the spiritual realm. This is because everyone is in their original spiritual form, and everyone is eternal. Here in this physical world, we are not these physical bodies. We are driving these bodies temporarily. After a few decades, they die, and leave them. But our original spiritual forms do not die. One may occupy numerous physical bodies, and each one will die at some point. But the person - the spirit-person - lives on.

So why will no one marry or be given in marriage in the spiritual realm? Because marriage is an activity of the physical world - based upon self-centered desires mixed with a little love. People in the spiritual realm do not marry each other. Why? Because everyone there has a unique loving relationship with the Supreme Being.

Is the soul eternal?

The soul is spiritual and the spiritual realm has no death. According to Jesus, it thus has no marriage because every spirit-person has a loving service relationship with God.

Here in the physical world, we get married for the mutual benefit of the couple. Each person is seeking a combination of their own pleasure and the pleasure of their new partner. So they both see the marriage as a way to mutually get what they want out of life.

The spirit-person citizens of the spiritual realm don't see things in that way. They are simply in love with God and seek to please Him in any way they can. Each has a unique loving service relationship with God. There is thus no need for marriage.

Being "subjects of the resurrection" simply means those in the spiritual realm are above the realm of the physical world. It might be like calling people who graduated from a particular college, "graduates of that college."

What does he mean by 'because those who die will rise up'?

Jesus is stating clearly that the spirit-person leaves the physical body at the time of death. How clearer can Jesus be that we are not these physical bodies? Furthermore, one who is ready to return to the spiritual realm after the death of this physical body will rise up and return to the spiritual realm. This is the full meaning of "resurrection" according to Jesus.

The nature of the spiritual realm is that everything revolves around the Supreme Being. Here in the physical world, our consciousness revolves around ourselves. We are focused upon ourselves and the extensions of ourselves - the family of our physical body, the country of our physical body and so on.

In the spiritual realm, everyone is in love with the Supreme Being. They want to please Him. They live for God. Jesus indicates this as he discusses those Prophets who are devoted to God, such as Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What does Jesus mean by 'all these live for Him'?

"All these" refers to those who resurrect to return to the spiritual realm. This includes the Prophets such as Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - from the sentence before this. Jesus is telling his audience that these Prophets are still alive. They have each returned to the spiritual realm, where they continue to live for the Supreme Being, as they had done in the physical world.

They "live for Him." What does "live for Him" mean?

It means that the Supreme Being is their heart and soul. He is their everything. The Supreme Being is the Perfect Person. He is the person we are each seeking as we search for "the one" - our "soul mate."

A true soul mate is someone who truly loves us. We may search the world over for such true love, but it is the Supreme Being who truly loves us. He loves each of us unconditionally. This is true, pure love - and each of us needs this love.

Yes, God is our real soul mate. He created us each with an innate loving relationship with Him. This is part of who we are. We cannot separate ourselves from this relationship. But we can, unfortunately, forget our relationship with Him.

Indeed, along with this innate relationship, He also gives each of us the freedom to choose if we want to embrace that relationship with Him.

Those who choose not to embrace our relationship with Him - those of us who have rejected Him - are sent to the physical world and forced to take on temporary physical bodies. These physical bodies and minds are designed by God to allow us to forget about Him. They cover up our relationship with God with the illusion that we are these physical bodies and the what the eyes see is all that exists.

These physical bodies essentially give us the freedom to not only forget God: We can also deny He even exists. God has completely hidden Himself from those of us in the physical world so that we can completely forget about Him - should we continue to choose to.

But those who choose to have faith in God's existence are tested for sincerity. They are given the opportunity to return to the spiritual realm as sincerity to love and serve Him increases. This is what Jesus describes as the choice to "live for Him."

“Take this and divide it among yourselves. ..." (Luke 22:17-18)

Then he picked up the cup and offered it to God and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves. Because I tell you, I won’t drink of the fruit of the vine until returning to the sanctuary of God." (Luke 22:17-18 Lost Gospels)

Jesus' statement here is taken from the Lost Gospels of Jesus because most other versions have confused Jesus' statement - making it appear to mean something it was never intended to mean.

Is Jesus talking about the second coming?

As a result, some have incorrectly interpreted that Jesus is referring to a supposed event occurring hundreds - now thousands - of years later when he will "come again." This has been further developed with fictional stories with visual underpinnings.

These imagine that Jesus will come riding through the sky on horseback to save all the believers, at some time in the future when the end of the world comes.

Many of these sects also contend that the earth will become paradise, and believers will stay here to enjoy life.

So when Jesus says, in Greek, ἕως οὗ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἔλθῃ - they have translated this to be something like, "until the kingdom of God comes."

As if the kingdom of God will be traveling over - sometime in the future, some 2,000 years or more after Jesus said this.

This is not at all what Jesus is discussing here. The word ἔλθῃ indicates "used both of persons arriving and of those returning."

Why is Jesus saying this at the last supper?

So what is Jesus speaking about he sat down to eat at the "last supper"? What does the "last supper" mean?

The last supper is the last time that Jesus will be eating and drinking anything before his body is persecuted and put to death.

So when he is saying that he won't drink the fruit of the vine again, he is predicting that this is his last meal where he will be able to have something to drink. They will be arresting him that night and the next day he will be tried and persecuted.

Then Jesus will be leaving his physical body. We discussed this with the previous verse, and with these clear statements in the Bible (NIV version):

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. (Matt. 27:50)

With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)

At the moment of death of his body, Jesus also committed his spirit-person to the Supreme Being:

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

Thus we find it clear - if we trust in the Bible - that Jesus left his physical body at the time of death. His spirit - his spirit-person - left his physical body.

Why didn't they recognize Jesus when he came back?

Yes. The Scriptures indicate that Jesus appeared to his disciples three days after his persecution. As we also discussed with the previous verse, when he appeared to different disciples they did not recognize him.

Why didn't they recognize him? They traveled with Jesus and knew him well. Why couldn't they immediately recognize him? Because he didn't appear in his physical body. He appeared as angel-like appearance intended for their eyes to see. This is why others did not see him. This is also why Jesus could allow Thomas to put his fingers through the holes. If it were Jesus' physical body, there would be no real holes where you could just put a finger through. They would be fleshy lesions with pus and blood oozing out. Jesus' bloody body was not walking around, after all.

No, he made an angel-like appearance. Angels can appear in whatever form the Supreme Being empowers them to appear in. They can also change appearance - as Jesus also did in order to allow recognition.

The point is that Jesus knew he would leave his physical body at the time of death - after his last supper. Then Jesus would re-appear to his disciples as we will show in the coming chapters of Luke.

Where would Jesus go after that?

Jesus then said, "I won’t drink of the fruit of the vine until returning to the sanctuary of God."

Then Jesus would be returning to the spiritual realm - translated here to "the sanctuary of God." Why "sanctuary" instead of "kingdom?"

"Sanctuary" - or "kingdom" in most versions of the New Testament - is translated from the Greek word βασιλεία. However, this word means, according to the lexicon, "not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

This indicates the need for clarity regarding the nature of the spiritual realm and the material world. Within the material world, people are under the influence of self-centeredness and survival of the body. This is why there is so much suffering in this world. Because we want to keep the body alive and pampered at the cost of others.

We were sent here to learn, however. Learning is the purpose of the physical world. The physical world teaches us one lesson after another. And if we don't learn those lessons, they are presented to us until we learn them.

Part of that learning is through consequences. The physical world teaches through consequences, so that we might come to learn as a result of our own actions.

The spiritual realm is a dimension, but also a consciousness. It is the consciousness where the Supreme Being is loved and treasured. It is where He is the center. Yes, there is another dimension where we can live as spirit-persons, with our lives centered around the Supreme Being. But one can live a life centered around God anywhere - even within the material world. Therefore, Jesus said at one point (New King James version):

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21 NKJV)

It is for this reason that a better translation of βασιλεία is "sanctuary" rather than "kingdom." Because the word "kingdom" cannot accommodate a consciousness (within), while the word "sanctuary" can.

Is the sanctuary the same as refuge?

It is clear from Jesus' statement that the sanctuary of God is not necessarily a physical place. Yet it still is a destination. In other words, a person can be anywhere and be in the sanctuary of God if they are taking refuge of God.

Someone who takes shelter or refuge in the Supreme Being has taken sanctuary in God. But we can also say that the spiritual realm is the sanctuary of God - because this is the place where everyone has taken shelter or refuge of God.

This is an important point because in the material world, most of us take refuge or shelter in the temporary forms and names of this world. But every body dies and our body will also die. When it does, we will lose all our money and our house and everything we hold dear in this world - including relatives of this body. So taking refuge or shelter in the things of this world is like trusting in a hoax.

But we will never lose the refuge or shelter of God. This is permanent. Not only do we live on after the physical body dies, but where we go is determined by our consciousness. If we are attached to this world, we will remain in this hellish physical world and take on another physical body.

But if we take shelter in God - if we take refuge in God during our physical lives, and honor and treasure Him while we are here and try to live our lives in ways that please Him (which also means loving others and caring for others) - we will return to the spiritual realm after this body dies. Then we will return to our unique loving relationship with our Best Friend, the Supreme Being.

This is what Jesus was discussing with his disciples. He knew he was going to return to the spiritual realm after his body died. And he knew he would be tasting the nectar of his loving relationship with God once he returned.

This is the meaning of being at the "right side" or "right hand" of God when Jesus said:

“You have said this – nonetheless I say to you that afterward you will see the Servant of Humanity sitting at the right side of the Mighty One – appearing within the spiritual realm.” (Matt. 26:64)

Or if you prefer an ecclesiastical translation of another verse, in NIV:

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. (Mark 16:19)

These and other verses indicate that indeed, Jesus left his physical body at the time of death and after re-appearing to his disciples, returned to the spiritual realm to resume his intimate relationship with the Supreme Being.

What does 'right hand of God' mean?

This is the meaning of "right hand." To be at someone's "right hand" means to be not only close to them but as their subordinate. Today, this understanding is still used when someone is called "their right-hand man." This is understood to be someone who is close to an important person, and even represents them in various matters. A "right-hand man" (or person) is thus often considered the spokesperson or representative of the important person.

This is Jesus' position. He is God's representative, but he also enjoys an intimate relationship with the Supreme Being. Jesus did not die on the cross. His body may have died, but his spirit-person lives on. Today he is still enjoying his loving relationship with God in the spiritual realm.

And we can still reach out to Jesus to help us with our own loving relationship with God. Just as he was able to appear before his disciples after the death of his physical body, he can still guide us where ever we may be.

He can still help guide us home - back to the spiritual realm - where we can return to our loving service relationship with the Supreme Being - our Best Friend and Soul Mate. This is why Jesus' most important teaching was:

‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Luke 10:27)