God

by Christine Holleyman

Created on: August 26, 2009   Last Updated: August 29, 2009

In my formative years I regularly attended a protestant Christian church. And during those years I loved to read. I read the Bible a lot. I read many other things too, including the Greek and Roman mythologies and accounts of other religions, ancient and not so ancient. And that started me wondering about all of them.

By the time I emerged from those early years, I was convinced the stories in the Bible were no more believable than the legends of the ancient Greeks and Romans. I told myself, "It's all mythologies." I did not disbelieve in a God since I couldn't see how the universe could have been made without some kind of intelligence behind it. But I could not see that intelligence in the Bible.

Many years later something I read stirred my curiosity again about the Bible. I decided I needed to re-investigate it. I read the King James Version from beginning to end twice (that's the only version I had). I then discovered the New English Bible and learned it was translated only from the original languages and not from other translations, so I eagerly read it also.

I obtained a very large commentary on the Bible that contained the latest opinions of Biblical scholars. They are experts on the Bible who have spent entire lives studying and examining in detail the many manuscripts, translations, original languages, and historical data that might pertain to it. I decided a study of the Bible would not be complete without their opinions, as they would obviously know more about the Bible than anyone else in the world. I studied that commentary for almost a year. Using it, I studied thoroughly the entire Bible. I studied it as a whole, each book separately, each chapter separately, and many of the verses separately.

After all my studying I once again decided the Bible is full of nothing but mythologies. That was quite obvious to me since the experts stated it's full of interpolations and changes. And so I thought, if it's full of interpolations and changes, how then can we depend upon anything it says? Also some experts maintain many of the books purported to have been written at certain times in history were actually written at much later dates. That would be prophesying certain incidents after they had occurred. And the experts claim some of the authors forged other names to their writings to give them more authority. That seemed somewhat deceitful to me.

Concerning the New Testament, some of the sayings attributed directly to Jesus, I could agree with, but the rest of it was simply ridiculous. It seemed to me the Christian religion was founded more on the teachings of Paul than on the teachings of Jesus, and instead of "Christians," they should have been called "Paulians." And concerning Paul, I could not understand how any man could become so consumed by a religion. He seemed to be completely obsessed by it. I thought he must have been miserable indeed, missing all the enjoyments that are to be had in this world.

The Bible as a whole made no sense to me whatsoever, and each part taken separately, made even less sense. Therefore, I concluded the whole thing as a product of many old men's deranged minds, full of their delusions and imaginations. And it was written thousands of years ago by men who were more ignorant than our least educated person in this much more enlightened and sophisticated age. I set the Bible aside - and studied it no more.

Since I knew no truth could be found in the Bible, I began to look elsewhere for it. I looked in every book I could find, and I discussed philosophies with others. I gained a considerable library since I couldn't pass a bookstore or a book stand anywhere without stopping and searching for a book that might hold a promise of containing even a glimmer of truth. I bought many different kinds of books: books on the occult, psychic phenomena, astrology, ancient mysteries and present-day mysteries, life after death, other religions, modern physics, and books supposedly written by "spirits from beyond." Yet none of these books satisfied my hunger for truth.

Eventually my search for truth was stopped. I can now walk past all the bookstands and bookstores - without even glancing in their direction. You see, I don't have to search any more for truth - for Truth has found me.

I had been looking in the wrong places. Truth cannot be found anywhere but within ourselves. By using automatic writing, I began to talk with a "spirit" that appeared to be separate from my own thoughts. He told me he was a "spirit" and not a person in the world. Because of certain things I had previously read and digested, I thought of this spirit as a "discarnate personality," one who had managed to find a way to communicate with me, i.e., I thought I was talking with the "dead." He told me from the very beginning his only purpose was to help me and to guide me in the right way so that I would not "go into ignorance."

Many conversations later (as well as many setbacks), I had begun to have faith and trust in the words of this "spirit." I was informed that he was going to "teach me the tenets of the Bible." To say that I was dismayed and disappointed is an understatement! Nevertheless, he fulfilled his promise. He performed the miracle of miracles. He opened my eyes and healed my blindness. He unstopped my ears and healed my deafness. The entire Bible, as a whole, suddenly made sense to me. In less than five seconds, I learned more about the message in the Bible than in all my previous studies of it!

I realized I had been "given" understanding; I had been "given" the interpretation of the Bible. My enthusiasm then waxed greatly - because the more I read, the more I saw! I could not read it fast enough. I was like a starving man who is suddenly led to a huge banquet table laden with all kinds of delicious things to eat, and who gobbles them down as fast as he can throw them into his mouth. I've since learned to slow down considerably, and not be such a glutton. I've learned to chew my food thoroughly before swallowing it, thereby savoring the flavor of it longer, and improving the digestibility of it.

I've tried to find some way to explain what it was like when I was suddenly able to understand the Scriptures. The best way I know to do that is to think of the Bible as a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Many people have tried to put that puzzle together to see what picture it might form. Ordinary people have tried (I am one of them). Theologians already think they know what the picture is, so they refuse to look for any other. But the Biblical scholars have taken all the pieces of the puzzle, dissected them and viewed them under a microscope. Then they have taken other pieces from secular historians, mingled them with the dissected pieces, and they, in their pitiful ignorance, still hope to find a picture in it.

After I had completely given up on the puzzle using my own intellect, then "someone else" came in. He began to put that puzzle together for me, and he was putting it together so fast I could hardly keep up with it. The pieces fit together perfectly, and they quickly began to form a picture. I knew whoever was putting those pieces together knew already how the pieces fit together, and knew beforehand what the picture is.

Then the meaning of the spirit's words which had been told to me repeatedly, saying, "We are not two, but one," managed to penetrate my thick skull. I began to realize that he is my own spirit. I finally realized he had never been a discarnate personality as I had once thought. He is not someone else separate from me. He is me and I am him. He and I are one and the same. He has always been my spirit. Yet even though we are one, it's quite obvious to me I'm in the world - but he is not. You may be wondering why my spirit refers to himself in the male gender. I once wondered about that also. But now I know that a "man" in God's eyes is something other than a man in man's eyes.

That Great Miracle that occurred when I was suddenly given understanding is not a once only occurrence. It's a continuing miracle. Every day I'm given more; a little here, a little there; line upon line, precept upon precept. Most of it is given to me in the night while I sleep because my mind is not then cumbered by my own thoughts. I've learned not to try to understand anything because nothing can be understood that way. I simply wait for it to be given to me.

The Bible, as we have it today, contains the testimonies of the Father and the Son written and set down thousands of years ago for the very purpose of confirming the words of the Spirit. Part of the testimony of those two most excellent witnesses is unsealed, but most of that testimony is sealed and hidden to those trusting in their own intellect to discern them. The hidden things of God and the mysteries of God are not to be divulged to the profane. Dogs are not meant to eat the Bread of God, and neither should the Pearls of God be cast before the swine to be trampled underfoot.

The Bible has been handed down to us for many years. The Biblical scholars claim there are many additions to it and many changes in it. I know not about any of that. But I do know this: The Bible does contain Truth. Perhaps the men who collected and canonized the Scriptures did so in ignorance - and perhaps not in ignorance - I do not know about that. I do know this: God often uses even ignorant men as His instruments to accomplish His own purposes - purposes of which those men are not even aware. There may be other writings in the world that contain Truth other than the ones collected in the Bible. Some of the other ancient Hebrew literature may also contain Truth. I don't know anything about that, but I do know the nation of Israel was chosen to record the oracles of God.

The "Virgin Daughter of Israel," i.e., a group of people who had not known man, wrote the Word of God in a permanent, recorded form so it could be distributed throughout the world of flesh (the world of matter). The Word of God was written with pen and ink upon material objects, and the Word was "made flesh." This "flesh" was not allowed to be corrupted, i.e., the meaning and the spirit of the Words were not allowed to be corrupted in its written form in the world. This does not mean that copyist's, typographical, historical, and grammatical errors, etc., cannot occur in the printed Word, but means only that the Truth contained in the Word of God cannot be corrupted by the word of man. This is the reason, though the Bible has been copied again and again, even by men who did not understand what they copied, the text's basic meaning remains the same.

I've seen a Great Story unfold in the Bible. It is chock-full of hidden things, strange and amazing things. And when I saw some of those things, I sat speechless because of the strangeness of them. I've read about many strange things with which some men concern themselves: The Bermuda Triangle, ancient astronauts, the Great Pyramid of Egypt, mysteries of Central American civilizations, UFO's, the lost continent of Atlantis, psychic phenomena, and even some of the theories of Carl Sagan which he tended to forget are theories. None of these strange imaginations come close to being as strange as the story that lies hidden within the pages of the Bible, concealed from the eyes of the profane and unclean.

God has worked a work, a strange work, and published it throughout the whole world. He has told us of His work through the words of the Bible. Though it is read and studied by many, they neither see, nor hear, nor believe His amazing story. His story cannot be found by form criticism, but only by those whose ears have been unstopped and eyes opened by the Spirit of Truth. Once I would not have a Bible in my home, but now I find it is the greatest treasure that's in the world. It is the uncorrupted record of the Word of God, despite what Biblical scholars may say about its text.

How blind are the blind! How deaf are the deaf! They stumble along dark pathways and find nothing but errors. Fools they are that search for the Historical Jesus, and overlook the True Jesus. Fools they are that dig in the ground and search for evidence of Him, but do not bother to dig in the place where the evidence is. Fools they are that look with awe upon the Shroud of Turin, and neglect to look upon the True Shroud! The whole earth is full of fools and foolishness, and the work of fools that profit no one.

The Spirit of God wrote the entire Bible. Men wrote the words as they were moved to do so by the Spirit. Spiritual things cannot be expressed to men who are in the world, except by using words and examples of things known in the world. Spiritual things must be stated to men as parables, allegories, and metaphors, using elements of the world of matter for descriptions. Those who belong to the world of matter, those who are still "of the flesh," will interpret the spiritual messages in a fleshly manner. They cannot discern the spiritual meanings.

The fleshly interpretation, utilizing elements of the world, must come first. It is the baptism of John the Baptist, the message that prepares the way for the baptism of the Spirit. The baptism of John cannot give anyone Life; it can only point to the Way. John the Baptist was not among those of the Kingdom of Heaven; he was born of woman, born of water, born of the flesh. [Luke 7:27, 28] His baptism cannot save, but merely prepares the way for the baptism that can save.

I once made the statement that I could not see how this universe could have been formed without some kind of intelligence behind it, but that I could not see that intelligence in the Bible. But I have now seen prophecies spoken by the mouth of God and written thousands of years ago happening right before my eyes. These are events that the blind do not see, though they're also happening before their eyes. I have seen enough to know that the Intelligence responsible for the Words in the Bible is quite capable of creating and ordering this entire universe.

But man goes his own way, following his own thoughts, and declaring to his Maker that he's intelligent enough to take care of himself, that he's strong enough to overcome any problem that gets in his way. Man, who is but a germ on a speck of dust spinning in a shaft of sunlight, continues to be impudent enough to strive with the Creator of this unimaginably huge universe. O Man, you should be thankful that the Creator of the galaxies and supernovas has not already squashed you like a bug for your impudence. We will see whose word will stand, yours or His.

I hope I've persuaded some that there is much more to the Words in the Bible than they've been led to believe. I hope also that some will believe me when I say that those who wrestle with the meanings of those Words, relying upon their own intellect, do so to their own destruction. [2 Peter 3:16] It is important to understand the differences between what is profitable and what is not profitable. If there should be one in the world who has committed to his memory every verse in the Bible, having been taught by man, he will know nothing of the things he has memorized. But one of you, being led by the Spirit, not having memorized any verse in the Bible, will understand the meaning of the entire Book.

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