The following is from the book "Edgar Cayce's Story of Jesus" by Jeffrey Furst, ed. It comes from the pages 80-82. May you enjoy this excerpt.

Here we wish to insert an observation concerning a parallel aspect of Biblical symbology as it relates to the Stages of Man and the apperances of The Master in the earth. This thought has come about through the author's studies in astrological and symbolical materials relative to the Life Readings and those on soul development.

The key to this symbolic interpretation came about initially from a question which we had often entertained, but had never found a suitable explanation. Namely, "Why did Jesus have to be baptised?"

If we consider the story of Creation from the beginning, this baptism (which was necessary according to Cayce) could be the symbolic third Baptism of Man in a series of Four Baptisms--Earth, Air, Water, Fire. These four, as elements, are well documented and oft repeated both within and outside of the Readings; In the Zodiac, the Four Seasons, the four corners of the earth and sides of the square, the base of the pyramid, the four lower centers of the body, the Four Gospels, etc.

Briefly, the Four Baptisms could be conceived as follows:

I. Earth--The "Fall of the Angels". Spirits became so enmeshed in materiality that they totally lose their identity and awareness with God.

II. Air--Amilius, as Adam, leads the "Sons of God" to earth in order to help the entrapped "Sons of Man" back to awareness. Then God breathes air (spirit) into Adam and he becomes aware of God, though in a material flesh body.

III. Water--The practice of Baptism preceded Jesus (possibly through Zoroastrianism) as a symbolic means of purification--(again Spirit) washing away the original sin of Adam. When the actual Adam was so purified by John the Baptist, God's voice was heard to proclaim, "This is my first begotten Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Math 3:17) Then to, the fact that Jesus required baptism may further substantiate his role as Adam, since there, He had sinned.

IV. Fire--The promise of The Pentecost is the final baptism. There the Disciples received the baptism of The Holy Spirit, which came as tongues of flame from the heavens. Afterward they were able to perform miracles as The Master had throughout the balance of their lives in Palestine.

The promise comes from the New Covenant which Jesus proclaimed--that as we live through Him, we live under the Law of Grace rather than the Law of Karma. (Karma being the Old Testament's law of cause and effect--or "Eye for eye and tooth for tooth". As we interpret the Cayce Readings, the Law of Grace was always a potential for Mankind, but It wasn't until Jesus became The Christ--through accepting the crucification of self and then rising from the dead--that this New Covenant became a reality for everyone. Yet, in reality the Law of Grace still exists only as a promise to those who willingly follow His last admonition--"That we love one another, even as He has loved us." Otherwise we are still living under karma.

An example of the Law of Grace as it was originally taught might be found in this story attributed to Jesus, but not found in the present Gospels:

The Master was seated one morning with some of his disciples at the gates of Jerusalem. They saw a woodcutter come out of the city, singing on his way to work, and Jesus avowed, "There is a man who would not sing if he knew that he would be dead this evening." Evening came; Jesus was in the same place as the woodcutter returned and passed by, his axe over his shoulder, singing as before. The disciples murmured among themselves, in doubt over the prophet's words, and were about to desert him. The Master divining their thoughts, spoke to them gently, "That man was about to die, but he encountered in the forest a poor starving man to whom he gave half his bread. As a reward for this good deed God has spared his life. Go up to this man and open the bundle of wood he is carrying on his back." The disciples obeyed, and a poisonous serpent was found hidden in the bundle--Thus was the word of Jesus and the Grace of Providence verified to them.

Fire, as the final baptism of the three spiritual baptisms (along with water and air) is one which now seems of vital concern for contemporary humanity. According to Cayce and others The New Age is upon us, with a forty year testing period from 1958 to 1998. Whether we cleanse ourselves by fire spiritually as did The Master (through Grace), or whether the earth is cleansed by fire of nuclear origin (material karma as in the days of Noah and lost Atlantis) is a matter for debate--by individuals and the Councils of Nations. Seemingly the situation as it now stands is in the balance. The world is apparently winding up for another weird potentially destructive confrontation with itself, and according to Cayce time is ripe for the promised second coming of The Master. But the time for His reappearance--so states the Readings--is not known, nor has it been known, from the beginning--even by the Master Himself.