Alpha Omega

When He said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” our Lord was not talking about a geographical location of this limited, three dimensional existence in which one is presently living. He was speaking of the kingdom of God in which one’s soul exists and which is within the souls of all men.

In the gospel of St. Luke our Lord reveals where the kingdom of God can be found.

In the gospel of St. John Jesus Christ reveals what type of kingdom His world is and how one can find it.

God’s world is a spirit world. Jesus Christ, His Holy Mother Mary, His angels, and His saints are all present in heaven. Heaven is present in the past; God’s world is present in the present; and His kingdom is present in the future. Our Lord’s spiritual world is present in all places and at all times, all at the same time.

Heaven is also found within one’s own soul, and yet, one’s soul and body are within heaven. God is in all things and all things are within His being. He is the first cause, and He is the one thing from which everything ultimately takes its existence. Thus, our Lord’s spiritual world is omnipresent. It permeates everything that is in existence, and it envelopes everything that is in existence.

In order to better understand this one should try to conceive heaven as being in another dimension. One may say that there are two co-existing worlds. There is the spiritual world, where one’s soul dwells with God, and there is this physical world, where one’s physical body lives with the animals and the plants.

The physical world is in a state of constant change. Everything is in motion from one place to another, and everything is changing from one thing to another. Motion itself is the change of place or position of an object in relation to time.

The physical world is composed of atoms — which are themselves composed of subatomic particles — and is measured in space and time. One discovers the truths of this world through the scientific method.

However, the spiritual world is unlike the physical world. The spiritual world may be better understood by comparing it to Plato’s world of ideas (or forms). However, it is also what one could call a Parmenidean One. Which is to say that there is one “thing” in heaven: God Himself. His world is uncreated, nonspatial, non-temporal, indestructible, eternal and indivisible. An understanding of His kingdom can only come from our Lord; one cannot learn of it on his or her own.

When God created this limited, three dimensional existence He made a world that, one may say, is a shadow of the spiritual world. Which is to say that the relationship between heaven and this physical world is similar to the relationship between a physical object and its shadow.

This may be better understood by comparing it with Plato’s cave myth. A shadow is not composed of the same substance of which the object is composed, but without the object there would be no shadow. So also is it with this world and God. It is not composed of God in an intrinsic sense, but without our Lord there would be no physical world.

Also, when one studies an object’s shadow he or she is able to use this knowledge to extrapolate and understanding of the object — however incomplete that understanding may be. A similar situation may be said of this world and God. By studying the various aspects of the physical world one may obtain a better understanding of God — however incomplete that understanding may be.

When Jesus Christ wishes one to have a more complete understanding of His world, He will reveal such to one, using one’s own knowledge of this physical world. Hence, one learns that it is good to study this physical world and learn of its mysteries. For it is through one’s own knowledge of this world that Jesus Christ reveals the many mysteries of His world to His children.

God’s spiritual world is a world of thought and the physical world is an imitation of our Lord’s world. One learns of the spiritual world through one’s own mind. One cannot sense his or her presence in heaven with the senses because God made the physical world in such a way that one cannot see, hear, touch, taste or smell the spiritual world; one cannot sense it in any way. One can perceive God and His kingdom only when Jesus Christ allows such to happen, using one’s own mind.

A person’s understanding of heaven is impressed upon his or her mind using one’s own knowledge of this world. The less knowledge one has, the harder it is for our Lord to communicate with one. Such may be likened to trying to describe the mysteries of the atom, of the universe or of life itself to a small deaf, dumb and blind child.

Finally, one should note that our Lord does not interfere with the operations of the natural processes of this limited, physical world. He operates through the laws of natural science and using His thought alone on the consciences of mankind.

The limitations of God on this world may be better understood by comparing it to the self imposed limitations a chess master would have in the game of chess. The master is not bound by some unseen hand to obey the rules of chess. The master may move the pieces any way he or she chooses. But he or she obeys the rules in order to prove his or her superiority over the amateur.

The same may be said of our Lord and the laws of natural science. There is nothing preventing Him from overriding these laws and doing as he chooses, but He does not in order to prove His superiority over all evil.

One could liken his or her life in the physical world to a story presented in serial form. Each person has the leading role in his or her own story. But the central point in all the interrelated stories of all mankind is Jesus Christ and the role each person has in condemning Him to death. For each time a person sins he or she incurs a debt to our Lord, who died in order to pay this debt.

One could say that each morning when a person awakens to his or her physical existence, he or she perceives and portrays a different episode. At night, when one goes to sleep one’s conscience (or dreams) take control of his or her thoughts. (This is somewhat like the monolith that directed the minds of the australopithecines in the book 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur Clarke.) In this sense, a person’s dreams are a reflection of the condition of his or her soul.

Thus, the Holy Spirit, through the prophet Job, gave all mankind a warning from God.

When a person passes from this life to the next life one could say that their role in the ongoing, interrelated serial is terminated. Such a person will then perceive themself as his or her thoughts portrayed them to be while alive in the physical world. That is, each person will perceive themself as his or her dreams portrayed them to be. After physical death one becomes the being of thought — be they good thoughts or bad thoughts — one is in reality, and one will know one’s own friends and relatives as they truly are.

Those individuals with mortal sin upon their souls are they who think nothing but evil. They will be condemned to the eternal second death. But those who have washed their souls will receive life. Those without perfect love will be purged of any evil thoughts, and all the children of God will be brought to the full knowledge of God.

Once one obtains the gift of perfect love, he or she will become his or her true self and will be truly free. For such a soul, materialism is no longer a hindrance, because his or her thoughts are free of his or her limited, physical body and the things of this three dimensional existence.

A soul that has reached perfect love receives an understanding of the spiritual world that illumines and makes more intelligible the physical world. That is, he or she can use their understanding of God’s heaven and infer back to their knowledge of the physical world in order to get an even better comprehension of it. Such a person perceives clearly, as did the man in Plato’s cave myth, that reality is God’s spiritual world, and that this physical world is called reality by those who do not perceive that it is only an inadequate representation of God’s world, the true reality.

These latter people cling to their earthly treasures and this limited three dimensional existence. They believe that they gain by it; but they lose. They lose an understanding of Jesus Christ and His world. Their lives are too cluttered with their self love and their love of materialism and their secular goals and desires to receive any meaningful impressions of the spiritual world upon their minds.

In order to obtain a better impression of God’s world from our Lord, one must divest him or her self of all self love and all love of materialism. Then one must begin to live a life of love to God and to his or her neighbor.

What one senses in his or her physical existence is a limited world. It is limited by the laws of natural science, because our Lord made it that way and made all creatures to perceive it that way. What one experiences in everyday life should draw him or her towards God, the true reality. One should use his or her own physical existence to learn of God and His many mysteries and to learn the law of love to God and to one’s neighbor.

This is not to insinuate that this physical world is not reality. The spiritual world is the eternal and unlimited reality. The physical world is a created and limited reality. One may say that God’s spiritual world is the Reality of realities and the physical world is one type of reality that was created by God.

This may be better understood by observing the sphere that Ellie rode in to reach the star Vega. This is from the science fiction movie Contact, based on the book by Carl Sagan. Upon arriving, the sphere became crystal clear and she could “see” a beach extending out in front of her for several kilometers. But upon reaching out with her hand she perceived that the world she was in ended at her finger tips. The extraterrestrial beings who brought her to this world “created” a world that her mind could understand.

The same is true of this physical world and God. He created a world that one could perceive and learn of His truths.

In our Lord’s world everything has one perspective — God. In the physical world everything has two perspectives. On the one hand, everything is made of matter and has form. While on the other hand, everything takes up space and exists in time. The physical matter and form of a thing and its position in place and time stands in the same relation to one’s mind as a seal or stamp stands to wax.

Just as wax has the potentiality for various impressions that can be stamped upon it, so also does one’s mind have the potentiality for perceiving what is “out there” in the physical world.

When one senses something or creates a mental picture of something in his or her mind, he or she takes on its intelligible features and becomes identical with these features. It is important to note that one does not become identical with the physical matter or position of a thing. Rather, one becomes identical with the thing’s intelligible features. In this way, one comes to know the physical world.

But in the spiritual world, one becomes identical with that which one perceives and one comes to know it in this manner. When one wishes to understand the spiritual world, one must use his or her knowledge of the physical world and extrapolate an understanding of the spiritual world.

Even then, such an extrapolation will only give one a partial understanding of God’s world. Only when God wishes one to have a more complete understanding of one of the truths of His kingdom will He reveal such to one — and there are many truths in His world (Gen.2:9).

Everything of the physical world can teach a soul of the many truths of heaven. Every good thing that one can find in this physical world, this and much more, can also be found in the spiritual world. This is because the kingdom of our Lord contains both the beauty of this world and the yet unknown beauty of heaven (Mt.13:52).

However, one should use discretion in attempting to use his or her knowledge of this world in order to try to better understand God’s world. For often a good thing to Jesus Christ is perceived to be evil by those in this world, and an evil thing to our Lord is perceived to be good to those in this world (Gen.3:6).

One may thus say that one’s own mind is a medium between the physical world and the spiritual world.

If an individual’s mind is full of evil impressions caused by mortal sin that he or she refuses to wash from his or her soul, then he or she will be condemned to the eternal second death.

If a person’s mind is full of self love and love of materialism and materialistic desires and goals but maintains a faith in God, he or she will suffer some loss, but he or she will be saved (1Cor.3:15).

Finally, if one’s mind is full of good impressions caused by his or her love of God and man, then he or she will receive the gift of dwelling in the innermost castle of our Lord’s kingdom.

Thus, there are two types of souls who enter into the kingdom of heaven. The former may be said to feed on the “milk” or baby food of the word of God, while the latter may be said to feed on the “meat” of His word, (1Cor.3:2; Heb.5:12-14).

One may better understand these two types of souls and the kingdom of our Lord by observing an artichoke.

This is a thistle-like plant with a violet (sometimes white) flower head that is cooked as a vegetable. It is the fleshy bases of the leaves and the heart of the immature flower that is eaten. The tops of the leaves are discarded. The leaves completely encompass the heart of the artichoke, forming sort of a protective barrier around the heart of the plant. The closer one gets to the heart of the artichoke the more tender and more delicious each leaf base becomes. Of course, the heart is the most tender and most delicious part. All of it is eaten, none is thrown away.

A similar situation is true with Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Those whose minds are filled with self love and love of materialism but maintain a faith in God, keep their souls in the outer mansions. They are as babies who can only feed on milk. They lose that which they do not give to God.

The more love one has, the closer to the innermost mansion one keeps his or her soul, and the more benevolent and more delicious is the fruit of God’s love.

Those who are completely humble, by keeping their beliefs in total truth as revealed by Jesus Christ and unreservedly say yes to Him, are they who keep their souls in the innermost mansion. These souls offer up perfect love to God and will receive the greater gift in return. They feed on the most delicious of our Lord’s gifts. They feed on the meat of God’s word.

This is not to insinuate in any way that Jesus Christ gives more to one child of God than He does to any other children of God. For He gives the same to all of God’s children. However, each soul increases his or her own capacity to receive more by increasing their own love of God and man.

One’s life is a gift from Jesus Christ. Those who give more to God in return for their gift are they who appreciate their gift more.

One may say that a person’s soul is as a glass drinking cup. Those who have mortal sin upon their soul are they who have broken their glass. All those who have sought pardon for their broken glasses will have their souls filled to the point of overflowing [Ps.22:5 (23:5)]. Those who maintain self love have small glasses; the greater love has the larger glass.

However, those with perfect love may be said to have an unlimited size glass for a soul. As different people appreciate the wine they drink from their glass with different amounts of appreciation, so too is it with the souls of all mankind. Some appreciate their gift from God more than others and therefore give more back to our Lord. They receive more in return.

Nor is one’s position in God’s kingdom dependent upon their faith. One enters the innermost castle through love, not faith. To believe in God and to seek pardon for one’s sins is what one needs in order to obtain entrance into the kingdom of God. This is God’s first commandment. But in order to rise to perfection in His world one needs love of God, and one cannot love God unless he or she also loves man (1Jn.4:20-21). This is the second great commandment.

Therefore, in order to enter into God’s kingdom one could be a Catholic Christian, a non-catholic Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a member of Zoroastrianism or anyone who maintains a faith in God. One only needs to have a humble belief in God. Then in order to rise to perfection one only needs to love his or her neighbor. Love is all you need.

Finally, it is not easy for a person from this limited, physical world to describe God’s unlimited, spiritual world. It is even harder for those who have not sought information about heaven — and thus do not have any meaningful impressions of our Lord’s world — to understand it. Hence, Jesus Christ has a difficult task attempting to relate information about His spiritual world to those of this world.

The problem that our Lord has in giving an understanding of His kingdom to those of this three dimensional world is very similar to the problem one here would have if he or she were to attempt to convey information about a crystal sphere to a being of a two dimensional world, or if a being from a four or more dimensional world were to attempt to convey information about an object in its world to someone living in this world.

(One is not trying to say that such beings or such worlds exist, for they do not. One is just trying to manifest the difficulty God has in giving information about His world to someone in this world.)

The first problem is to set up some form of communication between the two worlds. Then one must reveal his or her world in stages. One can reveal only small sections of it in any one presentation. This is so that those receiving the information can comprehend it easier. It is then up to the one receiving the information to piece it all together correctly in order to come up with an understanding of it that is comprehensible.

The same is true with Jesus Christ and His world. He cannot reveal His kingdom to someone who is constantly seeking happiness in this limited, three dimensional world, for there is little to no communication between such a soul and God. Even when our Lord does find someone of the innermost mansion, the seventh level of paradise, He cannot reveal His spiritual world all in one presentation.

Those in the physical world cannot comprehend such with their limited intellect. God must reveal His world in bits and pieces. It is up to those here to piece this information together correctly and come up with a comprehensible understanding of His world.

God is further limited in revealing His kingdom to someone of this world by that person’s own ignorance. The less knowledge of this world one has, the harder it is for Jesus Christ to reveal His true self to that person. In fact, the less knowledge one has the farther from God one is, for God is Truth. God is Knowledge.

If one rejects truth or knowledge — regardless of the type of knowledge — then one rejects God, the Teacher of man. Hence, it is good to seek truth and knowledge, because ignorance is not of God, and our Lord did not make man in order to have man remain ignorant.

This is because ignorance is the seed from which the root of all evil grows. Those who are ignorant are in slavery, and the greater their ignorance, then the greater is their slavery. Those who are ignorant through no fault of their own are excused from any blame. But those who are ignorant through their own actions (usually sloth) will suffer loss.

Hence, one cannot place their faith solely in the bible or solely in science. For neither one is the sole source of truth. Rather, one must believe in all truth, regardless from where that truth may come, whether it be biblical truth, scientific truth, historical truth or any disciplined study. For to gain knowledge of either the physical world or of the spiritual world is to get closer to God, because, as stated above, God is Truth and Knowledge.

It is the will of God that man should believe in truth and gain more knowledge and thus come closer to our Lord. One comes closer to God by seeking the truth, which is the word of God.

Alpha Omega

Another Life