Having established that the original followers of Jesus had an understanding of the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" radically at variance with the understanding (or, more accurately, misunderstanding) officially adopted by Paul and the Christian religious establishment--thus requiring the continued suppression of the Truth in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices even 2000 years after those documents were written and for 50 years after those documents were discovered--what must now be demonstrated is the origin of this understanding of the "resurrection of the dead" in the Gospels themselves; not that Jesus was the originator of the Doctrine--the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" having also been received by Moses, David, Isaiah and Ezekiel--but only that this Doctrine was a fundamental element of his Teaching; an element which establishes a Revelational and Doctrinal continuity not only between the Gospels and the Nag Hammadi Codices; but, also, between the Nag Hammadi Codices and the Koran. (No wonder the Muslim religious officials must suppress this Truth.)

Significant references in the Gospels to either the Revelation or the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" fall principally into four major categories:

1)Statements made by Jesus concerning the specifically Prophetic implications of the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" (cf. Matthew 11:11-17 & 17:10-13);

2)Statements made by Jesus describing, metaphorically, the revelation of the memories of previous lives as one of the elements of the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" (cf. Luke 20:34-36);

3)Statements made by Jesus concerning the specifically Doctrinal origin and implications of the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" (cf. Luke 20:37-38 & John 3:3-13); and,

4)Cryptic passages which demonstrate that, immediately after the crucifixion of Jesus, at least some of his followers received the revelation of the memories of previous lives, if not the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" in Its entirety (cf. Matthew 27:52)

And a detailed explanation of all of these passages together demonstrates a Revelational and Doctrinal continuity not only between the Gospels and the Nag Hammadi Codices; but, also, between the Gospels, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Prophets and the Torah. (No wonder the Jewish and Christian religious officials must suppress this Truth.)

1)According to Matthew 11:11-17, Jesus said:

"I tell you solemnly, of all of the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm. Because it was toward John that all the Prophecies of the Prophets and the Law were leading; and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!"

The only reasonably plausible explanation of the statements by Jesus that "I tell you solemnly", "If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen" and "...if you will believe me..." is not as supporting any assertion that John was merely 'similar' to Elijah (surely, such a fundamentally trivial and utterly innocuous statement could readily be understood and believed by, literally, anyone); but, rather, as veiled references to a Truth which, while Prophesied in Malachi 3: 23-24 ("Know that I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before my day comes, that great and terrible day. He shall turn the hearts of the fathers toward their children and the hearts of the children toward their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse"), would be recognized and understood only by the few--specifically, the Truth that people live more than one life. Furthermore, the only reasonably plausible explanation of the statements by Jesus that "the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than (John the Baptist)" is as a precise but veiled reference to the fact that John had not received either the Vision of the "Son of man" or the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead"--and, for that reason, should not be expected to have known his identity. (See below)

The next significant reference in the Gospels to the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" is to be found in Matthew 17:10-13:

"And the disciples put this question to him, 'Why then do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?' 'True', (Jesus) replied. 'Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognize him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of man will suffer similarly at their hands."

These statemens are to be understood, first of all, as not only affirming the statements made by Jesus in Matthew 11 concerning the identity of John the Baptist; but, also, as demonstrating that the identity of Jesus as the messiah is dependent upon the identity of John the Baptist as Elijah 'raised from the dead'--because this is the context in which the disciples ask Jesus this question in the first place. Thus, while the Christian theologians typically conclude that John the Baptist was merely 'similar to' or a 'type of' Elijah, the Truth of the matter is that Malachi Prophesied the arrival of Elijah--not the arrival of a person of whom it would be said that he was 'similar to' Elijah. Moreover, if John the Baptist was not literally Elijah 'raised from the dead', it would follow necessarily that Jesus was not literally the messiah--but was merely someone of whom it would be said that he was a 'type of' or 'similar to' the messiah. In other words, the fundamental assertion of Christian theology that Jesus was the messiah simply collapses in utter confusion and contradiction once the Truth about the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" and the identity of John the Baptist are denied. More specifically, by denying that John the Baptist was literally Elijah 'raised from the dead'--a Truth which, like many others, was, apparently, known by Jesus but not by John (cf. John 1:21-22)--the Christian theologians are unwittingly denying that Jesus was literally the messiah.

But it gets 'worse'.

Matthew 17:11 is to be understood as a quite specific Prophecy of the return of not only Elijah, but also John the Baptist--which, in the context of the Revelations in the Koran, leads to the conclusion (only for those who have the ears to hear) that Mohammed was Elijah and John the Baptist 'raised from the dead' in fulfillment of the Prophecies of Malachi as well as Jesus.

The next significant reference in the Gospels to the "resurrection of the dead" is to be found in Jesus' reply to the Sadducees (cf. Matthew 22:23, Mark 12:18-27 & Luke 20:27-49) in which there is a metaphorical description of the revelation of the memories of previous lives:

"The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God." (Luke 20:34-36--emphasis added)

(The Christian theologians, of course, interpret these words according to the dualities and concepts of pagan metaphysical philosophy: "This world", for example, refers to the physical world; while words such as 'other world' are interpreted as referring to an after-death metaphysical existence, and 'angels' is interpreted as referring to metaphysical beings inhabiting a metaphysical 'heaven'. Rather, these terms are to be understood as metaphors for the differentiation of consciousness between those who have not received the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" and those who have.)

3)The specifically Doctrinal basis and implications of the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" comprise a second element of the reply of Jesus to the Sadducees:

"And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now, He is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to Him all men are in fact alive."

What Jesus is explaining here is that the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" is not based upon the belief in any pagan doctrine of an eternally-existent metaphysical 'soul' and after-death existence of rewards and punishments (which would be a fairly direct expropriation from the Egyptian pagan religion); but, rather, upon the Omnipotence and Righteousness of God. And, while Jesus employs a very abstruse passage from the Torah to back up his assertion (thus demonstrating the depth of his contempt for the Jewish priesthood as professional murderers of Truth and thieves), a more easily understandable response would have been based upon Deuteronomy 28--which affirms that all punishments and rewards for the transgression and observance of the Law occur in this world, thus eliminating all necessity for any after-death metaphysical existence of rewards and punishments. Thus, when a righteous person dies without having received the rewards for the observance of the Law, or an evil person dies without having received the punishments for the violation of the Law, a subsequent life--and lives--is required for the receiving of those rewards and punishments. In addition, however, the statement that God is the God of the living rather than the 'god of the dead' (i.e., the Egyptian god Osiris) is a further explanation of what was signified by the Exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. In other words, the Miracles performed by God at the time of the Exodus certainly demonstrated the extent of His Power over the physical creation. And a God capable of performing such Miracles is certainly capable of also raising the dead to a future life in order to receive the rewards of the righteous or the punishments of the wicked for the observance or the transgression of the Law--all of which specifically contradicts, of course, the assertion of the Christian and Muslim theologians that the rewards of righteousness and the punishments for evil occur in an after death 'heaven' and 'hell'.

4)And, finally, other than the public presentation by Jesus, in his reply to the Sadducees, of the metaphorical description of the revelation of the memories of previous lives, probably the most important reference to the "resurrection of the dead" in the Gospels is Matthew 27:51-54:

"At that, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked; the rocks were split; the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy men rose from the dead, and these, after his resurrection came out of the tombs, entered the Holy City and appeared to a number of people."

Now, insofar as there is no historical record of numerous people coming out of their tombs at this time--and, certainly, this would have been recorded by someone had this been an occurrence in the space-time reality--what these passages must mean is that, shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus, some of the followers of Jesus received, at least, the revelation of the memories of previous lives, if not the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" in Its entirety (which is more likely). And, while the precise meaning of these passages has remained 'sealed' for almost 2000 years--in fulfillment of the Prophecy of Daniel 12:9--the significance of these passages simply cannot be over-estimated: What is being demonstrated in these few words is the precise context in which the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" and/or the revelation of the memories of previous lives occurs:

The crucifixion of Jesus was, for his followers, a traumatic experience--an experience of intense sorrow and a 'breaking of their heart'. And it is precisely in this context--in the midst of an experience of heart-crushing sorrow--that the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" occurs, as is echoed cryptically in Isaiah 8:16:

"I bind up this testimony, I seal this Revelation in the heart of my disciples."

Thus, this passage, explaining the psychologically-traumatic experience which gives rise to the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead", establishes a direct Revelational continuity between the statements of Jesus, and the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" referred to in Isaiah--all of which would, most likely, be a cause of some chagrin to the rabbis if they only knew what was being said here. (cf. Isaiah 26:19 and, again, Daniel 12:9). And it is also on this basis that it is to be concluded that the word 'heart' in the Dead Sea Scrolls is one of the 'code words' used in reference to either the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead", the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead", or the Knowledge Revealed through the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead". (Thus, one of the reasons why the Jewish and Christian interpreters of the Dead Sea Scrolls are incapable of perceiving the Truth about the "resurrection of the dead" in these documents is that the specific word 'resurrection' does not occur that often; rather, the "resurrection of the dead" is typically referred to in 'code words' which they are simply incapable of recognizing--for the very simple reason that they are paid not to recognize them, or are paid not to recognize them.) But it is also important to understand that some of the passages already referred to from the Nag Hammadi Codices consist of a discussion of some of the philosophical implications of some of the followers of Jesus having personally received the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" and/or the revelation of the memories of previous lives.

As previously explained, Jesus taught that John the Baptist was Elijah 'raised from the dead' and that the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" includes the Revelation of the Memory of Creation and the revelation of the memories of previous lives. But, for the followers of Jesus, such a Doctrine would have forever remained nothing more than an image of Truth--or a theory of Truth--had they not personally received such a Revelation confirming the Teaching of Jesus. (And, as is stated in the "Treatise on the Resurrection", "What, then, is the resurrection? It is always the disclosure of those who have risen." pg. 52--italics added). In other words, the only one who is capable of explaining the Revelation and Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" is someone who has personally received that Revelation; thus, the origin of the hypothesis mentioned at the beginning of these essays.

Thus, the immediate consequence of the crucifixion of Jesus was the validation of the Teaching of Jesus concerning the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" in the hearts of his followers. (In other words, Jesus was murdered not for any 'sins of the world', but because he was a mortal threat to the Jewish religious establishment because of his Knowledge concerning the "resurrection of the dead". In other words, the specific intention of the Christian doctrine of 'vicarious atonement' is, in Truth, to provide a substitute explanation for why Jesus was murdered--for the purpose of further diverting attention from the Truth about the Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead".) And, after the crucifixion of Jesus, the consequence of that event was then understood by the followers of Jesus--as it had been previously understood by Jesus himself--as the purpose for the crucifixion. In other words, with the firm understanding that the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" occurs in the context of a heart-crushing sorrow, Jesus allowed himself to be murdered in order that the Truth that he had conveyed to his apostles through words and images would be transformed from a belief in Truth to a Knowledge of Truth. Thus, Jesus sacrificed his life only that his followers would have a direct Knowledge of the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" (as well as the Vision of the "Son of man"--although that is another subject). (cf John 17:9: "I pray for them; I am not praying for the world but for those You have given me because they belong to You"; 7-8: "Now at last they know that all You have given me comes indeed from You, for I have given them the Teaching that You gave to me, and they have truly accepted this, that I came from You, and have believed that it was You who sent me."; and John 16:7-8: "Still I must tell you the Truth; it is for your own good that I am going because unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go I will send Him to you. And when He Comes, He will show the world how wrong it was, about sin, and about who was in the right, and about judgement...")

"In three lots shall the sons of light brace themselves to strike down iniquity, and in three lots shall Satan's host gird itself to thrust back the company [of God. And when the hearts of the detach]ments of foot-soldiers faint, then shall the might of God fortify [the hearts of the sons of light]. And with the seventh lot, the mighty hand of God shall bring down [the army of Satan, and all] the angels of his kingdom, and all the members of his company in everlasting destruction]..."

("The Dead Sea Scrolls in English", by Geza Vermes, 1987, pg. 106)

And it is, specifically, the close juxtaposition of the phrase "when the hearts of the... foot-soldiers faint" and the term "seventh lot"--which is an oblique but specific reference to the Vision of the "Son of man"--which establishes that the "Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light" is to be understood esoterically ; that is, as a metaphorical description of spiritual warfare at the level of consciousness, perception, emotion and thought--rather than as a manual for warfare against the Greeks or Romans. (And, although the argument is much too complicated to go into at this point, there are clear indications that 1QM is a composite work consisting of an original manual of warfare--almost certainly written prior to the writing of the "Thanksgiving Hymns"--to which has been added a complicated series of 'code words' comprising an esoteric symbolism written after the "Thanksgiving Hymns".)

Now, as previously stated in other contexts, the Three Phases of the War of the Sons of Light refer to the three fundamental Revelations in the Torah: the Revelation of the Law, the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead", and the Vision of the "Son of man"--this in a time-reversed order. And, as the Second Phase of the War of the Sons of Light, the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" is received in the area of the heart and follows what can be referred to as a 'fainting of the heart'--i.e., a heart-crushing sorrow--as was experienced by many of the followers of Jesus after the crucifixion, and which established the context for Matthew 27:52-53: "...the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy men rose from the dead, and these, after his resurrection, entered the Holy City and appeared to a number of people." That is, the hearts of the sons of light are fortified by the might of God through, specifically, the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead"; including, as described poetically, the revelation of the memories of previous lives.

In addition to this single, very cryptic reference to the "resurrection of the dead" in 1QM, however--an argument could also be made, by the way, that the term "trumpets of the Reminder" is an oblique reference to the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" (and may very well be parallel to the term "Watchers" from 1Enoch)--the word "heart" also occurs numerous times throughout the "Thanksgiving Hymns" of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1QH), where it provides a lengthy and more poetic description of precisely the same Revelation as is so cryptically referred to in 1QM:

          "They shall be mighty
             from end to end [of the earth
          and there shall be no escape]
             for the guilty of heart [in their battle];
          they shall be utterly trampled down
             without any [remnant.
          There shall be no] hope
             in the greatness [of their might],
             no refuge for the mighty warriors;
           for [the battle shall be] to the Most High God
           ...

           Hoist a banner,
              O you who lie in the dust!
            O bodies gnawed by worms,
              raise up an ensign for [the destruction of wickedness!
           [The sinful shall be destroyed
              in the battles against the ungodly.

           The scourging flood when it advances
               shall not invade the stronghold
            ...

            ...

            My heart is dismayed by the mishievous design,
               for Satan is manifest in their (evil) inclination.
            All the foundations of my edifice totter
               and all my bones are pulled out of joint;
            my bowels heave like a ship in a violent tempest
               and my heart is utterly distressed.
            A whirlwind engulfs me
               because of the mischief of their sin.

            I thank Thee, O Lord,
              for Thou hast upheld me by Thy strength.
            Thou has shed Thy Holy Spirit upon me
              that I may not stumble.

            Thou hast strengthened me
              before the battles of wickedness,
            and during all their disasters
              Thou hast not permitted that fear
              should cause me to desert Thy Covenant.
            Thou hast made me like a strong tower, a high wall,
               and hast estblished my edifice upon rock;
             eternal foundations
               serve for my ground,
             and all my ramparts are a tried wall
               which shall not sway."

("The Dead Sea Scrolls in English", pgs. 183-185)

The 'guilty of heart' are those who have not only not received, themselves, the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead"; but who also specifically ignore, deny and contradict the Truth about the "resurrection of the dead"--as did the Sadducees and Pharisees at the time of Jesus; and as do today, for example, the Westar Institute/"Jesus Seminar", the Christian Broadcasting Network, and the Roman church.

This is followed by a clear allusion to Isaiah 26:19--in which context 'raising up an ensign for the destruction of wickedness' signifies that the Truth about the Revelation and Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" can be conveyed accurately only by those who have, themselves, personally received that Revelation. (As is stated in the "Treatise on the Resurrection" in the Nag Hammadi Codices: "What, then, is the resurrection? It is always the disclosure of those who have risen." See the "Nag Hammadi Library in English", Robinson, Copyright 1987, pg. 52)

And this is then followed by a statement of the condition of the heart of the person who receives the Revelation of the "resurrection of the dead" and a description of the consequences of that Revelation.

There are, of course, numerous other references to "heart" in 1QH; among them the following:

            "But Thou, O God,
                dost despise all Satan's designs;
             it is Thy purpose that shall be done
                and the design of Thy heart
             that shall be established forever.

             As for them, they dissemble,
                they plan devilish schemes.
              They seek Thee with a double heart
                and are not confirmed in Thy truth
             A root bearing poisoned and bitter fruit
                is in their designs;
             they walk in stubborness of heart
                and seek Thee among idols,
             and they set before them
                the stumbling-block of their sin."

("The Dead Sea Scrolls in English", pg. 175)

And, while there are a number of other 'code word' references to the "resurrection of the dead" in 1QH, all of these individual references viewed and examined separately cannot convey the overall 'gestalt' of 1QH: the fact that the author of 1QH was held in contempt--and may very well have been directly or indirectly murdered by the Jewish religious establishment of the time; that the scroll entitled 1QH shows signs of an attempt to destroy it, and had to be hidden to prevent its destruction; and that, even 2000 years later, it is simply not possible to get research published in the academic, religious, or secular media demonstrating that 1QH conveys a Doctrine in many ways similar to the Buddhist Doctrine of Rebirth.

(Oh, by the way, if, after having read this manuscript, you are at all convinced of the Truth of what I have written--or merely if you believe that my research on the Revelation and Doctrine of the "resurrection of the dead" should be considered seriously by the Westar Institute/"Jesus Seminar"--I urge you to write to westar@westarinstitute.org and also run an advertisement on "Suppressed Dead Sea Scrolls Research" under the "Notices" section in the Classified Ads of your local newspaper, giving this URL:

http://geocities.datacellar.net:80/Athens/Rhodes/7031/deadsea.html

And please remember that there are people searching for the Truth who do not have access to the Internet.

'Freely you have received; freely give'--something which could not have been said by institutional Christianity or it would have gone bankrupt centuries ago.)