"I who speak to you am he." (John 4:26)

This statement by Jesus came after the Samaritan woman said:

“I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” (John 4:25)

Is Jesus the Messiah?

The word "Messiah" is translated from the Greek word Μεσσίας (messias) and the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach). We'll discuss the meanings below.

By all accounts from the New Testament, we find that Jesus was indeed considered Messiah.

But according to the Jewish interpretation, Jesus was not the Messiah. This interpretation suggests that the Messiah still has yet to come. 

According to some other sectarian interpretations, Jesus was the Messiah, but Jesus still has to come again to save the faithful. 

So both of these doctrines apparently consider there to be only one Messiah. For the Jewish sect, he has not yet come. For other sects, he came as Jesus but he is coming again.

The key question both of these sectarian interpretations bring up: Why would God – the most Powerful Being in all of existence – only be able to create one Messiah for all of humanity? Is God impotent?

And why would God make everyone wait for that one Messiah - long after most have died? 

And if God will send another Messiah, why hasn’t He? Does God not care about us? Does God not want us to be saved? If so, why would all of His believers have to wait for thousands of years for this one Messiah to come (or come again) - long after their bodies have decomposed?

We can only conclude that both interpretations make no sense. They are interpretive speculation put out by those who claim to have authority from God, but actually don’t.

Let's dispel these erroneous doctrines, using Scripture as our guide:

What does Messiah mean?

The Greek word used in this verse is Mεσσίας (messias) - used only twice in the New Testament, here and in John 1:41 - which means "anointed one" according to Thayer's lexicon.

Other versions of the New Testament (such as NIV and others) translate the Greek word Χριστός (Christos) to "Messiah." But this Greek word also means "anointed" according to Thayer's lexicon. This word has been translated to "Christ" in King James and some other versions.

Furthermore, the word "Messiah" is only used twice in the Old Testament, in the Book of Daniel. This is translated from the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach) as mentioned above.

The Hebrew word for "Messiah" also means "anointed priest" according to Gesenius's lexicon. 

What does anointed mean?

We find a clear description of the meaning of "anointed," "anointed one" and "anointed priest" as we review the Biblical texts:

[God speaking] "Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve Me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for all generations to come." (Exodus 40:15)

[God speaking] "This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the Lord on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening." (Lev. 6:20)

He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him. (Lev 8:12)

The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments. (Lev 16:32)

He must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. (Num 35:25)

[God speaking] "I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in My heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before My anointed one always." (1 Samuel 2:35)

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord." (1 Samuel 16:6)

[God speaking] "Do not touch My anointed ones; do my prophets no harm." (1 Chron. 16:22)

[David's prayer, referring to himself as anointed] "O Lord God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember the great love promised to David Your servant." (2 Chron. 6:42)

[David glorifying God and referring to himself] "He gives His king great victories; He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever." (Psalm 18:50)

[David glorifying God and referring to himself] The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. (Psalm 28:8)

[God, referring to David] "I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him." (Psalm 89:20)

[Isaiah, glorifying God and referring of himself] "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners..." (Isaiah 61:1)

[an angel of God, speaking of Zerubbabel and Zechariah] So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth." (Zechariah 4:14)

[Jesus, speaking of himself] "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed..." (Luke 4:14)

Thus we can conclude that God's anointed priest or anointed one is a person who has become a devoted servant of God. Someone God has empowered to represent Him and teach others. 

Using this understanding, we can conclude that God considered all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament as anointed. He considered the priests to be anointed. He considered those who He sent to teach others as anointed.

Why would "anointed one" be used in a singular fashion then, such as in:

"The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one." (Psalm 28:8)

Is David speaking of some person in the future? No, David is speaking of himself, in the singular:

Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on Your anointed one. (Psalm 84:9)

But You have rejected, you have spurned, You have been very angry with Your anointed one. (Psalm 89:38)

Is Messiah a role?

We can see in the Psalms above that David is referring to himself as "anointed one" (Messiah) as if the "anointed one" is a role, title, or position. And we can see that anointing was considered a type of consecration and God referred to this as a role as he instructed that His priests be anointed.

This means that the anointed one - or Messiah - was considered a role in Scripture. Those who were anointed became God's representatives - His priests. His Messiahs.

Let's use an example. Let's say that a military person has undergone the training and schooling, and has been given the title of "captain."

This person is now addressed as "captain" by both superiors and subordinates. He might also refer to himself to those superiors or subordinates as "your captain," or even "the captain." (e.g., "I am the captain," he says to his soldiers.) Does this mean that there is only one "captain" in the military? Certainly not. There are many who hold the position of "captain," and many in the past have also held the position of "captain."

At the same time, however, there is only one "captain" in any particular unit, and that "captain" is in charge of the unit. Therefore, anyone in the unit can refer to the captain as "the captain" and everyone else will know precisely who he is referring to.

But if someone outside of the unit referred to "the captain," now that would be confusing, because which unit's captain were they referring to?

This is the same issue that has occurred in scripture, and why some have inferred that there is only one Messiah (anointed one).

“Messiah” can also mean “savior.” This specifically refers to the pure loving servant of God who is empowered as a messenger from God to teach us about God. They have been empowered by God to save us, in other words.

A Messiah is a position, not a specific person. God has sent many Messiahs. And He will continue to send Messiahs to earth. God is not impotent. He can produce multiple Messiahs - multiple representatives who can each guide us back to Him. 

Were Jesus' disciples also Messiahs?

We can see the process of anointing in action during the life of Jesus. We see that Jesus baptized his disciples. Baptism is a form of anointing. Oil was not readily available to impoverished preachers. So water was used.

Then we see how Jesus taught his followers and confided with them about God. Then after some time, he instructed those who were ready to teach others:

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. But be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matt. 10:16-20)

The last sentence describes God's mechanism of how God communicates through His empowered representatives.

Why would Jesus tell his followers to go out and teach if he were the one and only Messiah or savior for humanity? Why would he send his students out to preach if he was saving the entire human race with his crucifixion, or by his coming back sometime in the future?

As we compare this statement by Jesus with the statement by Jesus about himself in Luke 4:14 (above), we can see the pattern. We also see this same pattern in John the Baptist's preaching, and in the many prophets before. They all taught about God, and taught that their serious followers also go out and teach the same teachings. They were all God's messengers, and thus Messiahs.

Quite simply, we can see that Jesus is showing his followers how they can also become representatives of God. They can also, like Jesus, become an instrument for God to speak through. This also means they would be able to save people: they would, as long as they followed Jesus' instructions, also become saviors or Messiahs.

What is the Messiah's purpose?

The Messiah has a personal relationship with God, and introduces others to God. And should we accept that introduction we become saved.

The legend of some future one and only Messiah has been promulgated by those teachers who are not anointed. They have not been empowered by God. Instead, they have been elected by councils of men. Thus their teachings are political in nature. They do not represent God, so they must make up an interpretation that somehow gives their organization some exclusive right or power. They have to present their organization as the exclusive means to reach God.

The problem becomes, how do they create this exclusive access? They must create a future icon who is supposedly going to come in the future. This gives them the ability to fabricate exclusivity. This gives them the ability to say that once the Messiah comes he will only be picking those who have joined this organization.

Consider the consequences of this future one and one Messiah: What has happened for all those billions of people over the centuries who have come and gone (and even joined the organization) while humanity waits for the Messiah to come (or come again)? Have they just missed the boat? Or are they all just waiting in some kind of gigantic “waiting room” for that magical day to come?

The speculative idea that everyone get held in some kind of waiting room (or “purgatory” some like to call it) after death is just that: speculation.

When we, each a spirit-person, leave the physical body at death, we will move on. In most cases, this will mean a new physical body according to their consciousness and past activities. Typically there is a period of reflection on the previous life and some learning experiences between our physical incarnations. These add to the learning experiences of our physical lifetimes.

God loves us. He wants us to come home. He is constantly sending His messengers (Messiahs) to gather up those who are seeking Him from every generation.

And the day of judgment spoken of in scripture is the day each of our bodies dies. Each of us will be judged for our lifetime in the body. At that moment we will face the judgment of our Maker, and face the consequences of our activities within this lifetime.

At the same time, each of us has an opportunity to come home at any time. We simply have to make the decision. God is waiting for us, out of love and compassion. If we make the decision to come home to Him, God will arrange for us to meet His representative, who will re-introduce us to Him.

Does God require exclusivity?

The real Messiah of God does not fabricate exclusivity. Why not? Because the empowered representative of God doesn't need to. God's representatives do not teach exclusive means to access God. They teach that any one of us can turn to God and access Him at any time.

God does not require exclusivity. Any of us can pray to God and thus access Him at any time.

Yes, the most efficient way to discover more about God from within this physical world is from someone who already has a loving relationship with God. Knowing more about God is critical. Love of God requires that we establish a relationship, and we cannot love someone we do not know.

But there is no need to panic. Each of us also has a spiritual guide outside this world who is helping guide us back to the Supreme Being. We can speed this process through humble prayer. The Supreme Being can reveal Himself to us as He wishes, relative to our sincerity. He is never restricted.

Yes, Messiahs are rare in this world. This is because the physical world is the place where those who don't want to be with God go. 

That is why the Supreme Being also provided us with Scripture, to be able to look back in time to understand the teachings of those Messiahs He has sent us in the past.

One who sincerely seeks to return home and renew our lost loving relationship with the Supreme Being can seek Him from within our hearts. God will guide us towards Him and utilize those guides He considers appropriate.

We can rest assured that God cares about each and every one of us. He is watching over us, and wants the best for us.

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming ...” (John 5:28-29)

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:28-29) 

Is Jesus speaking about the second coming?

This statement by Jesus has often been used to promote erroneous concepts of the "second coming" and "judgment day" by sectarian organizations and their teachers.

Yet these words are clear. Jesus is saying that "all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out." Doesn't this sound like the rising of people out of their graves when they hear the voice of God?

Then he says that "those who have done good will rise and live" and "those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." Isn't this pretty clear that people will be rising out of their graves and according to whether they were good or bad they will have life or condemnation?

What else could he have meant? And do people really remain in their graves despite the body becoming decomposed?

And what if a person dies by drowning and is not recovered, or otherwise the body isn't buried after death? What happens to those people who have no "graves" to "rise up" from?

What happens when the body dies?

When the physical body dies, the body begins to immediately decompose. Within years, the flesh decomposes, and within decades, the bones complete their decomposition in most cases. In normal soil, the physical body has disappeared and become soil within 25-50 years.

Where is the person then? If the body has decomposed there is nowhere for the person to be. If we are assuming that each of us is the body, that would mean that when the body decomposed, we would decompose. This would mean that everyone who has been buried over the centuries where the body is decomposed would be gone. Who is Jesus referring to then?

Were there graves during Jesus' time?

Furthermore, during Jesus' time, dead bodies were not buried in graves. Typically the family would put the dead body into a cave dug into some rock. There the body would decompose, leaving the bones. Then the bones would be put in a box called an ossuary.

Those who did not have families to put their bodies into tombs would be tossed into a pit with many other dead bodies. Then dirt would be thrown over the pit over time.

This means there were no graves during the time that Jesus was supposed to have said this. Could this be a translation error?

The Greek word that is translated to "graves" is μνημεῖον (mnēmeion). This means, according to the lexicon, "any visible object for preserving or recalling the memory of any person or thing." This has been interpreted to typically mean, a sepulcher or a tomb. But if we are speaking of an object meant for recalling the memory of a person, then that person is no longer in that object. It is an object that helps people remember the person. Why?

Because the person is gone. If it is to memorialize their passing, then the person has passed. They are gone.

In other words, Jesus did not say that people would be physically waiting in their graves. There were no graves back then, and the Greek word is not describing a grave where a person is still awaiting their rise at the second coming.

When the physical body dies, the spiritual individual (soul) who has been operating that body leaves. Each body maintains a spiritual individual who operates that physical body much as a person operates an automobile. And just as a person steps out of the car after it stops running, the spiritual individual will leave the body once it dies.

Is Jesus using a metaphor?

Since there is no one waiting in their grave or tomb, we must assume that Jesus is speaking allegorically. We find this same type of allegory elsewhere:

"I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live." (John 5:25)

“Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matt. 8:22)

In both of these verses, Jesus is not speaking of those who are physically dead. How can a physically dead person bury a dead body? And how can a physically dead person hear? Jesus is speaking allegorically as he refers to being "dead." He is talking about those who are living lives without love of God, which he considers life.

How can a physical body that has decomposed (including the ears) hear a voice?

What does Jesus mean by 'come out'?

Jesus is not saying that decomposed dead bodies will be physically coming out of their graves - even if there were graves back then. Those decomposed bodies would have decomposed by then. What will be rising then? A shovelful of dirt? Or an ossuary box of bones?

Rather, Jesus is speaking metaphorically, of the soul or spirit-person leaving the body. What "comes out" of the body at the time of death is the spirit-person. The soul "passes away" at the time of death.

This is the concept of "come out" stated by Jesus. The spirit-person or soul will "come out" of the body at the time of death.

What does Jesus mean by 'a time is coming'?

Sectarian interpreters have speculated that Jesus is referring to some time in the distant future (at least 2,000 years later because it hasn't happened yet) when the end of the world would come and Jesus would return. That is the assumed "second coming."

Has it happened yet? No. Has that kept many sectarian teachers in predicting the end of the world through the centuries? No.

Rather, Jesus is speaking metaphorically about the time of death, which happens to each of us individually. Each of us will have a unique time of death. At that time, we - the soul or spirit-person - will leave the physical body.

This is the concept of "a time is coming." Jesus is stating that "a time is coming" for each of us, where our physical body will die and we - the soul or spirit-person - will "come out" of the body and "rise."

Have any end-of-the-world predictions come true?

Consider only a short list of the many sectarian institution teachers that have inaccurately predicted the arrival of the end of the world and the second coming over the centuries:

Here is a shortlist of some historical figures who predicted the end of the world on a certain date. They include priests, preachers, cardinals, popes and founders of various sects among them. The date they predicted to be the end of the world follows their name:

• 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 teachers and their organizations have lied to their followers and tricked them into joining their cult out of fear that they may be left behind when Jesus comes again and "judgment day" is upon us. This is quite simply a crime against humanity. Innocent people were fooled at the hands of unscrupulous people whose objectives were to self-promote themselves and/or their organization.

Didn't Jesus call out such charlatans?

Jesus himself described his feeling towards the charlatans listed above, who have falsely predicted the end of the world, and thus falsely interpreted Jesus' teachings:

“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will come to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:21-23)

Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?" This is very clear that those who use Jesus' name to spread all kinds of predictions (prophecy) about the future, and make up fictional events such as the end of the world and physical second coming are, as Jesus puts it, simply "evildoers."

And what is "evil?" Evil is acting selfishly. Evil is acting on one's own behalf, rather than on God's behalf. Evil means ignoring the existence of the Supreme Being and seeing ourselves as the supreme being. It means feeling that doing our will is the most important.

Jesus wants us to do God's will, not our own will. This and only this will help us grow spiritually and make us happy, and alive.

What is Judgment day?

How a person lived their physical life - how much spiritual growth we made - is judged upon the death of the body. This has been explained by many verses in scripture. This is the real "judgment day," and the moment that Jesus speaks of here. When our physical body dies, we leave it. We are then faced with God and/or His servants, who replay for us the major events of our physical lives.

Once our lives are flashed back, we then have to reckon with the consequences of the decisions and actions of our physical lifetime, and how much we grew spiritually. This determines where we go after this point.

This process is not only scripturally supported, but it is supported scientifically by clinical death and near-death experiences. Over and over, people have described, once their bodies were resuscitated from being clinically dead, this experience of having their lives flashed back and being judged by God and/or one of His servants. Those who have followed Jesus' teachings will often describe facing Jesus.

Will the "second coming" ever come?

As for the concept of the "second coming," this also can occur at death, for those who have actually followed the teachings of Jesus, and used their lives in the service of God.

This is mirrored by the concept of being born again. Being born again is the same as having a change of heart. This means putting God in the center of our lives. Whether we are in a physical body or out of it, being born again is a second coming because we are connected with the Supreme Being: We are born again into our spiritual lives.

As described above, those who have sincerely followed Jesus (and not simply exploited his teachings for their own purposes), and have devoted their lives to the service of God ("those who have done good"), will meet up with Jesus at the time of death. This is the result of being born again.

Such a meeting is the "second coming" according to Jesus' teachings. Here Jesus, God's representative, will help guide them back to the spiritual world, where they will "hear His voice" and resume their original relationship (of loving service) with God.

“These are the Scriptures that testify about me ...” (John 5:39-40)

“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)

What does Jesus mean by 'testify about me'?

When Jesus states that the Scriptures "testify" about him, he is clarifying that he is the embodiment of the teachings contained in the Scriptures. He is the embodiment of the instruction to love and serve the Supreme Being. He is practicing and teaching what they taught.

Jesus is referring to the scriptural texts that portray the lives and teachings of Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Job, Isaiah and other great loving servants of the Supreme Being - which we now refer to as the Old Testament.

During Jesus' time, this was not the Old Testament. During Jesus' time, it was the Tanakh - comprised of the Torah (the five books of Moses), the Nevi'im (the Prophets) and the Ketuvim (the Writings).

These scriptures clearly indicate that a number of Prophets - messengers of God - came to the earth to spread the teachings of loving devotion to the Supreme Being. As such, each of the Prophets was the embodiment of those Scriptures. Just as Jesus was the embodiment of those Scriptures.

This is why we find Moses' central teaching was also Jesus' central teaching:

“‘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)

Jesus quoted this teaching of Moses (Deut 6:5) and passed it on to his students (also Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27).

Thus, we know that this is the essence of the declaration of the Scriptures, according to Jesus.

Jesus is continuing to speak to those institutional temple officials who have accused him of breaking the rules of the Sabbath as he did his work teaching love for God. Jesus is stating that even though they may be reading the words of Scripture, they have failed to derive their true meaning.

How did this testify about Jesus?

Many have interpreted* this to mean that Jesus is referring to himself being the only Messiah, and the scriptures foretell of Jesus' coming as the only Messiah.

However, this is not what Jesus really said, or meant.

Jesus was the embodiment of the teachings of the Prophets because he is loving God: He is the pure lover of God. His entire life on the earth was devoted to the Supreme Being. And He served the Supreme Being even in the greatest sacrifice. He was tortured and killed because of his service to the Supreme Being.

Is there any evidence for the doctrine of some of today's sectarian teachers that Jesus was the primary focus of the Old Testament? Or is Jesus' statement here simply being taken out of context.

There is absolutely no clear statement in the Old Testament that defines Jesus as the only coming Messiah. In fact, the books of the Old Testament are quite clear that all the Prophets were also Messiahs.

What is a Messiah?

The word 'messiah' (Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ or mashiyach) - can also be translated to 'anointed one' - describes the role of being God's representative. In other words, 'anointed one' and 'messiah' are synonyms in Hebrew. Consider this clear statement using the root of this word משח (mashach):

"Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve Me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations." (Exodus 40:15)

and

Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. (Numbers 3:3)

Furthermore, the Greek word translated to Messiah a few times in the New Testament is Μεσσίας (Messias), which also literally means 'anointed,' though it can also be translated to 'savior' or 'messiah.' This means that 'messiah' and 'anointed one' are also synonyms in Greek.

Is Messiah a role then?

Messiah is the role of being God's representative - the representative of the only person (and the true Messiah) who can truly save us - the Supreme Being.

The reality is that the Old Testament is a chronology (testament) of a lineage of God's 'anointed ones' or 'Messiahs' through thousands of years. Each of these loving servants of God described through the texts of the Old Testament, including Abraham, Moses, David, Joshua, Eli, Samuel, David, Solomon, Job, Jonah, Noah, Jotham and others, were all Messiahs - as was Jesus. 

These were all loving servants of God who became God's messenger. As God's messenger, each was empowered to save those around them with their teachings - making them each Savior as well as Messiah.

Was Jesus the only Messiah?

If the Old Testament supposedly declares a coming Messiah in the name of Jesus why doesn't it say it clearly anywhere? Why wouldn’t God or the scriptures simply say “The only Messiah is Jesus Christ” then?

Is there even one clear sentence in the Old or New Testament that states these things? And why do some theologians have to twist and bend the words of David’s Psalms or other scriptures to try to infer that anytime the future is spoken of, it must be the day that Jesus will come?

Just consider some of the best scriptural verses that ecclesiastical sectarian teachers have used to infer the Old Testament was all about Jesus:

[The LORD had said to Abram] “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3)

Reality: Here God is pledging to Abraham that because Abraham was doing God's will and teaching to others on His behalf, that God will protect him. He also is telling of Abraham's empowerment because he will pass on God's message to others and successive generations will hear that message. Jesus is neither mentioned nor referred to.

Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.” (Genesis 17:9)

Reality: Here God is instructing Abraham to do His will, and instruct his children to do the same. "My covenant" is the exchange of a loving relationship with God, comprised of the loving servant serving God and God protecting His loving servants. Again, Jesus is not mentioned or referred to here.

But God said to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” (Genesis 21:12)

Reality: God is foretelling of the split that will take place between Esau and Isaac. There is no mention or referral to Jesus.

[Moses, speaking to the Israelites] “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15)

Reality: Moses is telling his people that God will empower another teacher from among them - the people of Israel. This has nothing to do with an event thousands of years later. Moses is talking about Joshua, who God would command and lead the Israelites across the Jordan, and become their spiritual leader. Moses also recognized other teachers among the tribes of Israel, including Levi, Reuben, Dan, Gad, Joseph, Benjamin and others. Again, there is no mention or referral to Jesus.

The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:17-18)

Reality: Again, Moses is speaking of Joshua, who was Moses' servant and student, who God instructed directly after Moses' death. Once again, no mention or referral to Jesus.

[David, speaking of God] I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have become your Father.” (Psalms 2:7)

Reality: If this Psalm is read objectively, God is referring to David as His son since God is addressing David in the quote. The Hebrew word that has been translated to “son” is בֵּן (ben). 

Yes, this can indicate a relationship of offspring in the context of a physical family. 

But in this context (between God and one of God's faithful), it is appropriately translated as 'dedicated follower' or better, 'loving servant'. Thus we find, fittingly, that God is referring to David as His loving servant, and David is simply restating what God said to him. No mention or referral to Jesus.

Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of His hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and the name of His son? Tell me if you know! (Proverbs 30:4)

Reality: This is an oracle (or ode) to God written by Agur. Prior to this verse, Agur writes: "I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One." The "Holy One" is God. Though Agur is a loving servant of God, he takes the humble position of not knowing God. This is a typical position among God's loving servants. Because they are involved in a loving relationship with God, they seek Him constantly. 

Here again, we find that the Hebrew word being translated to “son” is בֵּן (ben) - which can mean according to the lexicon, "a member of a guild, order, class." - In other words, a devoted follower - or in the case of a devoted follower of God - a loving servant.

When we apply the translation properly to 'loving servant' the verse now makes sense. Even Jesus subscribed to this translation, as Jesus stated:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons [loving servants] of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

And Jesus' followers stated:

"those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons [loving servants] of God." (Romans 8:12-17)

And in Genesis it states:

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. (Genesis 6:4)

None of these verses make sense when בֵּן (ben) is being translated to "son." But when בֵּן (ben) - υἱός (huios) in Greek, which can mean according to the lexicon, "used to describe one who depends on another or is his follower" - these verses suddenly have meaning. For example:

"those who are led by the Spirit of God are the devoted followers of God." (Romans 8:12-17)

or

"those who are led by the Spirit of God are the loving servants of God." (Romans 8:12-17)

Now back to those verses of the Old Testament that supposedly predict Jesus' appearance:

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear [respect] of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:2)

Reality: Here Isaiah is referring to Jesse's son David, as the verse before this says: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots, a branch will bear fruit." This fruit that is being spoken of is the development of love for God and the passing on of the teaching of love for God through many generations. David has been revered for thousands of years as an exalted loving servant of God. There is no mention or referral to Jesus in this verse or its surrounding verses.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, (Isaiah 61:1)

Reality: Here Isaiah is referring to himself, as he was empowered by God to preach to others about God's glories and how to develop a loving relationship with God. Again, no mention or referral to Jesus. Learn about Isaiah 53.

Marshal your troops, O city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel's ruler on the cheek with a rod. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:1-2)

Reality: In Micah, this prediction is probably the one that is argued by ecclesiastical sectarians as the strongest indication that Jesus' arrival was predicted in the Old Testament. Is it true?

Here Micah is talking about someone who would become the king of Israel. He is referring to a governmental king. This has nothing to do with Jesus because Jesus was not a historical king of Israel or the Jews. In fact, Jesus was completely dishonored by the official institutional temple officials of the day. Jesus was not accepted by any Israelite or official as any king. In fact, Israelite officials conspired to have Jesus arrested. Jesus was obviously not who Micah is referring to here.

Let's get more clear about the setting and history of Micah's statement. Beyth Lechem (Bethlehem Ephrathah) refers to the small city in Judah, where King David was born. Following David's reign, and at the time of Micah, there were many wars between the Israelites and the Assyrians. 

After several generations, the Ammonites and the Assyrians had battled with the Israelites, and the Israelite cities, including the Temple of Jerusalem and its fortress walls, had been badly damaged. Israel was in a poor state of affairs and was largely subservient to foreign kings.

King Jotham arose out of the House of David to become king of Israel. Being a direct descendant of David, and also a devoted loving servant of God, Jotham was both a wise spiritual leader and an adept king. It was Jotham, in fact, who finally defeated the Ammonites, and created a truce with the Assyrians. Jotham then went about rebuilding the Temple and rebuilt the walls of the city. He basically renewed Israel militarily, economically, and spiritually:

Jotham made war on the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand cors of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same amount also in the second and third years. Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God. (2 Chron. 27:6-7)

Jesus, on the other hand, was a spiritual teacher, who had numerous students. But he was never the king or ruler of Israel. Thus, he was not the subject of Micah's prophesy.

This conclusion that Micah 5 refers to Jotham is confirmed several verses later:

"And he will be their peace. When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders." (Micah 5:5-6)

The practical and real translations* of all of these quotes reveal that sectarian teachers have, for centuries, sought to recklessly bend and twist the scriptures to make them appear as though the Old Testament was directly predicting Jesus' arrival as the one and only Messiah. If the texts refer to Jesus, why would it not be obvious? Is God trying to hide Jesus within the words of the Old Testament to trick some people? This would be a ridiculous conclusion.

Why do they claim Jesus is the only Messiah?

Those who claim Jesus is the only Messiah are trying to bolster Jesus’ position. Why do they need to bolster Jesus’ position? Because they haven't heard and acted on Jesus’ teachings. They have not yet seen the true power of Jesus' teachings. They have yet to see that Jesus is empowered by his loving relationship with God, and he represents God.

Such a notion was first officially promulgated in 325 A.D. when the Roman emperor Constantine decided the Roman government could better control Europe by controlling this burgeoning religion, Christianity. So he gathered up leading teachers from all over and created the Nicene Creed, which dictated that Jesus was the only Messiah in an attempt to consolidate authority.

They followed this by murdering or imprisoning those who did not follow the Creed. This created a monopoly over Christianity that stood for twelve centuries under the iron fist of the Roman Catholic Church. This strategy also worked for the Roman government as it helped control its huge empire for many centuries.

Furthermore, now that Jesus came, now all the sectarian followers are waiting for him to 'come' again? Wasn’t the first 'coming' enough? He now has to 'come' again in order for people to be saved? This, of course, is a teaching of those who did not hear and comprehend Jesus' teachings in the first place.

It must be asked of the sectarian teachers: Why, if Jesus saved everyone by his dying on the cross, did he bother to teach? Why did he stand up on hilltops, and amongst people in courtyards in order to try to teach us to love God and do God’s will, if all we have to do is stare at Jesus’ cross every Sunday and pledge our allegiance to Jesus and be saved? Why would Jesus have bothered teaching people about doing God's will and loving God?

Quite simply, this teaching of being saved by the cross quite simply misses Jesus' entire message. It produces a series of rituals to enable those who do not want to change to feel that they are saved. The result is thinking that we can do just about whatever we want, and then go to church on Sunday and wipe off all our sins onto Jesus’ cross (some ghoulishly call this “bathing in the blood of Jesus”) and then be freed of sins and be saved.

Jesus actually spoke directly to this philosophy:

“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will come to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:21-23)

Jesus says he will say “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” to those who are preaching in Jesus’ name, driving out demons and even doing miracles in Jesus name, what to speak of those who are just going to church and wiping their sins off on Jesus once a week.

The key statement here is “but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Jesus’ teachings focused on us doing God’s will. Jesus was teaching love for God and doing God's will. He was trying to teach us to change from our self-centered lives to a God-centered life.

This is the same message all of the prophets mentioned above also taught. Thus Jesus was the embodiment of the prophets of the Old Testament: He was practicing what they had taught. Yes, Jesus was the Messiah, but so were all of the prophets.

A Messiah is someone who can save a person by giving them love for God. A Messiah is the representative of God (making the Supreme Being the true Messiah). All of the prophets were representing the Supreme Being and were empowered by God. They taught love for God, and this teaching, when delivered by one who already loves God, can save us. 

Thus we can also say with authority that, as Jesus indicates, the teachings of the prophets not only testified for Jesus' life and teachings, but Jesus' life and teachings embodied them. Thus, the "life" that Jesus speaks of is loving service to God. This is why Jesus quoted Moses when he said:

“‘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.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

 

*Here is the translation of these verses according to the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these testify about me; yet you refuse to follow me so that you may have life." (John 5:39-40)

"... then I go to the One who sent me ...." (John 7:33-34)

"I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the One who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come." (John 7:33-34)

Who is the 'One who sent me'?

Here Jesus is speaking in a temple court, clarifying that he is a messenger. A messenger is someone who has been sent to relay a message. Who is Jesus a messenger for?

Jesus identifies this clearly by reflecting on, "the One who sent me." Who is the "One who sent me"? It is none other than the Supreme Being. [Capitalization has been added in the verse because the translators must not have realized Jesus is referring to the Supreme Being.]

Jesus also states that he will be returning to the Supreme Being once his physical body dies - "you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come".

Jesus is reflecting that he will soon be arrested and his body be put to death:

The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. (John 7:32)

One might ask: Why would institutional temple priests and temple officials be sending guards to arrest a person who was preaching about God in the temple courts?

The answer to this is that they were threatened by Jesus. They felt their authority over the people was in jeopardy. They had to remove him because of their desire for authority.

Why did Jesus threaten their authority?

The Temple High Priest and the various Temple Pharisees felt threatened because Jesus had many followers. Whenever he gave a talk, large crowds would gather around him. Jesus' large following was drawing people who normally were attending the Temple. This means that Jesus was drawing down their followers.

Just as Jesus reduced their followings, it reduced their authority. They could not dictate to the people with the same authority.

This desire for authority has continued among many sectarian institutions today. The leaders of these sectarian institutions - despite their premise as representing Jesus - provide a platform for those who desire authority and followers.

This is symptomized by their holding elections and political appointments to elect their priests and ministers. Therefore these teachers do not represent the Supreme Being: They represent the body or council that elected and appointed them. 

They are beholden to the institution rather than the Supreme Being. Their authority comes through politics rather than their relationship with the Supreme Being.

Who is the Messiah and will he come again?

The text also indicates many people were awaiting the appearance of the Messiah:

Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, "When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?" (John 7:31)

Thus it appears that the institutional temple teachers were teaching that a Messiah would come. But they questioned whether it was Jesus.

This tradition amongst many institutions persists today. Yet interestingly enough, some institutions are still awaiting the Messiah, while others are awaiting the second coming.

Both institutions are focused upon some time in the future. What are they doing now? Waiting? Are they following the teachings of Jesus and the Prophets in the meantime?

In other words, they are not interested in learning about the Supreme Being. They just want to be part of their particular club, and feel they will be saved at some point in the future.

Now let’s think about this: Is the Supreme Being so limited that He can only send one "savior" or Messiah throughout the history of humankind? Is the Supreme Being this impotent that He can only have one son, and send only one messiah?

And what about all those people who lived before the Messiah comes or came? Do all the billions of people over the thousands of years before and after the Messiah comes just miss out? Or will they have to wait around for him, in some kind of speculative purgatory?

Is God so weak that He cannot figure out how to save a person who dedicates their life to Him? Does He have to make them wait for thousands of years for that Messiah to come in order to be saved?

As for the premise that Jesus was the one and only Messiah: What about those who were born before or after Jesus? What about those born in other cultures who never got the chance to hear about Jesus? Or were born before the time of Jesus? 

Are they just out of luck? Is the Supreme Being that limited?

And how about those who are still waiting for this one and only "Messiah:" Is there no hope for those who have lived and died before their messiah comes?

And what about any of the other philosophies based upon the teachings of one teacher from the past? Are they now out of luck because they missed this teacher? Or out of luck because they followed that teacher instead of Jesus?

What about the Prophets?

And what about Moses, Abraham, Joshua, Solomon, Jacob, David, Jonah, Job and so many other messengers of God that have been described in the Old Testament and the Hebrew scriptures? Were they simply masquerading as teachers? Why did they bother to teach? Did they have no ability to help their followers? Did they not have the ability to save people?

Or, as considered by some ecclesiastical sectarian teachers, was their only purpose to predict the coming of Jesus? What about their followers, who died thousands of years before Jesus arrived on the scene? Do they have to wait somewhere (like the speculative purgatory state) for Jesus to come one day in the future?

And yet, to some ecclesiastical sectarian teachers, Jesus came, and yet people still have to wait for a second coming. Now they are waiting for Jesus to come again! As if the first time wasn't enough?

Why all the waiting and predicting of some event in the future for these two speculative religious philosophies?

Why are they waiting?

The answer is that because they lack real authority from the Supreme Being, they do not know who the Messiah is. They are not able to recognize the Messiah because they do not represent the Supreme Being: They represent their respective politically interested organizations. 

They are simply elected officials representing their political organization. And the purpose of their political organization: To gain more followers and exert more authority over the population.

It is for this reason that they create these myths about the first coming or second coming of the Messiah. They create these to scare people into coming to their church or temple, because if the people don't attend their church or temple (and give money) then they will miss out on the first or second coming of the Messiah. 

They'll be left in the lurch: they'll be one of those who gets sliced up and burnt in the fires, as the messiah tromps in on in his white horse. It's all very convenient: Come to our church (or temple) or you'll get left behind to be burnt up in the pits of hell.

What is a Messiah?

During Jesus' time, there was a narrative about the coming Messiah - a narrative that Jesus argued against. Today there is another narrative among sectarian institutions about Jesus and the coming Messiah.

There is only one Messiah, and that is the Supreme Being. Since the dawn of time, God has been periodically coming or sending His representatives to the earth in order to bring back those who want to return to Him.

Every generation and every culture has had access to one of God's messengers, and a person who becomes sincerely interested will be connected with this representative of God.

God is not a mean-spirited or small-minded person. He does not give one person a better chance than another. He treats all of us fairly, and each of us has an opportunity right now to approach Him and gain access to Him.

God is also not petty. He accepts our devotion - assuming it is aimed at Him - regardless of whether we call ourselves Christian (whether it be Baptist, Catholic or whatever), Muslim, Jew, Hindu, American Indian or otherwise. If we are worshiping God - or Great Spirit - with devotion,

God does not care what group we have joined. It is the sincerity of our approach towards Him, and our love and devotion that He cares about. He could care less about what group we've joined.

He is therefore constantly offering each of us the opportunity to return to Him.

The reason for the misinterpretation of "Messiah" is because it is a position or post - the position of representative of God. It is not a single person, nor some unknown person who will come in the future.

Anyone whom God authorizes to represent Him becomes a "Messiah," because remember, the Supreme Being is the true Savior or Messiah. This is how the Supreme Being brings us back to Him: He sends His representative to re-introduce us to Him. They also illustrate by their example how to live our lives in such a way that we can return to Him.

Any position or post can be misconstrued as only one person. Let's say that someone says: "The president will protect us." Now when they say this, they could be speaking only of the current president. Or they could be talking about the role or position of president in general. 

Or someone could potentially interpret this to mean a specific president in the future. Again, this due to the fact that those hearing the sentence did not understand the context of the statement.

In fact, the word indicating "messiah" in the Old Testament is based upon the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach) - which is translated to "anointed one" - but is the foundation for the word "Messiah."

"Anointing" was described specifically in many verses as a process of initiation for a priest:

[God said to Moses] "Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve Me as priests." (Exodus 30:30)

What about the return of the Messiah?

Faiths based on Abraham's teachings maintain that all of the Prophets and Patriarchs were Messiah, but now they are waiting for the next one. This is contradicted by the above statement as well as others, indicating that those who represent the Supreme Being are Messiahs.

Just as sectarian institutions today harp on Jesus returning again, the Jewish institution of Jesus' time - and even today - taught about the great Messiah coming. They just didn't believe that the Messiah was Jesus.

The concept of a single messiah coming soon is confused by the use of the word מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach) within the structure of a role rather than a single person, as discussed from a vision of the angel Gabriel by Daniel. Gabriel said to Daniel:

"Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the anointed one, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (Dan. 9:24-27)

As indicated in the translation, the meaning of שָׁבוּעַ (shabuwa`) indicates seven days or a week. This means that Gabriel was predicting events that would occur within the next 10 years (70x7 days divided by 365 = 9.4 years), two months (7x7 days), and nine years (62x7 divided by 365), respectively.

There is no indication that Gabriel is speaking of some messiah to come centuries or even thousands of years into the future. Gabriel was speaking to Daniel about events that would unfold in the coming years for him and his people.

As for other Old Testament verses that supposedly indicate some future messiah, all of those also refer to "anointed ones," which, as we see from a number of verses, including Exodus 30:30 mentioned above, refer to priests who were initiated to become God's representatives.

Why hasn't Jesus come again yet?

Sectarian organizations claiming to follow Jesus' teachings have been deceiving their followers about the "second coming" of Christ. Consider, for example, the so-many wrong doomsday predictions given by so many over the centuries:

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, these were all dates predicted by these teachers to their followers: False predictions that brought in so many followers due to fear. Their followers were afraid that they would be left behind.

Jesus himself described these charlatans ("prophesy in your name"):

“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will come to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:21-23)

The application here is "‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name..." In other words, Jesus is communicating that these liars are not to be admitted back to the spiritual realm, because they are not focused on doing God's will: their focus is on accumulating followers.

Why are we ignoring the real Messiah?

The only real Messiah (Savior) is the Supreme Being: And the Supreme Being sends His representatives to re-introduce us to Him and bring us back to Him.

Yet we continually ignore the Supreme Being - the real Messiah. We are so busy chasing our quest for power and authority in our work, or our sports, our politics, and our economy that we constantly ignore the Person who made us and made this world.

We forget the very solution to our emptiness, our loneliness and our suffering.

So did Jesus' "dying" on the cross and subsequent "rising" not occur in order to "save" us? Can we not, then, be saved by staring at the cross, or some ritual of eating a cracker and drinking some wine?

God's messengers save us by teaching us about God. They introduce us to God and tell us how we can re-establish our relationship with Him. This is why Jesus came to deliver God's message to us:

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

And what is the teaching that the Supreme Being sent Jesus to teach us? The first and greatest instruction:

“‘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. 22:37-40)

Was Jesus the only person to have given us this instruction? No. In fact, Jesus was quoting Moses when Moses instructed:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" (Deut. 6:4)

And consider Joshua, Moses' student, who also taught his followers:

“But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul." (Joshua 22:5)

So both Jesus and Joshua were quoting Moses when they clarified this most important instruction. Jesus was teaching the same thing as Moses.

This is because both Moses and Joshua were representing God, as was Abraham, Jacob, Eli, David, Solomon, Job, Jeremiah, Jonah, Jacob, John the Baptist, Jesus, Jesus' disciples, and many others. 

They were all representing the Supreme Being, so they were all saviors (or messiahs). They all were representing the One true Savior and Messiah: the Supreme Being.

The Supreme Being has continually sent us His representatives to guide those who are serious about returning to our loving relationship with Him, back to Him. Because He doesn't want us to wait. He wants us to return home to Him now.

*Here is the translation of these statements according to the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I will be with you, then I go to Him who sent me. You will look for me and will not find me; and you cannot come where I will be.” (John 7:33-34)

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so ..." (John 14:2-4)

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (John 14:2-4)

What does 'in my Father's house are many rooms' mean?

Jesus is referring to his coming departure from this world, after his persecution and the murder of his physical body. As he describes his "Father's house," he is using symbolism and metaphor, as he attempts to describe a spiritual place using language used typically to describe things in the physical world. 

Therefore he uses two key metaphors to describe key elements:

"House" comes from the Greek word οἰκία (oikia), which means "a house: an inhabited edifice, a dwelling," according to the lexicon.

"Rooms" is being translated from the Greek word μονή (monē), which means "a staying, abiding, dwelling, abode." In the plural, the accepted translation is "dwelling places."

Jesus is not referring to a physical house with rooms in it. He is speaking metaphorically about the spiritual realm - because the spiritual dimension is not perceivable with the physical eyes, nor is it fully describable by physical language. 

Jesus is using what is called a metaphor: Using something easily observed to explain something not easily observed.

Jesus is telling his students that the spiritual realm contains many different spaces - or regions. This is a place where there is a wide range of variety: There are lots of activities and many different types of forms and relationships with the Supreme Being.

In other words, there are many different relationships between the spirit-persons (we are each a spirit-person) and the Supreme Being in the spiritual realm. Each of us was constituted with a unique relationship with the Supreme Being. 

But each of us has the choice of whether we want to embrace that relationship.

What does he mean by, 'I am going there to prepare a place for you'? 

This indicates that Jesus is going to be arranging for his followers' return to the spiritual realm.

How does Jesus do this? Is he talking about fluffing up some pillows for his students? Or cleaning out some of the "rooms" so they are ready for them?

That's ridiculous. Jesus is talking about the task of continuing to guide them to the spiritual realm. It is they who must become prepared to return to the spiritual realm. The spiritual realm is already prepared. But they must perfect their dedication to the Supreme Being by learning to love God and do His will as Jesus has taught them.

And it is questionable from the Greek that Jesus is referring to himself when he supposedly says, "If I go and prepare a place for you...." Is he saying that he might or might not do it?

Jesus is speaking of their choosing to become prepared. This means that Jesus' teachings would essentially continue to offer guidance for their spiritual progress. If they continue to follow his instructions, they would create a place for themselves in the spiritual realm.

By following one who is dedicated to the Supreme Being, one develops their own dedication to the Supreme Being. And by following one who is intimate with the Supreme Being, one also gains an intimate relationship with God.

It is the follower of Jesus, as also indicated by the Greek, who becomes the subject of preparation. Should they follow his instructions, Jesus will be preparing them for entry into the spiritual realm, by virtue of his intimate relationship with God.

What about 'coming on the clouds of heaven'?

What does "coming on the clouds of heaven" mean? Does it mean Jesus' "second coming"?

And does this have anything to do with Jesus saying to his students (above): "I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."?

As far as "coming on the clouds of heaven," this is a mistranslation. The word "coming" is translated from the Greek word, ἔρχομαι (erchomai), which means, according to the lexicon, not just "to come" but also "to arise" and "to appear" or "make one's appearance" - relating to being present somewhere.

Furthermore, how does a person "come" "on the clouds of heaven"? Will the "clouds of heaven" be moving in with Jesus riding them like some kind of a horseback rider?

This is a ridiculous notion, yet this is precisely what sectarian teachers and some imaginative painters have portrayed to us. They portray that a bunch of clouds will be rolling in with Jesus standing on top of them like horses, "riding" them.

This is speculation. The phrase, "clouds of heaven," refers to the spiritual realm. As discussed, ἔρχομαι (erchomai) can better be translated to "arise" or "appear." Jesus is clearly saying that he would become present in the spiritual realm. He would be leaving his physical body in the material world and rise to the spiritual realm - and would appear there and be present there - where God resides, and where the community of the spiritual world resides.

Luke confirms this interpretation, as Jesus answers the same question in the same situation (during his trial) with:

"But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." (Luke 22:69)

Is this about Jesus' second coming?

As to Jesus saying specifically to his followers that he would be returning for them ("I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."): The word "returning" is expanding Jesus' metaphorical language outside of its intended meaning.

Jesus is not talking about some end of the world scenario thousands of years into the future when he will ride on horseback (or 'cloud-back') and come down to the surface of the earth.

Rather, Jesus is speaking metaphorically about being there for them and guiding each of his students back to the spiritual realm during their lifetimes and at the time of death - after they leave their present physical bodies. He is speaking about something that will occur within the next few decades for each of them. Because each of his students will die within the next few decades.

Because he is speaking of the time of death of their physical body, Jesus is speaking of their "last day."

When the body dies, the person leaves the body. At that point, each of us will go to our next destination, depending upon our consciousness and life's activities. Those who dedicate their lives to following Jesus' teachings will be guided back to the spiritual realm by Jesus. Those who have used their lives otherwise - will go to another place accordingly.

One might compare this situation with the coast guard retrieving people who have fallen into the ocean from a boat offshore. The coast guard helicopter will take off from an airport and fly to the place where the people are struggling in the ocean. As the helicopter hovers overhead, a coast guard person will descend down to the water with a chair on a rope in order to pull people up from the water. This is what Jesus is speaking of with respect to retrieving his students who have dedicated their lives to following his instructions.

This is the mercy of God and His messengers - whom God sends to the physical world to bring us back to Him. God's messengers will instruct followers during their physical lifetimes, and when they leave their bodies at the time of death, those students who followed those instructions will be guided back to the spiritual realm by those instructions. This is the process of being saved.

This is also a natural process. Suppose we were invited to a party by a friend, and we didn't know anyone else in the party nor the person giving the party. Would we be accepted into the party walking in alone? No. They would think we were crashing the party. 

Rather, our friend who invited us would need to arrange to have us invited, or arrange with the owner so we can get in. This would enable our entrance. Such a friend might also escort us into the party and introduce us to the host/owner of the house and some of the other people at the party. Once this occurred, we'd be accepted into the party.

Is a personal invitation required?

The process is a very personal one and requires invitation and introduction - but this is at God's personal discretion. This can also occur at any time. Spiritual awareness and introduction can occur before the time of death, during or after. The citizens of the spiritual realm each have a unique loving relationship with the Supreme Person. To gain entry means we have to be introduced to the Supreme Being and develop a relationship with Him. This introduction can be made by God's representative who may be on the earth or not. Or it may be arranged directly by God. This is why developing a personal relationship with God's representative is so important.

Just consider if we wanted to be introduced to the President of the United States on a personal basis. How could we even get to him by ourselves? There is no way unless we are introduced to him by someone who is already close to him, or he reached out to us personally somehow. When a friend of the President introduces us to the President, a personal relationship with the President is possible. But this is still at the discretion of the President.

The same process works with the Supreme Being. God is a Person, and God is all about relationships. The entire spiritual realm is all about relationships - of love and loving service. This is why we are each wandering around the physical world looking for love. We are yearning for love because our spiritual selves are from the spiritual realm - where loving relationships abound.

If we have lost our unique loving relationship with the Supreme Being, we have to work to get it back. This is the law of love and relationships.

Being re-introduced to Him by God's representative is being defined metaphorically by Jesus as "preparing a place" for us in the spiritual realm.

It is critical to understand that Jesus is speaking to his disciples, who have been following his instructions carefully. He is speaking to them intimately because he knows his body will be murdered soon and he will be leaving them physically and returning to the spiritual realm.

He says, "to be with me that you also may be where I am." This is not an institutional situation. Jesus is talking to his disciples personally, about guiding each of them back to the spiritual realm. He wants his close disciples to know that if they continue to follow his instructions, then he will continue to be with them. He will continue to help guide them back.

Jesus can also help guide us back if we follow his teachings.

Did Jesus have an intimate relationship with God?

Clearly, Jesus enjoyed a relationship with God that was unseen to most of those around him. This intimate relationship with God was discussed elsewhere:

"And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62)

Jesus is obviously referring to his close relationship with the Supreme Being ("Mighty One") here. To sit at someone's "right hand" doesn't mean they are just sitting around all day. This is a metaphorical phrase that refers to being someone's assistant or servant. Being someone's "right-hand man" is still a common phrase used today to refer to a person who is dedicated to carrying out the wishes of the person in charge.

In order to be someone's "right hand" person, there must be two persons: The person in charge and the person who carries out this person's wishes. Jesus indicated elsewhere that his purpose was acting on behalf of God:

"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)

and

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

It is clear that Jesus is acting on behalf of God, and that being God's "right hand" person means to be doing God's will.

If we decide to return home to the Supreme Being, God will guide us - through the teachings of His representative and from within in the form of the Holy Spirit. Should we follow that guidance, and come to develop our love for the Supreme Being, a place will also be prepared for each of us in the spiritual realm.


*Here is the translation of Jesus' statement from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"My LORD’s dwelling place has many regions – if there weren’t I would have told you, because I depart to prepare you for that place. And if I depart and prepare you for that place, I will stay with you and guide you myself so that you may be there with me. And you will know the path to where I am going.” (John 14:2-4)

"Are you asking one another what I meant when I said ..." (John 16:19-23)

"Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything." (John 16:19-23)

Is this about a "second coming"?

Jesus' statement* comes after he understood his disciples were confused by the meaning of his previous statements.

Some of this confusion revolves around Jesus' statement, "I will see you again..." Is Jesus talking about the so-called "second coming"?

This interpretation involves out-of-context statements that Jesus was predicting a time thousands of years later - yet always soon - when the world would end and Jesus would come back and round up all of those who are members of particular sectarian institutions while slaughtering those who are not.

A number of sectarian institutions and their teachers have been preaching predicted dates of the second coming and the end of the world for centuries. Why hasn't it happened yet? Will it ever happen? And why do they keep predicting a date in the near future?

Because they want to attract followers. They want to scare people into becoming their followers.

If they scare people that the world is coming to an end, people will join their institution so they will be spared. This is commonly called a scare tactic.

In addition, Jesus never once stated this.

In these verses, Jesus is speaking to his closest disciples first about their coming grief when their beloved Teacher will be persecuted by the institutional temple high priest and Romans: "you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices."

Jesus isn't simply saying that they will grieve and then they will have joy later on. He is specifically saying that their grief will turn into joy.

What turns grief into joy?

What situation could exist where grief actually turns into joy - especially that situation where the grief is regarding someone passing away and leaving them?

If we had a beloved grandmother, and the grandmother died and left us, we might grieve. But that type of grief will remain with us throughout our physical lifetime. Whenever we might think about the beloved grandmother, the grief would remain because we would continue to miss her.

And if we are interpreting Jesus to be speaking of a so-called second coming, some thousands of years later - how could that relieve the grieving of his students, who would pass away during the fist century B.C.?

Jesus then utilizes a parable - an analogy - describing how grief can turn into joy. He says:

"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world."

Jesus confirms this is comparable to the type of grief of his students when he follows with "So with you."

What does Jesus' analogy about childbirth mean?

When a woman is giving birth and experiencing the pain of childbirth, how is that comparable to the coming grief Jesus' disciples will experience? And how does the actual event of childbirth - which prompts the mother to forget those pains - compare to a joy Jesus' disciples will have when they reunite with Jesus?

The only way grief can turn to joy in this context is through an emotion called love. When a person loves someone and that person leaves them, they will typically grieve. This is the pain of separation. Then when they are reunited, that same pain of separation can turn to joy. In fact, the more pain they have in separation, the more joy they will feel when they are reunited.

Jesus' disciples came to love Jesus as not only their spiritual Teacher - but as God's representative. Through Jesus they can come to know the Supreme Being.

Jesus knows his disciples have become attached to him, and that many have established or are on their way towards establishing a loving relationship with God through their relationship with Jesus.

Such a relationship of love does not exclude God's representative.

Is this about an inclusive loving relationship?

We might compare what Jesus is telling them to a relationship between a friend who introduces us to another person, who becomes our friend. The new friendship will include the friendship with that person who introduced us. We don't bypass or suddenly forget our friendship with the person who introduced us.

As far as Jesus' points, it is an issue of love. Where love is concerned there are no boundaries. When a follower comes to know and love God through God's representative, that love includes God's representative.

In the last part of this statement, Jesus clarifies that the reuniting between him and his followers will be in the spiritual realm, rather than either his so-called "second coming" or even his reappearance to his disciples a few days after his persecution.

Consider carefully his statement:

"Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything."

What "day" would it be that Jesus' disciples would no longer ask him "anything"?

The word "day" is being translated from the Greek word ἡμέρα (hēmera), which can mean a 24-hour day or a particular time in general, according to the lexicon.

As long as Jesus' disciples were his students, they would continue to ask him questions. When Jesus reappeared to them a few days after his physical body was killed, they continued to ask him questions. So we know that Jesus is not talking about this reappearance.

So in what circumstance would they no longer have any questions?

Only when they had become fully aware - fully knowledgeable. This situation occurs only for those who return to the spiritual realm. Those who return to the spiritual realm no longer need to ask questions because they know the Truth. They have returned to their eternal loving relationship with God.

This is the meaning of "you will rejoice." The word "rejoice" has been translated from the Greek word χαίρω (chairō), which means to "be glad," "to be well" and "to thrive" according to the lexicon.

This means that when they return to the spiritual realm they will become happy. Why?

Is real happiness related to love?

Just consider the temporary feeling of happiness that comes upon a person who feels they have "fallen in love." That feeling is described by most as the sweetest happiness. Sweeter even than becoming popular or wealthy.

Yet as most of us know from experience, that happiness fades with time as we get to know the other person more and spend time with them. The happiness of "falling in love" may fade to friendship or even sometimes into a breakup and divorce in some relationships.

This is because while the feeling of falling in love is real - and it does bring some happiness in itself - here we typically fall in love with someone who will ultimately disappoint our expectation of a loving relationship.

This is because we are actually seeking a loving relationship with the Perfect Person. This is God - the Supreme Being. He is that soulmate each of us perpetually looks for but can never really find in the physical world.

And when a person falls in love with the Supreme Being, the happiness of that feeling overwhelms any sort of temporary pleasure of the physical world. Falling in love with God is the ultimate pleasure. It brings the ultimate happiness.

And Jesus could say that "no one will take away your joy" because love for God is transcendental to the physical world. No one can take away a person's love for God because it is not physical.

And the happiness brought upon by love for God does not fade. While falling in love with another human might fade as we come to see and deal with all their faults, this does not take place with God. The Supreme Person is ever-fresh. He is ever-lovable, and a person who loves God can never get enough of Him.

This was Jesus' primary teaching. He wanted his disciples to fall in love with God. And the love that he could see was developing within them would begin to blossom as their grief of Jesus' departure from the physical world expanded.

And love for God was the sum and substance of Jesus' teachings:

“‘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)

*Here is the translation of Jesus' statement from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

Jesus understood they wanted to question him, and he said to them, “Are you seeking amongst each other to understand why I said ‘soon you will not see me and soon after that you will see me?’ Very truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice while you grieve – but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor she is in pain because her time has come. But when she delivers the child, she no longer recalls the anguish because the child is born into the world. And you now will have grief, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice and no one can take your joy from you. And on that day you will ask me nothing. Very truly, I say to you, whatever you shall ask the Creator in my name, He will give it to you." (John 16:19-23)