Archive for the ‘General’ Category

What About The Bible?

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

To begin to clarify some of the questions folks have sent to me concerning my beliefs about salvation, the Holy Spirit, heaven and hell… there is no better place to start than the Bible.  The concept of Bible Ascension is rooted in the teachings of the Bible.  But I have not always trusted the Bible to be a true source of spiritual wisdom.

My Early Bible History

As a young child I was taught that the Bible was the Word of God and therefore infallible.  My childhood denomination accepted every word of the scriptures in a literal fashion. We studied one version of the Bible, the King James. There was never any mention of other translations of the Bible, researching the original language for deeper meanings, or being led by the Spiritual of Wisdom and Revelation Knowledge for the hidden meaning.  Actually, I was never encouraged to question the literal interpretation of church doctrine in any form… this would have been to question God Himself!

Fortunately for me, my father was a deep spiritual thinker that did question the literal teachings of my childhood church… my mother’s church.  He did not interfere with what I was learning but I knew that there was “other” views of what the Bible meant.

After my mother’s death I left my childhood church in anger and rebellion.  As I share in my story, I rejected the church, the Bible, Jesus and God. Everything I had learned was now suspect and discarded.

College Days and Eastern Philosophy

As I began to search for new answers to my questions about spirituality, I was taught that the Bible was untrustworthy.  I was told that it might have been God’s word at one point but unscrupulous people had changed the Bible to control the masses. Things had been removed, mistranslations had occurred and the real message had been distorted.  Many of these teachers rejected the Bible but claimed that other ancient documents held a more accurate version of the truth.  Most of these early teachers were interested in Eastern religions and philosophies.

Metaphysical Explorations

As my search led me towards metaphysical studies, I was told again about the mistranslations and omissions of the Bible.  However, many of my spiritual teachers believed that Jesus was an important teacher and that the Bible did contain hidden meanings. These folks believed that some scriptures were trustworthy… especially those that reinforced one of their core beliefs.  Scriptures that did not support their particular philosophy were ignored or rejected.  Important ideas that were not included in the Bible were thought to have been there at one time but removed by the church leaders to have more control over the masses.

Where Did All The Bibles Go?

One thing I noticed in both of these “broad” groups is that no one actually studied the Bible.  Most of their ideas on the Bible were based on what they had been taught and not on actual experiences studying the Bible.

When I moved into Metaphysical Christian churches I was struck by the lack of Bibles present… even in a Bible study group.  We studied books about the Bible and what others had written about Jesus, but never the actual Bible.  Later, when I started teaching in Metaphysical Christian churches there was always someone who came up to me after my talk and said something like this, “I really would rather you did not talk about the Bible so much. People here are uncomfortable with all the Bible talk.”   I kid you not!  But I am getting a head of myself

Answering My Bible Questions

The Bible is a part of my core being.  As a child I memorized many scriptures and participated in sword drills, a competition for demonstrating one’s ability to quickly locate scriptures.  Now I did question it’s authority, it’s accuracy, and it’s validity especially after I left the church. I even stopped studying or reading it for many years.  But I never got those scriptures out of me nor did I lose my love for Jesus.

When God directed me to return to my childhood denomination, I was filled with questions about the Bible. I spent long hours with a young minister asking my questions and challenging his beliefs.  Fortunately, he was not threatened by my questions.  He was a very smart and confident man who was skilled in Bible study.  He patiently answered my questions and suggested that I study the Bible for myself.  He guided me on how to study the Bible and gave me numerous study guides to take home with me.   We met every week for several months.  I am so thankful for this young minster. He was quite a gift to me!

One day I walked into his office gripping a Bible in my hands.  I said to him, “If only 1% of this is true, I know why those Charismatic Christians are jumping up and down and shouting.”  I had discovered the Promises of God and they were powerful!  His guidance that day has become a core part of my spiritual path.  He said, “If you always use the Bible as your foundation, you will find the Truth you seek.”

My journey led me back and forth from Charismatic Christian churches to alternative spiritual groups and Metaphysical Christian churches.  I have recounted this story on the page about the Author.  You can read more detail there.

What I Have Learned

I was following the promptings of the Spirit on my search for truth.  Here are a few things I discovered about the Bible along the way:

1. There were unscrupulous people trying to keep the Bible away from the masses so that they could control them. However, they did not actually change or remove things from the Bible. Their method to keep the Bible away from the masses was to refuse to allow anyone but priest to see or study the Bible.  They could not have removed the hidden mysteries that we are studying because they did not understand those truths.

2. Many people lost their lives for printing and distributing the Bible in the language of every day people.  There was a great battle for the privilege of personal Bible study.  The church did not want to lose control of the Bible and have people thinking for themselves.  Fortunately for us they did lose control.

Today we have easy access to the Bible. We can choose from a variety of translations and easily go back to the original text and determine if we agree with that particular translation of the Bible.  We are not stuck with only a literal interpretation of one version of the Bible.  We can study the meanings of particular scriptures and entire topics for ourselves. In addition, there are tons of commentaries we can read and discover how others have interpreted those scriptures.  It is an amazing time to be studying the Bible!

3. There are some mistranslations in the Bible. However, it is much less than you might think. The Hebrew people were extremely cautious about protecting the Word of God and for them that is actually what their scriptures were… God speaking directly to them.  No transcriber would dare make an error and they devised ways to ensure accuracy.  An example is that each letter on a line of scripture was counted so that errors in translations could be easily caught.

4. The Lamsa translation of the Bible from ancient eastern manuscripts is often heralded by Metaphysical Christians as proof of Bible mistranslations.  However, I do not find any differences in the main message of the Bible on Jesus, redemption, and what we are calling Bible Ascension.  There are some evidences of errors but in my opinion these are insignificant to the over all Bible message.  You can study this topic further but searching for George Lamsa.

By the way the ancient manuscripts that George Lamsa translated were untouched by the Nicene Council so the beliefs concerning the omission of certain occult topics do not seem to be supported in Dr Lamsa’s work.  Google George Lamsa to learn more.  The supposed effect of the Nicene Council on the Bible was a very important concern for me in my journey to accept the Bible as a foundation for my spiritual truths.

5. Many fundamental Christians are satisfied with a literal interpretation of Bible scriptures. Part of the reason for this is that they are seeing the Bible only through their human perspective. The Bible is a spiritual book and must be understood with spiritual eyes.  If we try to understand it without the Spirit of wisdom and revelation knowledge we will end up with a very limited and natural interpretation of a spiritual message.   Pray the prayer Paul prayed in the first chapter of Ephesians so that you can be led of the Spirit and understand the hidden mysteries of the Bible.

6.  Often Metaphysical Christians reject Bible teachings because of their fear of omissions and mistranslations.  However, they still believe the Bible is sacred.  I believe this has led to an undue focus on symbolism in the Bible.  This is based on the idea that if the Bible is sacred and we can not trust the literal meaning, then we must look for the spiritual meaning in the symbolism of names, places etc in the Bible.  The idea is that truth can only be found in these hidden places.  Although I agree that there is much symbolism in the Bible and I appreciate those who uncover interesting gems from their searches, it is my opinion that the Bible mysteries are hidden in plain sight.

7. Here is the bottom line for me… The Bible is not a scientific or historical treatise. The Bible is a revelation of God’s will and plan for humanity now and in the ages to come. The Old Testament contains a history of a particular line of humanity that were destined to protect God’s Word (His Will, Plan, Promises, Law, Prophecies) given through prophets and the genetic code for the incarnation of the Christ.  These people were kept separate from the other folks living on the earth so that the message and the genetic code would not be contaminated by outside influences  until Christ was incarnated on the earth to complete his earthly mission.

The New Testament is an unveiling of the new species of Divine Beings and God’s plan for the ages to come.   The truth is there but it is hidden from the natural mind and must be discerned by the spiritual mind.  This is a spiritual document about spiritual truths concerning a new species of spiritual beings.

8. I have decided… and it is a decision, to based my teachings concerning Bible Ascension on the Bible.  For me so many of the understandings I have uncovered are right there on the written page. Sometimes I wonder why I did not see them before and why so many other folks who are frequent readers of the Bible do not see them!  I know part of it is my own spiritual growth and part of it is due to the times in which we live.  Greater and greater revelation knowledge of the supernatural realms are being revealed to us now.

So as I answer these questions I am going to refer to what I see in the Bible and not standard teachings of either the traditional Christian church or the Metaphysical/Alternative spiritual paths.  I have studied both and learned have learned so much.  However, Jesus told me to step on the path of Bible Ascension and lock the door behind me.  This requires that I depend upon and teach ideas that are supported by the word God as given through the Bible.

9. I promise to be honest. I promise to tell you what has been revealed to me and to tell you what I have yet to understand. As I told you in the last post… I do not have all the answers but God does.  And He has promised to reveal it to us if we seek the truth.  I believe that promise with all me heart.

10. You are not going to agree with everything I believe. But let us agree to disagree in love. I honor your God given right to choose what you believe. There will never be true peace among diverse groups of people unless we decide to respect our differences of opinions.  This is important to me.  I am so tired of people getting in a huff over someone disagreeing with them.

Trust the Spirit to guide your studies! That is the best anyone can do as we seek to find the Truth!

I wrote this post this morning because I realized that I will not have time to complete the audio I promised in my last post. I will be traveling much of this week.

Keep your eyes open the answers are coming soon!

Be Blessed,

Marty Dow

My Journey to Bible Ascension

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Yesterday I received a comment from a reader that I wanted to share on the site. The question and the answer might be of benefit to others. The reader wanted more specifics on my spiritual journey.  Here is the question and my answer….

Here is what the reader wrote:

You’re website is very interesting.  I’d be curious to hear some of the specifics of your travels in alternative spirit circles and the relation you found with Christ and the Bible.  Do you discuss these specifics anywhere?

My answer:

I am not sure exactly what you are asking me… It sounds like you want to know the relationship of specific alternative paths that I might have explored with Christ and the Bible.  I am not sure of the emphasis here.

Are you more curious about what specific paths I explored on my journeys or are you more interested in how particular paths relate to Christ and the Bible?

Let me give you a general answer and maybe something more specific when I hear back from you.

My Approach To Seeking God Was Eclectic

I have always been very eclectic in my approach to spiritual questions. Well not always… As I mentioned in my introduction and on the about the author pages, I grew up in a very traditional Southern Baptist Church. So I began my journey in a very closed environment.  I have always been an avid reader and I became introduced to other ideas about God through reading, often to the dismay of my parents.  My exploration broadened when I went to college and began to live on my own free to make my own decisions.

Alternative Paths I Have Studied

I have studied many ideas, through reading and conversations with other folks but I am not an expert in any particular area.  My most intense focus has been in New Thought Christianity, just as Unity, Science of Mind. Also I have studied and read teachings on the Ascended Masters such as the Teachings of the Masters of the Far East, The I AM materials, and the teachings of the Theosophical Society.  Most of these paths have some emphasis on Jesus and the understanding of a Cosmic Christ.  I would broadly categorize these teachings as metaphysical and some of them as metaphysical Christianity.  But I am not a scholar and I am sure a scholar in any of these areas when argue with me about such a broad category.

Where I Studied The Bible

On the other hand I am also NOT a Bible scholar.  I have never gone to a Bible College.  I have certainly studied the Bible and read many different ideas about what the Bible means.   I have studied Bible ideas with traditional Christians, Charismatic Christians, Faith Christians, Metaphysical Christians and what I call New Age Christians.  These are those who are actively involved in New Age beliefs but also love Jesus and see him as a very important teacher/guide but not a savior.

My Limited Experience With Eastern Religions

I imagine from your name that you might be interested in Eastern philosophies.  I have read Yoganada and practiced some Hatha Yoga.  It was while considering joining an ashram that Jesus came to me in a dream.  I describe this dream in detail on the Bible Ascension site.   But my understanding is very limited in these areas of religious studies.

I know some about Buddhism… very little about Hindu… almost nothing about Islam.

The Spirit Guided My Studies

As you can read on the Bible Ascension blog, my path was led by divine guidance. I would study with one group for months or years and then wake up one morning with instructions to move on to another group.  Sometimes over my loud and arduous objections but I followed this guidance as best I could out of love and commitment to God. I did not know the “Truth” but I trusted the inner voice that was directing my studies.  I often felt isolated and alone on my path because people would misunderstand my leaving their group as a rejection of them and/or their beliefs. Nevertheless, I followed what I understood to be the direction of God for me.

Well there is a general description of the multiple alternative paths I have explored.  In summary, I must say that I am NOT an expert in any one of them. I have learned many things on my journeys. Sometimes it felt as if I was studying with these groups or a particular author to glean one very specific piece of information.  At other times it felt that I was there to see correlation between those ideas and ideas taught in the Bible.

My Purpose Is Revealed

I often wondered if part of my purpose/mission was to teach about the differences and similarities between the different paths but that was not to be.  I am actually not knowledgeable in any one path to teach the intricacies of that path.  But as I have come to discover that was not God’s plan for me.

After many years of constant search and exploration, I awoke one morning to a new instruction.  I was to step on the path of Bible Ascension and lock the door behind me. I would never step off of this path. I would never need to study any other path again. The path of believing the Gospel of Glory as told in the Bible was my path to the Ascension.  That day I stepped onto this path, closed and locked the door behind, and I have never looked back. I know this is my path and sharing this message with others is my mission. I am so thankful because I know that I am home!

The Message I Was Commissioned To Share

So what is my message…

I am a disciple of Jesus the Incarnation of the Cosmic Christ. I am commissioned to share the story of the Gospel of Glory, which I call Bible Ascension, with those who are on alternative spiritual paths.  I have been told that there are many seekers on these alternative paths that belong to Jesus. They have been religiously wounded in the past but have never lost the deep connection to Christ. They are still looking for their answers and have not yet found them.  The Spirit told me that they would recognize the truth when they heard it. My job is to simply share the mysteries of this Gospel of Glory that are hidden in plain sight in the Bible with all who are attracted to my voice, my language, and to the message that I share.

It does not matter to me if it is one person or 10,000.  My job is to explain the hidden truths of Bible Ascension to all those that are willing to hear these truths in the language and style that was given to me. The Lord of Glory will call those who are meant to hear this message and direct them to my message/ministry when they are ready. The Lord of Glory will open their hears so that they can hear and understand.

I am certain that my message, my voice, my language is not for everyone.  The Spirit told me that only those who resonate to my vibration would be attracted to this ministry. He told me that he had other messengers to share the message with those who are of a different vibrations.  The message is the same.  “The same Lord… the same Spirit… the same Gospel.”  It is the style, language and focus that is unique to each group.

As disciples of Christ, we are never going to agree on everything. However, we must all learn to walk in love and respect obeying the Master’s command of love.

People come to Jesus from many different perspectives and levels of awareness.  My ministry and message is just one of those doorways.

I hope this was helpful to you.

In His Glory,

Marty Dow

Ambassador of His Glory

To learn more about me, the message, and the ministry I suggest that you review the Welcome page, Introduction page, and Author page.

Send Me Your Comments

If any of you have questions or comments please use the comment form.  At this time I do not allow comments directly to the blog but I might chance that situation in the future.  For now write to me directly using the comment form. I read all of them! If my answer applies to others I may include it in a post like this one.  I love hearing from you.

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The Gospel of Glory

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Welcome!

Today I would like to share with you more information on the Gospel of Glory… the birth of a new species of Divine Beings filled with the Glory of God, walking the earth as supernatural beings, doing the works of Christ.

I begin this Bible study in the book of Colossians.  In this recording, we will discuss how the process of faith used to manifest the Glory of God is no different than that used to enhance your human life. It is the power of your human consciousness connected with the power of the Gospel of Glory, combined with the spiritual force of faith that brings this new reality into your life.

Listen in as I share these truths with you!

To hear the audio lesson online, click on arrow to the left of the audio. To download the audio to your hard drive, right click the link and choose “save target”. Feel free to make your own CD so that you can listen to this talk in your car or any where you would like to listen.

Audio Lesson

This recording is approximately 30 minutes long.

The Gospel of Glory From Colossians Pt One

Comments

I don’t allow comments on the post but if you have a comment on this teaching and would like to share it with me directly, please visit our comment page to send an email to me. I would love to hear your comments and you might find my response on an upcoming post.

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Pray For America

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

We are at the precipice of tremendous change in America. Right now everyone is feeling inspired to be more than what they ever considered possible. The atmosphere for rising into a new level of consciousness is prevasive. This is what we have all been waiting for!

Commit to pray for America and the world. Pray that the light will break forth in the hearts of people all over this great planet. Pray that the yearnings for higher consciousness will manifest in activities of love, light, forgiveness, and peace all across the world.

God bless us all!

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for email updates on the Metaphysical Bible Study Blog by filling in the sign up form on the Register Now page.  We’ll send you a FREE copy of the Odes of Solomon: One Man’s Journey Into Bible Ascension.

Let Love Be Your Service

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

President Obama is encouraging all of us to commit to serve one another. May I suggest that you commit to using the Spiritual Force of Love every day to change your life and world. Learn how you can transform your relationships, overcome seemingly impossible situations and improve your self esteem with a little known technique that only takes 5 minutes a day.

Download your free copy of the 5 Minute Miracle e-book and begin to use the power of love to change your life and the world. Share the idea with friends by using the referral link at the Love website.

Click here and get started using love in your life every day!  It’s FREE!

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for email updates on the Metaphysical Bible Study Blog by filling in the sign up form on the Register Now page.  We’ll send you a FREE copy of the Odes of Solomon: One Man’s Journey Into Bible Ascension.

Hope For The Future

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

Congratulations to Barack Obama!

President Obama is signaling a great change for America and the World. He is inspiring people to rise to a new level of being… one of love, hope, faith, and respect for all people.

What a great time in which we live!

If you enjoyed this post, sign up for email updates on the Metaphysical Bible Study Blog by filling in the sign up form on the Register Now page.  We’ll send you a FREE copy of the Odes of Solomon: One Man’s Journey Into Bible Ascension.