Nearly two thousand years have elapsed since the man Jesus ascended into the sky in the sight of his eleven devoted disciples, never to be seen again. Having heard him speak of his return to the earthly plane on several occasions, the Eleven were under the false impression that Jesus’ return would be imminent, at least within the scope of their own lifetimes. But not only was this not the case; we now know that it has not happened over the course of the past two thousand years of human history.
In the meantime, the world of men has changed beyond recognition. And in our new world it is obvious that Jesus, as his disciples once knew him, should he return now, would be constrained to live and minister much differently than he did two thousand years ago. In our world there no longer exists such a thing as an itinerant healer-preacher. Nowadays healing comes almost exclusively via the medical profession, and all information, including spiritual teaching, is passed along digitally on an electronic device called a computer. Nowadays people drive along on sleek highways in fast moving motor vehicles and, as a rule, the only walking they do is from a parking lot to a building. Nowadays in order to be a bona fied teacher one needs an advanced college degree and several letters after one’s name. Nowadays public executions are rare indeed and stone tombs obsolete. And the only time anyone rises up into the sky in bodily form is in the seat of an airplane or a space capsule. No, if Jesus were to return now, he would definitely have some major adjusting to do. In fact, the idea at this point is so far-fetched that it borders on being ludicrous. Would Jesus now seek to be certified by a religious seminary? Would he now wear a suit and tie? Would he drive a Mercedes? Would he now operate out of a corporate office on the twenty-third floor of a high-rise?
Perhaps one of the saddest indictments against our modern world is that there is simply no longer a place in it for someone like Jesus. And it is not just how he lived; it is who he was. Two thousand years ago there was barely a place for him in our world. There was no room for him at the Inn in Bethlehem, so that Mary had to give birth to him in a cattle shed. But at least he was able to be born somewhere and thereby enter human society. Then as a young man he would go on to establish a public persona and attract a sizable following. But now all this would be virtually impossible. The man Jesus would have no place and no voice. In his day men hated him and felt deeply threatened by him, but their strong reactions to him showed that at least they took him seriously. Nowadays Jesus would have no voice whatsoever because no one would even take him seriously. In all likelihood he would be swiftly removed from society and locked safely away in a mental institution as just another deranged young man with a Jesus complex.
These observations about our times, while perhaps somewhat humorous, raise some serious questions about Jesus and his teaching. Why did he speak about a second coming, if it has never happened and would now be an impossibility? Does this mean that in uttering this particular prophecy he had some other motive in mind, such as encouraging and giving hope to his disciples? Or does it mean that he was in error and was not a true prophet after all? Then there is the question about how this one mistaken unfulfilled prophecy affects his overall credibility. How does being wrong on a major prophetic utterance such as this one impact the rest of his teaching? Would it not invalidate his entire message? And isn’t this inconsistency one of the main justifications used by unbelievers and scoffers? Even those that are sincere about seeking God and adding a spiritual dimension to their lives are perplexed about this matter. Jesus seems to have tarried too long, and now the idea of his return is simply unrealistic and fantastical.
Over the past two thousand years the world of men has gotten very strong and arrogant in its unbelief. It has effectually endorsed a reality view that not only leaves no room for Jesus; it leaves no room for God either. True, it has seemingly sanctioned organized religion as a legitimate channel of expression for people of this archaic persuasion. But in reality, everything about modern life contradicts even this sanctioning and exposes it as being nothing more than an act of appeasement on the part of the powers-that-be. They don’t believe in it one iota, and their attitude of unbelief has clearly become the attitude of the mainstream collective cultural entity of man. It goes without saying that the powers-that-be of human society would have much preferred that there had never been a man like Jesus, or at least that the testimony about his life and deeds would have been nipped in the bud and forgotten long ago. But that is not what happened. Not only did that testimony survive and go forth; it has endured with life- changing power even to this day. As a result the powers-that-be have had to work overtime at damage control throughout this age, one aspect of which was to sanction organized (state) religion as the only legitimate venue for spiritual expression and another of which was to take a hands-on approach as to the content being bantered about by the religious institutions it had sanctioned. Thus it has unabashedly introduced heretical doctrines, tampered with scripture, etc. But still the true testimony about Jesus has endured, and its power has never been undermined.
Somewhat mysteriously, however, the true testimony about Jesus has always been veiled and hidden from most men. Why is this? Because that was the best way to insure that it would survive in our world’s climate of unbelief and oppression. In order to accomplish this Jesus himself used smokescreens, one of which was to speak and teach in parables and another of which was to let himself be called the Messiah and the Son of God without addressing the misconceptions that he knew men associated with these two titles. Meanwhile, he referred to himself most often as the Son of Man and never explained to anyone (that we know of) the significance of this title and why he chose to use it.
Sure enough, the titles Messiah and Son of God have proven to be diversionary titles that have weeded out the insincere and allowed the true testimony inherent in the title Son of Man to be securely preserved. The former titles not only served to distract and divert; they became the main fodder for the false doctrines that took root in the Church, while the latter title was completely overlooked as being quirky and insignificant, thereby escaping the scrutiny of the powers-that-be.
But the truth about Jesus is that nothing he did was quirky, and not a single word he spoke was frivolous or insignificant. Not only was he a true prophet; he was, in actuality, the greatest prophet that has ever lived. For he was the prophet who came bearing the message that would ultimately bring down the status quo reign of Adamic man and usher in the New Age of mankind’s enlightenment and evolutionary fulfillment.
Most of what Jesus prophesied has already come to pass exactly as he said it would. Less than forty years after his ascension the women of Jerusalem were indeed saying, “Blessed are the childless,” as they watched their city be razed to the ground by the Roman army and fled for their lives. Then the glorious temple of the Jews that the disciples so loved and admired was left without “one stone upon another.” In the same way everything Jesus said about the return of the Christ will surely come to pass for all men to see and acknowledge. But first we must learn to unveil the true meaning of his words. In fact, we are already witnessing the fulfillment of this great prophecy, but we have yet to understand that when Jesus spoke of a second coming he was not referring to a new incarnation of the man Jesus; he was speaking of the evolutionary fulfillment of mankind embodied in the title Son of Man. Thus we have dismissed his use of this title as quirky, when, in fact, it was meant to be a prophecy in its own right—one upon which the fulfillment of the age rests.
True prophecy is never a matter of guesswork. It is never based on a hunch or on weighing the odds. It is never the outgrowth of an emotion or feeling. Rather true prophecy is always based squarely on law—universal created law. In most cases the law that a true prophet invokes is the law of cause and effect—the law that says: as you sow, so shall you reap. But there are other equally binding laws at work on the earthly plane—laws pertaining to the activity of God and the properties of human spiritual consciousness. These were the laws that Jesus responded to and felt compelled to act out.
So it is that all true prophets are also scientists. But the science they dabble in is not so much natural science, such as that which concerns the scientists of our world; it is the spiritual science of divinity and consciousness evolution. The true prophet possesses an instinctual knowledge of the properties of the divine impulse and the intricacies of human consciousness. This knowledge cannot be learned in a university. In fact, it cannot be learned at all. Rather it is an inward capacity that not all human beings possess. That is why there have not been more true prophets. No one chooses to be a prophet. It is a gift that one either has or does not have—a gift that does not have a human basis. Neither can anyone appoint themselves to be a prophet, because their presumption will eventually be put to the test and found wanting.
Jesus of Nazareth was the greatest prophet our world has ever known because his knowledge about the properties of divinity and human consciousness had no rival. This was also what made him a master teacher. No one knew his stuff better.
Moreover, Jesus was the greatest scientist our world has ever known. For, not only did he possess an unparalleled knowledge of the spiritual sciences; he also was a natural scientist of the highest order. That was why he often used nature metaphors in his teaching. It was almost as though his instinctual knowledge of the spiritual sciences made him a master of natural science as well—an order of revelatory insight that does not necessarily work the other way around.
But clearly Jesus’ specialty was “God science,” and this was what concerned him the most. No one that we know of has ever known God more intimately, and no one has ever understood the intricacies of human consciousness to the extent that he did. And it was his mastery of these two sciences that made him the greatest prophet our world has ever known.
Jesus knew how God operated. He understood that God was not a personal deity, such as those that the pagans infused human civilization with. He had gained the full revelation that God is Spirit and that God’s law is immutable and eternal—that the laws of our universe that were set in place in the act of creation are not only still in operation; they are, always have been, and always will be binding upon all the creatures that inhabit the earthly plane, including man. This is what he meant when he said that he did not come to abolish the law, but rather to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). For, he could not have abolished the law anymore than you or I can. No earthly creature can do that. But Jesus could fulfill the law. How? By teaching the truth of spiritual science and prophetically alluding to that science’s ultimate outworking. Such a teaching not only planted the seeds of evolution in human consciousness; it also embodied the prophecy that spoke of the end of the age and the dawning of a New Age of man’s enlightenment—the prophecy of the second coming of the Christ.
Human consciousness has been evolving ever since the light of the knowledge of good and evil went on in Adam’s mind. This is not because men have willed it to evolve. In fact, men have done everything in their power to try to thwart the evolutionary impetus of human consciousness. But the evolution of consciousness cannot be thwarted because it is under the jurisdiction of the created scientific laws of our universe—laws that no man can abolish or change. It is equally true, however, that the law of human consciousness evolution has yet to be fulfilled. If it had been, disease, poverty, war, and death would have disappeared from the human scene long ago. Even Jesus’ first advent could not bring that fullness to pass. Why not? Because human consciousness evolution, like all forms of evolution, is governed by universal law and, as such, has its own timetable. Jesus knew all this very well. He knew that the law of human consciousness evolution was not even close to being fulfilled in his day. So he prophesied of a future day when men would be ready for such an evolvement. And he called that day: the second coming of the Christ.
But not only did Jesus prophesy concerning this most crucial matter; he also did his part to hasten the day. How? By sowing the seeds of evolution in human consciousness through the imparting of spiritual truth. In doing this, Jesus was not alone. The fact is that there have been many truth teachers or spiritual masters that have lived among us and accomplished the same feat during their lifetimes. This has been mandated by the nature of human consciousness. For, in order to evolve, human consciousness must have the “food” of spiritual truth. That is why there have been historical periods, in which a great thrust in the collective consciousness of man took place and periods, in which almost no discernible progress was made. Everything has hinged on the work of these spiritual teachers and the spreading of their message in human society. Thus the greatest drama of our age has revolved around the lives and activities of these teachers. For, never have they had a clear unimpeded venue for doing what they did. Rather they have always met with fierce opposition from the status quo element of human society—an element that has been intent upon subverting the evolution of consciousness and thereby keeping men stuck in a lower evolutionary state since the beginning of the age.
But Jesus knew that a day would come when even the calculated efforts of the status quo would not be able to hold back the tide of human consciousness evolution—a day that would not only spell the end for the status quo but also signal the end of the age and the dawning of a New Age of man. This New Age would reflect the evolutionary fruition of a veritable multitude of individuals—individuals from all corners of the globe. Thus in that day the title Son of Man will not only be understood in all its grandeur; it will be applicable to more than just one man—many many more. Jesus foresaw all this through his prophetic gift, and that was why he insisted on referring to himself most often as the Son of Man. It was a strictly prophetic use of self—alliteration.
The title Son of Man not only speaks of a multitudinous spiritual evolvement of humanity; it also describes the evolutionary aspect of son-ship. In other words, the Son of Man is somebody’s son—only this son-ship is not biological; it is spiritual. It involves only human consciousness. In this light, the father of the Son of Man is, just as the title suggests, man. And who is this man? It is our ancient ancestor Adam. And who was Adam? He was not our biological father; he was our spiritual father. He represented human consciousness in its primitive beginning stage. Meanwhile, Jesus happened on the scene as the first evolution son of Adam. His humanness linked him to Adam, but his consciousness was as different from Adam’s as night is to day. Thus he was Adam’s first spiritual son. But he knew that he would not be the only one. He would be the first of many to follow. So it is that when Jesus used the title Son of Man he was actually speaking of a new race of man—just as the consciousness of Adam had come to define the human race, as we have known it up until now.
But Jesus also referred to himself on occasion as the Son of God or the Messiah (Christ). Did this mean that he was purposefully drawing lines of exclusion between himself and other men on those occasions? No, of course not. Rather his prophetic vision for the evolutionary Son of Man encapsulated these two titles as well. In other words, the race of the Son of Man would also be a race of the Sons of God and a race of Christs. For, all men and women, once they fully evolve in consciousness, become the children of God. Moreover, one of the most defining aspects of this evolution of consciousness it that it involves the raising up of the Christ Spirit within the psyche of each and every individual. Thus not only will we all become a part of the race of the Son of Man; we will also be called the children of God and the Christ, just as the man Jesus was.
This is the true meaning of Jesus’ prophecy about his second coming. This prophecy has been grossly misinterpreted as referring only to the return of the man Jesus. But such an event would not only be highly improbable at this point; it would be in contradiction to universal law. This is because the body of a human being is a biological entity—one that after death and the departure from the earthly plane dissolves and can never be reconstituted. Only our spiritual consciousness holds this distinction. It moves through lifetime after lifetime fluidly, in harmony with universal law.
Does this imply that Jesus, the father of the race of the Son of Man, will not be a part of the New Age? Certainly not. Jesus will be here in two ways—first, as an individual incarnation of consciousness and second, as the collective Spirit of the Christ. For, in that day individual consciousness will no longer be readily discernible or emphasized, like it is now. Rather all mankind will be of one united consciousness, and individual diversity will all but cease. So, Jesus will most certainly be here, but not as the biological entity he was two thousand years ago. Rather his biological apparatus will be new and modern, and this will enable him to adapt to the cultural-technological innovations of the New Age.
How will we know or recognize Jesus in that day? We will know him in ourselves. For, if we each become the Son of Man we will also become the Christ. Thus the earth will be filled with Christs. We will all be changed into his likeness, and the age of Adam will give way to the New Age of the Christ. In this way Jesus’ prophecy of the second coming of the Christ will be gloriously fulfilled, and when that happens all prophecy will end.