What surprises and saddens me, among people of all faiths, is the idea of this earth, this life, being utterly disposable, a place to escape from without further delay.
I agree with the Buddhist idea of the transient and ephemeral, I agree with the teaching of Atma and Maya, I agree with all those teachings that suggest this condition is merely temporary … but then there is this:
Isaiah 65:17 – “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.” (65:17) and “‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure.’” (66:22)
2 Peter 3:13 – “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
Revelation 21:1 – “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” (21:1) and “Behold, I am making all things new.” (21:5).
St Paul goes on at length – “Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall all indeed rise again … and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
And St John: “We know, that, when he shall appear, we shall be like to him: because we shall see him as he is.”
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On solid metaphysics, my belief is that should this earth ‘pass away’ – then the Infinite will be to some infinitesimal degree, lesser than what it was, which it cannot be.
Ergo my belief is that the Mystery of which St Paul speaks is that the world will endure, but it shall be changed – that whereas now the spirit lives according to the material, that state will be reversed, and the correct hierarchy will be the material appears according to the will of the spiritual.
It’s not so much that we shall go somewhere else, rather that our eyes will be opened where we are, to speak in Quantum analogy, we will not be as insects caught in the web of some infinite and eternal entanglement, we shall be the Quantum itself, the place from when miracles are by no means impossible.
“AUM is the sound of the radiance of God. This is the most mysterious and important thing to understand, but once you get the idea, it’s very simple.”
“The secret to having a spiritual life as you move in the world is to hear the AUM is all things all the time.”
“‘OM…OM…OM…’ OM is the sound nature makes when it’s pleased with itself.”
(from Joseph Campbell, Reflections on the Art of Living)
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well”
(Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, 13th Revelation, Chapter 27)
Thomas 17/11/2023
Visit thread: https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/20904/