The Gnostic Gospels

Throughout his life, Jesus dedicated himself to imparting the mysteries and philosophical beliefs of the Mystery Schools to his male and female disciples. He passed on these spiritual and mental tenets to his followers, who in turn passed them down. The New Testament once recorded these esoteric messages through relatively subtle means (such as telling parables or describing miracles).

Some of the wisdom in Jesus' teachings is also hidden in the Gospels of the Bible. Unfortunately, when some later Christian officials edited the New Testament, they deleted most of Jesus' teachings that were rooted in the ancient Mystery Schools, consigning them to obscurity from the general public.

In the 20th century, near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, the Gnostic Gospels were unearthed. This is a collection of biblical texts that contains some of Jesus' teachings and information about his life. Jesus was a real historical figure—he existed in history, living, loving, laughing, crying, and suffering pain just like each of us.

Since the content of the Gnostic Gospels is based on the teachings of the ancient Mystery Schools and Jesus Christ, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of Jesus, this great teacher—not by regarding him as a god-like being, but as a highly evolved person who bore a mission for humanity.

As a human being, Jesus also had normal needs and feelings regarding love and sexuality. This fact is clearly described in the Gospel of Philip (one of the original texts preserved in the Nag Hammadi collection):

Mary Magdalene was the companion of the Savior. Yet Christ loved her more than all the other disciples and often kissed her on the lips. This displeased the other disciples... They said to Jesus, "Why do you love her more than us?"The Savior replied, "Why cannot I love you as I love her?"

The four traditionally "recognized" Gospels (the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) show that Jesus appeared in an extraordinarily large number of places during his short ministry. This leads some readers to believe that Jesus was omnipresent, or that there was someone who looked just like Jesus assisting him in his work.If this is true, it will inevitably give rise to questions and speculations, leading to different interpretations even regarding the birth and death of the Master Jesus.

There is a gospel in Gnosticism that mentions a twin brother of Jesus. Moreover, in the Gospel of Thomas, which many scholars regard as a record of Jesus' authentic words, there is a particularly astonishing statement (source cited above):

During his lifetime, Jesus spoke some confidential teachings, which were recorded by his twin brother, Judas Thomas. The reason for citing evidence from these texts and works in this chapter is to enhance the credibility of the content that follows.

The following dialogue is from the author's incarnation during Jesus' era. This conversation between Jesus and his disciple is particularly important; please keep an open mind while reading it.

The Death of Jesus

On his deathbed, the Master Jesus lay in a secluded bedroom of the Essene Mystery School, where the teachings of the ancient mystery schools were imparted. It was the second year of the reign of Trajan, the Roman Emperor. It is said that Jesus was nearly 109 years old that year.

For nearly 70 years, Jesus had overseen his organization on Mount Carmel (the location of the Essene Mystery School) while instructing his disciples.

Matthias, a former tax collector and the grandson of Matthew (one of Jesus' disciples), sat on a chair beside Jesus' bed, gazing at Jesus' aged face. A sorrowful smile appeared on Matthias' young, bearded face. Jesus looked back at him with his beautiful blue eyes—eyes that were still as bright and insightful as ever.

"Matthias, my young friend and disciple, do not grieve so," Jesus smiled, curving the corners of his mouth. "After all, everything in this world follows its own cycle. Death is merely the continuation of life in a higher form."

"But Master," Matthias cried out in anguish, "we will miss You terribly."

"Remember what I have taught you, Matthias. There is no death—never has been. The human soul is eternal and connected by blood to God; what dies is the body we temporarily inhabit while on Earth. We are souls that possess bodies, not the other way around. When our physical form can no longer serve as a dwelling for the soul, we move out of this 'room,' vibrate at a higher frequency, and return to the Kingdom of Heaven. There, we will rest, reflect on our past life, and receive special teachings. When we are ready, we will return to Earth once more, entering the body of a soon-to-be-born infant. We will repeat this process again and again until we have learned all our lessons in the material plane of this existence." Jesus lifted his right hand and placed it over the young disciple’s clasped hands. "Do not worry. In Heaven, in the afterlife, we will all meet again."

These words gave Matthias strength. He unclenched his tight fists, gently took hold of Jesus’ hand, then sat back in his chair and rested his hands on his thighs. "You summoned me here. As soon as I received the message, I came at once."

"Yes, I am glad you are here. My time is very limited, but I must tell you some things from the past—things that concern you. The manuscripts your grandfather Matthew wrote before his death are good, but they are still incomplete."

Thinking of his old friend and disciple, Jesus could barely hold back his tears. "You must understand: my teachings are based on the ancient wisdom of Atlantis and Egypt. This is a spiritual way of life, not a religion—and it should never become one. I have great worries about this."

The young man lowered his head, exchanging a wordless glance with the Master, and thought of the changes he had experienced in his own life. He knew Jesus was right. "I know. You are referring to Paul of Tarsus, and those others who have distorted the true teachings."

The Master’s face was still handsome, yet when he replied to Matthias, it wrinkled in pain. "Paul distresses me greatly. He has twisted my teachings and sermons. He hates women, does everything he can to belittle them, and classifies them as inferior beings. He has influenced many men in positions of power, turning my organization into a patriarchal system. But all teachings and gospels should be spread by both male and female disciples alike. Many of my disciples were women. The Creator God—the Supreme Being—possesses both masculine and feminine traits within Himself. These two energies are both necessary for the manifestation of life."

Jesus closed his eyes to rest for a moment, focusing on his breathing. His life force was fading rapidly. Then he opened his eyes again and continued: "I want you to record what I have said, as well as the stories I am about to tell. Matthias, your memory is excellent, so you may listen to me first, and after I pass away later, you can write down these words in a document."

Matthias sat in his chair, leaning forward and listening intently.

Jesus took a slow, deep breath into his faltering lungs: “I want to talk about the so-called crucifixion and resurrection—it weighs somewhat heavily on me.”

The young disciple raised his eyebrows in surprise: “Why does this miracle weigh on You?”

The Master struggled to lift his right hand, gesturing for his young friend to be quiet.

“When I was 40 years old, I had been engaged in teaching and ministry for four years. Then a dangerous situation arose. The Sanhedrin¹ and other authorities were jealous of my influence over the people; they wanted to have me put to death, so they sent a spy to be around me, monitoring my every move. They set a trap to lure me and my core group of twelve disciples to Jerusalem for Passover, planning to arrest me there, defame me, and then crucify me.

“Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and an ally who supported our teachings, risked great danger to meet me secretly near the village of Bethany and told me about this conspiracy.

“Beside a cluster of olive trees, all of us—including your grandfather Matthew—gathered around a small campfire to discuss countermeasures late into the night. In fact, it was Matthew who came up with a way to deal with this life-threatening crisis. He proposed that my twin brother Judah could help us. The only thing that could tell me and Judah apart was that he had brown eyes, not blue ones.

Jesus paused, struggling to catch his breath several times. His eyes closed, and his face contorted in agony. Finally, he regained his composure. “In any case, we decided to let Judah act as my temporary substitute, just as he had done before. My brother shared the same spiritual beliefs as me; he fully agreed to this decision and was wholeheartedly willing to help us. Unfortunately, during Passover, the plan went awry.”

“On that night so long ago, it was my twin brother Judah who was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas Iscariot, fearing for his own life, identified Judah as the Master and kissed him on the cheek. Thus, Judah was brought before Pontius Pilate¹. This governor reluctantly condemned him—Pilate disliked the Jews but was tolerant of my teachings. In fact, he had ordered his Roman soldiers not to break Judah’s legs, hoping to rescue him from the cross before he died. This Roman governor may have been cruel to some, but for some reason, he held a degree of respect for the gentle Essenes and their way of life.

“Judah was crucified in my place, and this triggered a mild earthquake and a fierce storm. As this terrible event unfolded further, my disciples Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea secretly went to Pontius Pilate and begged him to take their Master down from the cross. Pilate agreed quickly; he hastily drew up an order to suspend the execution and handed the document to the two men.

“Due to the fierce storm and earthquake, very few people remained at the site of the cross—among them were some of my followers, my mother, and Mary Magdalene. A Roman centurion who sympathized with us stood near the cross; Nicodemus rushed up to him and handed over the document. Then, all those present took the poor Judah down from the cross, wrapped him in linen cloth, and carried him to a nearby Essene healing cave. Judah was still alive at that time. The Roman centurion remained at his post, and when curious onlookers appeared later, he told them all that Jesus had died and been taken away to be buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb.

Matthias sank back into his chair, gasping for breath, and looked at Jesus in awe. For a moment, silence fell over the small room; the only sounds were the occasional chirping of birds coming from outside the bedroom and the gentle rustle of the breeze through the trees.

Jesus continued his story. “Sadly, my brave brother Judah did not recover from his suffering. Pontius Pilate had sent some Roman soldiers to guard the tomb; for three full days, no one was allowed to approach it. Finally, on the third day—after my so-called death—Mary Magdalene and some other insiders went to the tomb. The Roman guards had already moved the huge stone, revealing the empty grave. Mary Magdalene and the others announced to the public that Jesus had risen from the dead. Soon, the news spread throughout the entire country, and some members of the Sanhedrin were filled with great terror.”

Jesus paused to catch his breath again, halting his astonishing story. He closed his blue eyes, lay there, and struggled to draw the air that sustained his life into his lungs.

Matthias averted his gaze from Jesus’ face and stared at the surrounding stone wall outside the window. A black bird landed on the wall. He began rummaging through his memory to recall the meaning of black birds.

With his extraordinary spiritual vision that allowed him to “see” what was behind him, Jesus said, “Matthias, people say that seeing a black bird is an omen of death. There sits an omen on that wall—an omen about me. When it flies away, my soul will fly away too.”

Darkness began to descend upon Jesus. He summoned his last strength to speak: “I miss my beloved Mary Magdalene so much, and our children and grandchildren. All my old friends and disciples have passed away. I feel sad and lonely. I have lived, loved, and cried. This aged body is like a grain of sand in the desert; when the wind blows, I will vanish from the earth and fly far away.” A tear slid down Jesus’ cheek, and his eyes gazed blankly into the distance. “Promise me, Matthias—you will write down everything I have said.”

[He closed his eyes and whispered softly:

“Mary, I love you so much. I miss you so much. It is time for me to go.”] Jesus exhaled his last breath, and his body stilled.

Suddenly, a beautiful beam of white light appeared at the foot of his bed, and soon took the form of an angel. At the same time, a beam of white light rose from Jesus Christ’s body and moved toward the beautiful angel. The heavenly messenger, who had manifested as a male figure, emitted a dazzling radiance before transforming back into a magnificent stream of white light and shrinking smaller and smaller. The two beams of light moved together across the room, passed through the bedroom window, and flew toward the black bird perched on the wall.

Matthias stared out the window at the glowing signs of death. The two white beams circled and danced together as they flew toward the black bird. The black bird fluttered its jet-black wings and soared into the sky. The magnificent white light joined it, ascending with it toward heaven. Soon, this spectacular sight disappeared from Matthias’ view. The black bird of death and its special companion flew upward to the Kingdom of Heaven together.

Jesus’ soul had gone home.

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Source: Ancient Teachings for Beginners by Douglas De Long Li