The Dead Know Nothing: The Christians who called themselves Orthodox embraced the doctrine that so long as they had faith in the historical man Jesus — who the fourth century Church recreated as God (see The Ten Words) — that they had fulfilled their obligations as believers. In fact, they condemned the Spiritual Christians who were portrayed as Gnostics, because this group of believers understood that “faith apart from actions is dead” (see James 2:20) — and that the works of the spirit that is required, is the very transformation of the physical body and organic consciousness that Paul wrote was a necessary foundation of faith which is expressed in the words: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Col 3:5 NIV). That those who called themselves Orthodox were incapable of understanding the higher reality of the soul and spiritual natures of man, is the blindness that Jesus portrayed as the carnal beam that was in their eyes. And just as important is the fact that Jesus portrayed the people of an organic mindset as being dead when he said: “…let the dead bury their own dead” (Matt 8:22 NKJ) — and in like manner when Paul spoke of life and death in the warning “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:13 KJV). In these words, Paul was very much speaking in the present tense. Which is the true meaning of Ecc 9:5 that “the dead know nothing”!!! When the Book of Genesis makes the profound statement that if the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Duality (aka Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) is eaten, that you will die — the reference is not to a physical death — but rather, a death that Jesus portrayed as being cast into the “outer darkness” of mind and being (see Outer Darkness). And this is descriptive of the majority of lost prodigal sons and daughters who have come under the control of the Citizen of the Far Country — which in many respects is parallel to the Platonic Cave of illusions (see Plato’s Cave).
Those who are portrayed as the dead who know nothing, are being led by secular and sectarian leaders and counterfeit teachers who instruct the children into the way of death in our present-day culture. Thus, on this very subject and reality the Gospel of Philip declares: “A nationalist does not die, for he has never lived so that he could die. Whoever has trusted the truth (became) alive, and this-one is in danger of dying (as a martyr), for he is alive since the day that the Christ” came. (thus Desiderius Erasmus, In Praise of Folly: “It really makes little difference when such a man dies; he has never lived”). A nationalist must be understood as a person who is biblical portrayed as of the Nations — and who very much lives and thinks in accord with the ways of this world — i.e., the Far Country in the parable of the prodigal son. The martyr is he who dies to the ways of this world, in order to seek the next stage of birth that enables him escape the “outer darkness”, and enter the inner reality of the soul and the Kingdom.
That the people who are portrayed as being of the Nations are dead, and walk in accord and under the control of the beasts of their lower earth-bound nature that Paul portrayed as the “natural” man — even when they are baptized and confirmed believers who have received the initial gifts of the spirit — who remain incapable of perceiving and understanding the higher reality of the soul and the Inner Kingdom (see Mystery Of The Gospel), is further presented in the Gospel Of The Nazirenes in the words: “And after seven days again, his disciples were within the upper room; then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be to you, and He was known to them in the holy memorial. And He said to them, Love you one another and all the creatures of God, Yet I say to you, not all are men, who are in the form of man. Are they men or women in the image of God whose ways of violence, of oppression and wrong, who choose a lie rather than the truth? No, truly, till they are born again, and receive the spirit of love and wisdom within their hearts. Then only are they sons and daughters of Israel, and being of Israel they are children of God, And for this cause came I into the world, and for this I have suffered at the hands of sinners.” Again, the reference that is being made to the next stage of birth cannot be brought about with a profession of words to the Jesus-god of Constantine that is representative of the pagan idolatry of the Church — but rather, the next stage of birth that can only be brought about through the process that Paul presents in the words: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Col 3:5 NIV) — which is the process where the dead begins to come alive portrayed in the words: “…let the dead bury their own dead” (Matt 8:22 NKJ) — and in like manner when Paul spoke of life, death and the process of birth in the warning “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:13 KJV).
The scriptures are a spiritual writing — allegorical in nature and written in the language of the soul — which means that death, from a spiritual perspective, has absolutely nothing to do with physical death — but rather, the soul and spiritual death that envelops all the lost prodigal sons who dwell in either The Prison, or the Outer Darkness of the Far Country. When addressing the common belief with respect to the physical resurrection which was embraced by the entry-level believers in the Church — which is representative of the common belief among Christians today — the Church Father Origen correctly stated that this doctrine was “…preached in the Churches …for the simpleminded and for the ears of the common crowd who are led on to live better lives by their belief” (see Origen, Contra Celsum). And that the resurrection of the dead is in reality, the next stage of birth that brings about theEnd Times within the seeker/disciple, where heaven and earth become unified and joined within the body and mind of the disciple as they become transformed into the Final Temple. Thus, on the resurrection the Gospel of Philip warns: “Those who say that first they shall die and (then) they shall arise are confused. If they do not first receive the resurrection (while) they live, they will not receive anything (when) they die”. And unless you achieve the next stage of birth that is allegorically represented in the Gospel account of the resurrection, then you are the dead that Jesus made reference to in the words: “…let the dead bury their own dead”. And this is why Jesus warned those who would call themselves his followers and believers: “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt 10:38-39 NKJ). The requirement that has been set forth is that “ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:45 KJV). In the words of Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa: “…it is imperative on all those who have an equally earnest desire for the Good as He has, to be followers by the path of an exact imitation of Him Who leads the way to salvation, and to carry into action what He has shown them. It is, in fact impossible for persons to reach the same goal unless they travel by the same ways”. And this is why the requirement was set forth by Jesus with respect to his disciples and followers: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48 RSV).