The End of Childhood

Judaism
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is rent asunder,
the earth is violently shaken.
The earth staggers like a drunken man,
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
On that day the Lord will punish
The hosts of heaven, in heaven,
And the kings of the earth, on the earth.
They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; They will be shut up in a prison,
And after many days they will be punished. The moon will be confounded,
And the sun ashamed;
For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and

in Jerusalem
And before its elders he will manifest his glory. (Isaiah 24.18-23)

Islam When the Trumpet shall sound one blast and the earth with its mountains shall be lifted up and crushed with one crash, then, on that day, will the Event befall. Heaven will split asunder, for that day it will be frail, the angels will be on its sides, and eight will uphold the Throne of their Lord that day above them, On that day you will be exposed; not a secret of yours will be hidden. Then, as for him who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, "Take, read my book! Surely I knew that I should have to meet my reckoning." Then he will be in blissful state in a high Garden whose clusters are in easy reach. [They will say to him,] "Eat and drink at ease for that you sent on before you in past days." But as for him who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, would that I had not been given my book and know not what my reckoning! Oh, would that it had been death! My wealth has not availed me, my power has gone from me." "Take him and fetter him and then expose him to hellfire. Then insert him in a chain of seventy cubits' length. Lo! He used not to believe in God the Tremendous, and urged not on the feeding of the wretched, therefore has he no lover here this day, nor any food save filth which none but sinners eat." ( Qur'an 69. 13-37)

Buddhism
In the evil age to come, living beings will decrease in good qualities and increase in utter arrogance, coveting gain and honors, developing their evil qualities, and being far removed from deliverance. (Lotus Sutra 13)

Christianity
For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully. (1 Corinthians 13:9-12)

The kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. (Matthew 13:47-50)

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. (2 Timothy 3.1-5)

Jesus said to them, "No one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'" (Luke 5:37-39)

Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad are among the Messengers of God who have established religions. They are the central animating forces of the world's major cultures, providing both the spiritual and practical guidance for harmonious, productive society. They ensure a safe approach to God and the essential guidance for the establishment of the laws for social order. Individuals find their relationship with God - their salvation - as well as guidance for human fellowship within the context of their respective religions. The heavens of this physical world are above the earth. The heavens of the human spirit are the thoughts, inspirations, and states of being that are above the plane of the material body. The word of God, as provided through the Messengers, is heaven.

In this day, the "heavens are cleft asunder" in that the religions created by the Messengers of the past as the safe approach to God have fallen from their positions of prominence in human society. In the world of human beings, the ascendancy of science and reason along with the global proximity of competing religious systems has removed the world's great religions from their positions of unquestioned authority. The degree to which the institutions of religion do not accommodate science and each other, they violate their allegiance to the truth for reasonable minds. They lose their integrity and with it their capacity to help guide the institutions of society in this global age.

Rather than interpreting the scriptural references to the end times as the literal, cataclysmic end of the physical world, it can be understood as "the close of the age."

The kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. (Christianity. Matthew 13:47-50)

The "kingdom of Heaven" in this passage is described in the context of "the close of the age." If heaven is understood as a place where spirits reside after the death of the body, then "the close of the age" means the end of the physical world. If, however, heaven is understood as the word of God and as the approach to God through His Messengers, then the "close of the age" means a significant change in religion. The "kingdom of Heaven" refers to a religious dispensation. It is like a net. Over time it fills with many adherents. At the close of the dispensation, a new religion is born with the return of the Messenger. Those who recognize the new Messenger have the gift of the presence of God and His guidance in the context of the new world order - the new heaven and earth - the new covenant. Those who reject the Messenger and the new guidance are left struggling with a world which has lost its order, continuity, and integrity.

The latter part of the passage in Matthew provides some insight into the nature of the change. "The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." Images passed down through centuries of artists depicting these horrendous times provide a picture of angels as physical beings who have wings and carry swords with which to force the separation of the evil doers from the righteous. The reference to angels, rather than being the "winged" sort derived from mythology, is more likely a reference to people who live their lives in close proximity to the will of God and who have recognized the Messenger in His new physical appearance. The adherents of the new dispensation bring the gift of a new heaven and earth through their recognition of the Messenger. They are the builders of the new "kingdom of Heaven" through their efforts to live in the presence of God and abide by the admonitions of the new Messenger. By example, they assist others in their search for God in the context of the new dispensation.

To the degree that we reject the guidance of God as He provides for us in the modern world, we find these times particularly trying. Our current world provides plenty of occasions for the "weeping and gnashing" of teeth when viewed without the assurance of the presence and guidance of God. The individual struggling to make sense of a world that appears beyond the reach of faith and reason is left in doubt and anguish. The wars of the twentieth century provide the most poignant example of the chaotic nature of these times. Cataclysms of the magnitude of global war cause many to lose the assurance of the guidance of God. The twentieth century has seen significant levels of cynicism, depression, and despair in political, social, and economic upheavals. Much of its art, literature, and music bear witness as emanations resembling the wailing and gnashing of teeth.

It is difficult to accept God's plan for our lives and times when it conflicts with our own concepts of justice. One way to avoid facing our differences with God over the nature of the world is to deny that we have contributed in any way to its problems. Self-righteousness follows to the degree that we take over the role of judge for who is at fault for the suffering. We can take refuge in condemning those who we decide are responsible for the state of affairs, those who do not share our view of the world. Another way to avoid dealing with the difficult truth of our situation is to dismiss the whole thing as nonsense and try to hide from it in whatever comfort we can find in the diversions available in this life.

The passage from Isaiah addresses these two different aspects of the "furnace of fire" in which "men will weep and gnash their teeth" (Christianity. Matthew 13:50). Isaiah describes the self righteous "hosts of heaven" and the materialistic "kings of the earth" as being in the same pit with each other in the end times when the earth "falls, and will not rise again."

For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man, it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. On that day the Lord will punish The hosts of heaven, in heaven, And the kings of the earth, on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; They will be shut up in a prison, And after many days they will be punished. The moon will be confounded, And the sun ashamed; For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before its elders he will manifest his glory. Isaiah 24.18-23

Both the world's religious hosts and secular leaders have been brought together and have been struggling for dominance for over two centuries in both the kingdoms of heaven and earth. That the world has been "violently shaken" by the opening of the "windows of heaven" can be understood as the ascendance of science (reason) and the convergence of the world's people and religions. Narrow interpretations of the scriptures use religion to cause division, strife, and warfare. They are actions that also cause the adherents of fanaticism to experience some of the harshest self-inflicted suffering. Their actions bring destruction upon themselves and confound them. Their actions also cause the illumined souls of the world's religious traditions to be ashamed. "Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed."

To the religious leaders who are attached to literal interpretations of scripture, the passages from Isaiah provide details for an imagined apocalyptic end to human society on the earth. They take solace in the belief that God will intervene and punish all those who did not see things their way. However, the very scriptures used to condemn the world can be viewed as a vision of the fate of those who assume the ability to judge in place of God.

In the pit that Isaiah describes as the prison, the "kings of the earth" are also confined. The kings of the earth are those who have power and wealth in this life. The technical, political, social, and economic systems of the current world have created a large, materially wealthy population in the first world. The New Testament provides a graphic depiction of the materialism rampant in "the last days ."

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. (Christianity. 2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Buddhism also refers to the darkness of these times. "In the evil age to come, living beings will decrease in good qualities and increase in utter arrogance, coveting gain and honors, developing their evil qualities, and being far removed from deliverance" (Buddhism. Lotus Sutra 13).

As the institutions of religion lose their credibility through denial of the truths brought to light through science and the convergence of the world's faith traditions, the reigns of discipline for human behavior slacken. The result is the ascendancy of materialism - the pursuit of meaning, comfort, and pleasure within the confines of the material world. Thus limited to temporary existence, our connection with the spiritual, eternal nature of our existence is obscured and with it our spiritual bonds to others. We become more restricted by our selfish desires and less able to see our love and concern for others. We also become less able see their concern for us or each other. The increased isolation leaves us spiritually empty and more vulnerable to anxiety and guilt. "On that day you will be exposed; not a secret of yours will be hidden….therefore has he no lover here this day, nor any food save filth which none but sinners eat" (Islam. Qur'an 69. 13-37).

The demise of a coherent and intelligent integration of religion into the fabric of social order gives rise to an alliance between the otherwise contrary forces of materialism and religious orthodoxy. The end of the passage from Timothy refers to the allegiance of the "lovers of pleasure" to the "form of religion." For example, the Godlessness of materialism as expressed in both self-righteous nationalism and excessive pursuit of wealth joins with religious institutions whose mission becomes self promotion. In its most virulent expression, tyranny and religious extremism join as partners to further exacerbate the suffering of a world in need of faith, reason, and unity.

In our relationship with God, it is not uncommon for us to turn to God and ask or demand that He fix the problems associated with our lives and times. It is not uncommon to entertain the idea that if there is something wrong with the current situation, it follows that since God is in control, He must be completely responsible. In the nagging concern over our suffering and our apparent separation from God, there is a tendency to think and feel that it is God who is responsible for the parting. We cannot see our capacity to turn to God. In order to avoid a confrontation with God or ourselves, we often do not face the situation head on. Several options are available. We can try to avoid the question through denying the relevance of God to our lives and pursuing materialistic diversions instead. We can blame the problems on the people who do not hold the same concepts, values, or theologies we do. We can try to fix the problems by doing battle with those we have decided are responsible. Or, we can wait for miraculous intervention - i.e. winged angels appearing to the sound of trumpets as the old world is literally rolled up and dumped into oblivion and replaced by a new world, which God physically spreads in its place without the need for us to do anything.

An adult has an increased responsibility for his or her own response to God. The future of our individual lives as well as the collective world order will only proceed productively with our willingness to take on the responsibilities of an adult faith that fully integrates mature reason and self awareness in the presence of God. It will not be instantaneously provided without our effort. Humankind will build a just, peaceful, and bountiful world order over the coming centuries as we articulate into the context of our lives the virtues prescribed by all of Messengers of God.

For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully. (1 Corinthians 13.9-12)

In this day, the consequences of the successes and failures of society's collective search for God are heavier than in earlier, less advanced stages in our social evolution. When children at the ages of eight or nine fight each other with the full force available to their bodies, there might not be a scratch to show for the engagement. At twenty-two or twenty-three, if they give full vent to their anger through the developed strength of their bodies and minds, death is a possible outcome.

Childhood is a time of innocence and acceptance of parental authority. It is a literal world with a simple understanding of good guys and bad guys, right and wrong. The higher reasoning faculties are not yet engaged. With the end of childhood and the onset of adulthood, parents and authority figures are challenged. Real limits replace dictates imposed from above. The rational faculty engages reality and tests it, often with assertions of independence. A search for real limits can involve rash behavior and serious mistakes. Youthful angst at the introduction to human suffering and the inevitability of death results in radical mood shifts as fear wrestles with unrestrained passions. The literal, fixed world gives way to experiences of an endless, infinite reality bursting with possibilities, ambiguities, and uncertainties.

The human race is, in a sense, going through adolescence. This is a significant juncture in the evolution of human social order. This is not change at the pace normal to the human race over any earlier period. The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries reflected the early signs of the development of these new capacities for humankind. The familiar and comfortable experiences of home and self were traded for glimpses of other worlds as cultures increased the level of interaction with each other. The first pimples on the face of societal self-assertion appeared back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries during the Age of Reason and the Scientific Revolution. By the nineteenth century the sounds of independence were echoed in the pronouncement of some of the world's intelligencia that God was dead. Reason had been engaged to ask the fundamental questions of life on a global, cultural scale. The initial expressions of reason and self-assertion replaced childhood faith in authoritative political and social institutions, which had earlier given structure and order to society. The twentieth century gave rise to excessive passions and demonstrated the power of the vastly strengthened body and mind of humankind. More than seventy million people died as a result of military conflict during the century. Humankind, like the individual, faces consequences magnified by new powers with the transition to adulthood - i.e. global war as an act of self-annihilation for humankind becomes possible.

In the end, no earthly power will contain the awakening capacity of the human soul. Adulthood requires the discovery of reality for itself. It will not, finally, be subject to limits imposed by someone else. Adulthood requires spiritual independence. The institutions of society, including those of religion, must accommodate this new human potential. This is the day promised in all of the world's scriptures as the day of fulfillment. The institutions of society must eventually be reshaped by the grace of God and by responsive human effort to raise structures that can accommodate and are integral to the new capacities unfolding in human experience.

An adolescent seeks real limits as he discards those that were imposed by his parents. Spiritual awakenings are common as a teenager engages new powers in the search for identity in reality. Spiritual experiences shape the ongoing development of adult capacity and are integral to the process. Choices toward or away from God profoundly affect the nature of the process of maturation into productive adulthood. Reason alone cannot provide an ark of security within the throes of this ever-changing sea of reality. Reason provides useful explanations associated with physical phenomenon. However, the meaning of life, trust in reality, and awareness of the value of human life are within the sphere of the spirit. Reason and faith in God must both be engaged if the adolescent is to successfully and gracefully integrate into the fabric of society.

For the greater transition of humankind through adolescents this requires the integration of the institutions of science and religion. At this juncture in the arena of global culture, they are often not mutually supportive. The literal cosmologies associated with the various religious systems of the world come under direct attack by the more dynamic, effective, and believable understandings presented through science and technology. The growing existence of religious diversity within the populations of the world also mitigates maintenance of an authoritative view by any single religious institution. The various religious systems no longer hold monolithic sway over the cosmologies presented to their populations.

The institutions of science on the other hand have achieved ubiquitous, global acceptance and include a common disposition toward rejection of consideration of the existence of God. This is seen by many as a denial of the existence of God when it is primarily admission that it cannot conclusively address the topic. Scientific methodology does not permit examination of the question because it cannot, using observation, prove or disprove with certitude, God's existence. Faith is the knowledge of God that provides certitude. Science does not undermine faith in God, though it may threaten faith in particular theologies or concepts of God. The conflict between science and religion stems from a clash of cosmologies.

The quaint cosmologies of the past are not likely to halt the ascendancy of science and technology. Proponents of the failing cosmologies often take refuge in the hope of miraculous intervention. The manner of the expected intervention generally derives from literal interpretations of the various scriptures. Although the imagined resolutions to the conflict vary dramatically, the reactionary religionists together attack the scientists as atheists and destroyers of all that is good and holy, citing as evidence the growing materialism and declining moral order of the population. Scientists often react to this condemnation by dismissing all things religious as the worst kind of backward and destructive superstition.

One of the outcomes of this conflict between science and religion is the continuing decay of the moral foundation essential to the functioning of a benevolent human social order. As the conflict proceeds, the institutions of religion lose credibility and therefore their effectiveness at guiding people to God. "Heaven will split asunder, for that day it will be frail" (Islam. Qur'an 69. 13-37).

The social ramifications are apparent in the rampant materialism that encourages self-indulgence and indifference to the suffering of others. The increased suffering of humankind is not limited to the materially disadvantaged of the world's populations. A fair measure of suffering is associated with the denial of God on the part of those who enjoy the outward benefits of materialism. The well being associated with the assurance of the love of God and the gifts of fellowship associated with the love of each other is replaced by cynicism and alienation.

It shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the house of the Lord Shall be established as the highest of the mountains, And shall be raised above the hills; And all the nations shall flow to it; And many peoples shall come, saying, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And shall decide for many peoples; And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation Neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2.2-4)

For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before its elders he will manifest his glory. (Isaiah 24.23)

Islam
On the day when We shall roll up heaven as a scroll is rolled for the writings; as We originated the first creation, so We shall bring it back again - a promise binding on Us; so We shall do. For We have written in the Psalms, after the Remembrance, "The earth shall be the inheritance of My righteous servants." (Qur'an 21.104-5)

Buddhism
They will practice these virtues: abstain from taking life, abstain from taking what is not given, abstain from adultery, abstain from lying, abstain from evil speaking, abstain from abuse and from idle talk, abstain from covetousness, from ill will, from false opinions, abstain from the three things - incest, wanton greed, and perverted desires - be filial towards their mothers and fathers, be pious toward holy men, and respect heads of clans. And because of the good they do they will increase in length of life, and in comeliness, so that the sons of them who lived but forty years will come to live eighty years; their sons to 160- years; their sons to 310 years; their sons to 640 years…2,000 years… 4,000 years… 8,000 years… 20,000 years… 40,000 years; and the sons of those that lived 40,000 years will come to live 80,000 years.

Among such humans there will be only three kinds of disease; appetite, non-assimilation, and old age. Among such humans, this world will be mighty and prosperous, the villages, towns, and royal cities will be so close that a cock could fly from each one to the next. Among such humans this India - one might think it a Waveless Deep - will be pervaded by mankind even as a jungle is by reeds and rushes. (Digha Nikaya iii.74-75, Cakkavatti-Sihanada Suttanta)

Zoroastrianism
The victorious World-renovator and his helpers… shall make the existence renovated - ageless, deathless, un-putrefying, un-corruptible, ever-living, ever benefiting, ruling at will. The dead shall rise up, life shall prevail indestructible, and existence shall be renovated at the will of God!

The worlds shall be deathless, by the will of Right, benefiting all! Evil will stand against, but will flee away, here and there causing death to the holy and his progeny and creatures, but running to its death and destruction at the will of the Judge! (Avesta, Zamayad Yasht 19.11-12)

And then when retribution Shall come for their offenses, Then, O Wise One, Thy Kingdom Shall be established by Good Thought, For those who, in fulfillment, Deliver evil into the hands of Truth! And then may we be those Who make life renovated, O Lord, Immortals of the Wise One, And O Truth, bring your alliance, That to us your minds may gather Where wisdom would be in dispute! Then indeed, shall occur The collapse of the growth of evil, Then they shall join the promised reward: Blessed abode of Good Thought, Of the Wise One, and of Right, They who earn in good reputation! (Avesta, Yasna 30.8-10)

Hope is essential to individual and collective human life. The world's scriptures provide apocalyptic visions, but they also provide glimpses of a resolution to the conflicts associated with humankind's life in this world. These passages bolster our spirits with the reassurance of the benevolent nature of God and His ultimate plan for the provision of a bountiful outcome to our struggles. The progression of human life on the planet is given a resolution worthy of the struggle. The passages concerning the end times provide hope that humankind will conquer its selfish nature and construct a just society through obedience to the will of God. "For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before its elders he will manifest his glory." (Judaism. Isaiah 24.23) The will of God will permeate the affairs of humankind. "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills and all the nations shall flow to it" (Judaism. Isaiah 2.2-4).

The guidance of God will illuminate the governance of the world through the choice of its people to articulate into their lives the admonitions of the prophets.

And many peoples shall come, saying, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations and shall decide for many peoples. (Judaism. Isaiah 2.2-4)

The text specifies that fulfillment of the promise for humankind will come through the prophetic line of Abraham, those religions that trace their lineage to Abraham. Jews will recognize the reference to the fulfillment of the Law of Zion. For Christians, the Lord of Jerusalem is a reference to the fulfillment of the Christian dispensation. For Moslems it is the victory of Islam. To Baha'is it is a reference to the dispensation of Baha'u'llah and the fulfillment of the promise for these times reflected in all of the world's scriptures.

The references from Isaiah need not be understood as excluding the fulfillment of the prophetic pronouncements of the other religions. It is a promise reflected in all of the major religious traditions. Buddhism links a future outcome for human social evolution to mature spiritual behavior.

They will practice these virtues: abstain from taking life, abstain from taking what is not given, abstain from adultery, abstain from lying, abstain from evil speaking, abstain from abuse and from idle talk, abstain from covetousness, from ill will, from false opinions, abstain from the three things - incest, wanton greed, and perverted desires - be filial towards their mothers and fathers, be pious toward holy men, and respect heads of clans. (Buddhism. Digha Nikaya iii.74-75, Cakkavatti-Sihanada Suttanta)

Righteousness results in long life and the elimination of disease albeit with some exceptions. "Among such humans there will be only three kinds of disease; appetite, non-asthere will be only three kinds of disease; appetite, non-as 75, Cakkavatti-Sihanada Suttanta). This world will still not be the realm of perfection. Humans will continue to want what they do not have, rebel against what they do not like, and eventually succumb to physical death. However, the prophecy looks to a future without disease where the higher capacities of the human spirit have overcome the baser instincts.

The victorious World-renovator and his helpers… shall make the existence renovated - ageless, deathless, un-putrefying, un-corruptible, ever-living, ever benefiting, ruling at will. The dead shall rise up, life shall prevail indestructible, and existence shall be renovated at the will of God!

The worlds shall be deathless, by the will of Right, benefiting all! Evil will stand against, but will flee away, here and there causing death to the holy and his progeny and creatures, but running to its death and destruction at the will of the Judge! (Avesta, Zamayad Yasht 19.11-12)

Three different kinds of death are referenced. The first is spiritual death - "death to the holy." The second kind of death is the death of the body - "his progeny and creatures." Jesus made reference to the difference between spiritual death and physical mortality when he instructed Andrew to "Let the dead bury their dead" (Christianity. Matthew 8:22). The third kind of death is the death of evil. The "Worldrenovator," the Messenger of God, brings humankind eternal life. The life of the human spirit in the presence of God is indestructible. Spiritual life is not contingent on the body. It is the realization of the eternal gift of life from God. In the context of humankind's ongoing habitation in this world, this is a reference to the changed nature of the human situation after existence is "renovated." The differences between this life and the next will be blurred when they are sustained by "the will of the Judge." Evil will cause spiritual death to the holy but only "here and there." "[T]he will of the Judge" - the will of God - will exercise the dominant influence over humankind, blurring the distinction between this life and the next by sustaining the realization of their eternal nature and making "existence renovated - ageless, deathless, un-putrefying, un-corruptible, ever-living, ever benefiting ruling at will" (Zoroastrianism. Avesta, Zamayad Yasht 19.11-12).

Christianity
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit….Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:15-17, 20)

He who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing (James 1:25)

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:30)

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise….For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." (John 5:19…26-27)

A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. (Matthew 16:4)

Baha'i Faith
Since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one true God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist between the transient and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute, He hath ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double station. The first station, which is related to His innermost reality, representeth Him as One whose voice is the voice of God Himself….The second station is the human station. (Gleanings, 66-67)

Buddhism
Because perfect wisdom tames and transforms him, wrath and conceit he does not increase. Neither enmity nor ill-will take hold of him, nor is there even a tendency towards them. He will be mindful and friendly. (Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines 3.51-54)

The perfume of flowers blows not against the wind, nor does the fragrance of sandalwood, tagara, and jasmine, but the fragrance of the virtuous blows against the wind; the virtuous man pervades every direction. (Dhammapada 54)

There are [always] thirty righteous men among the nations, by whose virtue the nations of the world continue to exist. (Talmud, Hullin 92a)

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your brethren - him you shall heed. (Deuteronomy 18.15)

African Traditional Religion
The God of old bids us all abide by his injunctions. Then shall we get whatever we want, be it white or red. (Akan Prayer on Talking Drums)

Zoroastrianism
Then do I proclaim what the Most Beneficent spoke to me, the Words to be heeded, which are best for mortals: those who shall give hearing and reverence shall attain unto Perfection and Immortality by the deeds of good spirit of the Lord of Wisdom! (Avesta, Yasna 45.5)

Taoism
What Tao plants cannot be plucked, what Tao clasps cannot slip. By its virtue alone can one generation after another carry on the ancestral sacrifice. Apply it to your self and by its power you will be freed from dross. (Tao Te Ching 54)

Hinduism
The earth is upheld by the veracity of those who have subdued their passions, and, following righteous practices, are never contaminated by desire, covetousness, and wrath. (Vishnu Purana 3.12)

Whenever truth is forgotten in the world, and wickedness prevails, the Lord of Love becomes flesh to show the way, the truth, and the life to humanity. Such an incarnation is an avatar, an embodiment of God on earth. (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1)

Whenever the Law declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I manifest myself on earth. I am born in every age to protect the good, to destroy evil, and to re-establish the Law. (Bhagavad Gita 4. 7-8)

Examining the appearance of Jesus as the fulfillment of scriptural expectations for the Messiah is generally instructive concerning the nature of the return - the periodic appearance of the Messenger - i.e. Buddha, Moses, Krishna. Jesus addressed the nature of His station as the return of the Messenger by equating Himself with Moses. In response to those who accused Him of breaking the Law of Moses because He had cured a man on the Sabbath, He identified Himself with Moses by stating that He had the "authority to execute judgment."

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise….For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." (Christianity. John 5:19…26-27)

In telling them that He does only as the Father does and that He had authority to execute judgment, He was equating Himself with the law of God. He equated Himself with Moses. Jesus was saying that He was speaking as Moses. He was in the place of Moses. Later in the same discussion, Jesus refers directly to Moses. "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me" (Christianity. John 5:46). He again makes an identity statement with Moses, this time as the word of God - "he wrote of me." It can be understood as a reference to Himself as the fulfillment of the statement in Deuteronomy that promises the return of prophetic guidance. "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your brethren - him you shall heed." (Judaism. Deuteronomy 18.15)

Jesus provides a parable to shed light on the nature of the return of a Messenger. "Jesus said to them, 'No one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, "The old is good"'" (Christianity. Luke 5:37-39; see also Mark 2:22). This was an elegant and culturally effective way for Jesus to say that He brought a new message, an update on the word of God - a new dispensation.

The Messengers of God bring teachings that are appropriate to the exigencies of the times in which they appear. The needs of human society change progressively. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Christianity. Mark 2:27). Jesus fulfilled the promises latent in the Law of Moses. The way of life set up under the dispensation of Moses including all of its institutions and cultural boundaries could not continue to carry humanity forward. For example, the institutions of Judaism were not capable of conquering the Romans. Jesus brought a heightened spiritual energy and new social teachings that would provide the impetus for the evolution of western civilization out of the Roman Empire and the tribes of Europe. Revelation is not redundant. It is progressive. The institutions of Judaism would split from the intensity and vigor of the new wine.

The development of all aspects of the phenomenal world, the temporal and spiritual aspects of the social life of human beings has been and will continue to be progressive. The prophets continue to appear giving us ever more out of the treasuries of reality. "Whenever the Law declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I manifest myself on earth. I am born in every age to protect the good, to destroy evil, and to re-establish the Law" (Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 4.7-8). Religion addresses both the soul and body of the human situation. The Messengers give both the impetus and the direction for the unfolding of human capacity, addressing both the spiritual and material needs of humankind.

The whole of the evolutionary process of the universe is purposeful. It is like a seed unfolding its potential by inherent design. As God, through evolution, has brought humankind to consciousness, life offers the added dimension of purposeful participation. Human beings participate in evolution by choosing between their will and the will of reality. Social evolution on this planet is an open-ended, organic process dependent upon both the will of God and of humans. The possibilities available to the aggregate of human beings at this juncture in human history encompass the full spectrum: self-annihilation on one end and participation in an ever-advancing, bountiful, and peaceful global civilization on the other.

The Messengers play the pivotal roll in the social evolution of humans. They bring the "new heaven and new earth," the renewed and increased spiritual insight as well as a continually expanding framework for the evolution of social order. They are like the DNA of human culture. The responses of individuals to the guidance of the Messengers are like the responses of the chemistry of the cell to DNA. The human choice to follow the instructions, unlike biochemistry, provides the open-ended array of possibilities available to human culture.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit….Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them (Christianity. Matthew 7:15-17, 20).

One of the most obvious fruits proffered by the Messengers of God is bountiful human civilization. Peaceful and bountiful civilization is a fruit that proceeds from the Messengers of God. The false prophets bring destruction. Their bitter fruit is hatred, conflict, and war.

If the Messenger brings us to the presence of God, the proof of His identity is provided. Secondarily, guidance from the presence of God has an effect on the behavior of the suppliant. To stay in the grace of God requires obedience to His commands. "To him who orders his way aright, I will show the salvation of God!" (Judaism. Psalm 50.23). A primary command of the Messengers is the golden rule. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (Christianity. John 13:35). The admonitions of God to love one another imply articulation of the virtues required for loving relationships. "Because perfect wisdom tames and transforms him, wrath and conceit he does not increase. Neither enmity nor ill-will take hold of him, nor is there even a tendency towards them. He will be mindful and friendly" (Buddhism. Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines 3.51-54).

A fundamental fruit of obedience to the ordinances of God is community. Through recognition of the Messenger and submission to the guidance He brings, human beings participate in the unfolding potential of human society. Human reality is guided by intention and choice. The Messenger of God provides for the evolutionary aspects of human progression. The Messenger is the fulcrum for creation on the part of God and free will on the part of human beings. Human evolution does not devolve around the survival of the fittest but rather progresses through conscious allegiance to the will of reality as articulated by the Messengers. Intelligence is not evolving through natural selection from absolute nothingness. The Messengers of God are guiding, nurturing, and unfolding potential in an infinitely flexible plan. Submission to the will of God and not dominance of our neighbor assists in the evolution of individual and societal capacity.

The ability to see, hear, and respond to the Messenger of God provides the optimal path for human evolution. Dominance in the natural world achieves a short-lived survival, which always perishes in defeat to the next survivor. The actions, portrayed in the New Testament, of Pontius Pilot and Jesus of Nazareth are examples of the two motivational centers.

In His day, Jesus was not a winner by the standards of all of the powers and authorities of His environment. He had no wealth, no armies; He didn't make anything, write anything, or build anything that appeared consequential to most of those who witnessed some part of His short life. His followers consisted of a handful of seemingly unexceptional and unimportant people. The authorities disposed of Him the way they rid themselves of anyone who cast a shadow on their survival. His times took little note of Him. Jesus does not receive even a footnote in the writings of the dominant culture of the time.

The account of Pontius Pilot in the New Testament shows the administrator as a man of distinction in his times. He was successful. He displayed a fair amount of power and influence in his day. One of the primary messages of the New Testament has to do with who succeeds - Jesus or Pontius. Which of the two men has had more effect on the last two thousand years? Just recently, archaeological evidence of the existence of the man identified in the New Testament as Pontius Pilot has been discovered. Other than through the success of Jesus, Pontius Pilot does not have a footnote. The Christian religion gave spirit, shape, and direction to the unfolding power of western civilization. We would not have western civilization as we know it without the seemingly quiet, unpretentious, hardly noticed life of Jesus of Nazareth.

The return of the Messenger is the pattern of history. It is the evidence that the spirit is stronger than the flesh. Life is more powerful than death. Death is the struggle for physical and temporal dominance. The spirit that provides for human civilization issues from submission to the will of reality, the will of God. One of the primary lessons of religion is that there are consequences to our choices and actions. Those consequences have everything to do with the renewal of social order and the ongoing development of civilization. "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Christianity. Matthew 7:20).

The cessation of warfare is among the promises given for these times. Under the guidance of God, the warfare that has plagued humankind will give way to peaceful endeavors. "And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war any more" (Judaism. Isaiah 2.2-4).

The Qur'an echoes, via a reference to Psalms, the assurance found in Isaiah that the earth will one day be governed by those who adhere to the admonitions of God. "The earth shall be the inheritance of My righteous servants" (Islam. Qur'an 21.104-5). The guarantee is embedded in language referring to the end times. "On the day when We shall roll up heaven as a scroll is rolled for the writings as We originated the first creation, so We shall bring it back again - a promise binding on Us; so We shall do" (Islam. Qur'an 21.104-5). The end times does not refer to the end of creation. It does, however, refer to a significantly difference world. After the end times, the will of God will be more in evidence through human choice than before.

It shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the house of the Lord Shall be established as the highest of the mountains, And shall be raised above the hills; And all the nations shall flow to it; And many peoples shall come, saying, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And shall decide for many peoples; And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation Neither shall they learn war any more. (Judaism. Isaiah 2.2-4)

Isaiah also assures us that when the Messenger returns, "the government shall be upon his shoulder" (Judaism. Isaiah 9.6).