Post by Sister Abigail (Admin) on Jul 17, 2014 0:11:45 GMT -5
Created
in God's Image 119
Created in God's Image
It's time for the Way of Holiness to reconcile Hinduism to the Bible and
Qur'an. It may have seemed impossible to reconcile Christianity and Islam,
but the two religions share much in common. Both are monotheistic, worshipping
a single, universal, supreme God. Hinduism appears to be polytheistic, worshipping
many gods. But what at first appears to be polytheism transforms through the
Way of Holiness into a monotheism in harmony with the Bible and the Qur'an.
If religions as diverse as Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam reconcile through the
Way of Holiness, a "narrow path" to peace opens wide. We know Christ connects
everyone (Ephesians 2:14-18) and that everyone must come to him (John 14:6).
Let's return to John 1:34, 1:3, and the Big Bang xpanding from the first point
of consciousness, and compare that with a passage from the Ramayana,
a Hindu sacred book…
John 1:3; Through him [Christ] all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made."
Ramayana 1:3:34; "…the self-born creator, Brahma."
Ramayana Glossary; "Brahma: The first of all the gods and creator of the universe.
He was directly manifested from Vishnu and is thus sometimes called "the unborn."
The Ramayana and the Bible agree on the presence of a localized spirit form
at the beginning through which all was created. That spirit is an "image of God".
2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul; ...Christ...is the [first localized spirit] image of God."
Hinduism, like the Bible and Qur'an, has a larger, undefinable "Something" behind
that first localized consciousness, too. The Hindu name for the Father-Allãh
is "Krishna". As the "Big Bang" proceeds from and through the single point of
consciousness (Christ-Jibreel-Brahma), the "body of Christ" expands in multiple
images of Christ. This is where our individual spirits enter Creation.
Job 38:4-7 (KJV), the Father-Allãh-Krishna-God;
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
What we call our "soul" is a "son [or daugther] of God". The book of Job
states our souls were present at earth’s creation. Thus, we’re all Christ’s
"children" in a sense. Since creation proceeds from this one point, the "body of
Christ-Jibreel-Brahma" expands to embrace the entire physical universe.
Since Christ is made in God’s image (2 Corinthians 4:4) and all things were created
through Christ, if we’re made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), we must be made in
the image of God through Christ. As it is written…
John 14:20, Jesus;
On that day you will realize that...I am in you."
Ramayana 1:6:63; "…the indwelling Lord in everyone’s heart…" 120
The "gods"
Reconciling Hinduism with the Bible and Qur'an necessarily involves examining
the nature of divinity in relation to human beings. Christ had this to say…
John 10:34-35, Jesus;
34 "Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’ ?"
[See Psalm 82:6-7, following the next verse.]
35 If he [God] called them [people] 'gods' to whom the word of God came
—and the Scripture cannot be broken—…"
Psalm 82:6-7, Asaph;
6 "I [God] said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' "
7 But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
Jesus knew this would be a hard lesson. Mainstream Christian theology
teaches that man is "fallen" and sinful by nature. It's true we're "fallen"
and have a "sinful nature", but what these terms mean makes a big difference.
We're not born "bad", we're born egocentric. The "sinful nature" is egocentric,
selfish thought. We "fall from grace" when we forget God is in all things
(Ephesians 4:6) and there's a degree of divinity in each of us. This challenges
traditional theology, which was why Jesus added the words, "and the Scripture
cannot be broken" to verse 35 of John 10. Jesus meant what he said and it
still applies today. That's why he pointed to Psalm 82:6-7 above,
and Psalm 82:5, Asaph; "They know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken."
The Father has something to add…
Psalm 50:16-17, Asaph;
16 But to the wicked, God says:
"What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?
17 You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you."
It's not wise to reject God's words. When we accept them, we make peace
with God. As it is written; Matthew 5:9, Jesus;
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."
Following are two cornerstones in reconciling Hinduism with the Bible and Qur'an.
First, Hinduism’s gods (except Krishna) are mortal, not immortal…
Ramayana Prologue:11; "Even the gods would eventually succumb to death…"
Hindu "gods" have divinity in them, but they die, just like people and just
like the "sons of the Most High" who "die like mere men" in Psalm 82:6-7.
The second cornerstone is that in the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna Himself doesn’t
actively encourage worship of the lesser gods… 121
Bhagavad-Gita 7:19-20 (Easwaran), Krishna;
19 After many births* the wise seek refuge in me;
Seeing me everywhere and in every-20 thing.
…There are others whose discrimination is misled by many desires.
Following their own [egocentric] nature, they worship lower gods,
practicing various rites."
Hinduism permits worship of "lower gods", but Krishna Himself doesn't
encourage it. The biggest problem is that it creates confusion. What it boils
down to is this; because God is in all things, there is also divinity in all things.
The universe has countless aspects and features. When we name any of them,
we're naming a part of God, so to speak. As long as we remember the divine
thing we focus on is part of the rest of God, we're alright. If we forget this
through egocentric thought, we "sin", create disharmony, divide God against
Himself and ourselves. Again, God is in all things, so there's divinity in all
things, including people…
Ramayana 1:7:81, Rama;
What wretched man would not devotedly serve his father,
a veritable god to him on earth."
Ramayana 1:9:94, Rama;
My worshipable father has ordered me to enter the forest…"
It's time for definitions of "gods", "God", and "worship".
From "Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary";
god ...1 : a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes
and power and to require man’s worship;
specif : one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality
2 : a person or thing of supreme value…"
"God n : the supreme or ultimate reality
: the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness
whom men worship as creator and ruler of the universe"
1
wor•ship… n [ME worshipe worthiness, repute, respect,
reverence paid to a divine being...]
…2 : to regard with extravagent respect or devotion....syn see REVERE"
"re•vere …: to show devotion and honor to…"
God placed part of His Spirit in each of us. Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
That makes us persons of "supreme value". We each control one "part of reality",
ourselves. By the Bible's, Ramayana's, and Webster's definitions, you're a "god"
and so am I--lower case, small "g" "gods". Big "G" God is the Father-Allãh-Krishna.
* Reincarnation is discussed on page 123. 122
Some lesser Hindu "deities" are descriptions of aspects of the One God.
For instance, Krishna creates and destroys. As "Creator", He's called "Vishnu".
As "Destroyer", He's called "Shiva". Worship of Vishnu is comparable to praising
the Father for creating something. As it is written…
Ramayana 1:1:22; Although they controlled the universe,
the other gods were but agents of Vishnu [Yahweh-the Father-Allãh-Krishna]."
Lesser "deities" are permissible to "worship" in an appropriate manner.
Lesser Hindu "deities" may be people, too, as evidenced by the two passages
from the Ramayana on the previous page. After all, God said, "Honor your
father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12). "Honor" is a form of worship;
"Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary"; "
1
hon•or … syn… REVERENCE…"
On the previous page, we learned "reverence" is a form of "worship". Both the
Qur’an and Bible teach us to respect other people. "Worship", meaning the
reverence and respect we should accord fellow human beings, agrees with the
Qur’an and Bible. We’re not joining gods to God when we acknowledge that
part of Him within each of us as divine. In a sense, people are "godlets"
with bits of God in each. As it is written…
"gods" and God
Deuteronomy 10:17 (NIV);
17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords,
the great God, mighty and awesome,…"
Deuteronomy 10:17, ("The Torah");
For the LORD your God is d-God supreme and Lord supreme,-d…"
d--dLit "the God of gods and the Lord of lords". "
1 Corinthians 8:4-5, Paul;
4…We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world
and that there is no God but one [the Father-Krishna-Allãh].
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth
(as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),"
Psalm 82:1-2,5-7, Asaph;
1 God presides in the great assembly;
he gives judgment among the "gods" [That’s us.]
2 "How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
5 "They [people not recognizing our divinity] know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 "I said, ‘You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' "
7 But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
What is this? "Sons of the Most High" dying "like mere men" ? Don't
"sons of God" inherit eternal life? It's time we discuss reincarnation… 123
Reincarnation
Traditional Christian theology rejects reincarnation with the same certainty
as day follows night. Because reincarnation is part of Hinduism, it appears an
unbridgeable gulf separating Christians and Hindus. Technically, reincarnation
isn't in Hindu sacred books, either. Reading the Bhagavad-Gita or the Srimad
Bhagavatum, you won't find the word "reincarnation" in scripture, only in the
commentary. The Hindu sacred books describe the process. The same holds
true for the Bible; the word "reincarnation" isn't in it, but descriptions of the
process are. That means teaching reincarnation is non-Biblical is a heresy.
The Bible and Qur'an say God is "Love", merciful, truthful, impartial, and
"Almighty". Given this, how can God permit starving children while wealthy
people eat caviar on yachts? This situation reconciles with the five attributes
mentioned above only with eternal souls growing over lifetimes, balancing past
actions, or Karma, with what we must go through in this and future lives.
We’ll start with…
The Eternal Nature of Souls
HINDU
Bhagavad-Gita 2:12, Krishna;
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings
nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.”[Eternal Life]
OLD TESTAMENT
Job 38:4,7, God (KJV);
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?…"
7 "When…all the sons of God [us] shouted for joy?"
MORMON
Doctrine & Covenants 93:29,33, Jesus;
29 Man was also in the beginning with God. 33 For man is spirit.
The elements are eternal,
and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy [love]."
CATHOLIC APOCHRYPHA
Wisdom 2:23; For God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own [eternal] nature he made him."
ISLAM
Sura 2:154;
And say not of those who are slain on God’s path that they are dead;
nay, they are living! But ye understand not." 124
The OldTestament,DoctrineandCovenants, andQur’an support reincarnation.
By confirming the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-18), Jesus also confirmed the
book of Job, which places us at the world's creation. This raises a pertinent
question; What were we doing all the time since? Sleeping? Reincarnating?
BHAGAVAD-GITA
Bhagavad-Gita 2:13, 17; 13
As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth,
and then to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. …"
17 That which pervades the entire body is indestructible.
No one is able to destroy the imperishable soul."
QUR'AN
Sura 2:28;
…Ye were dead and He gave you life; next He will cause you to die;
next He will restore you to life; next shall ye return to Him!"
OLD TESTAMENT
Daniel 11:20-21, 28, Gabriel;
20 "…In a few years, however, he [king of the North] will be destroyed,
yet not in anger or in battle.
21 He will be succeeded by a contemptible person…"
[The "king of the North" dies, leaves a successor, then returns to life in verse 28]
28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth,
but his heart will be set against the holy covenant."
One may argue these are different men with the same title, but Daniel
made no such distinction. Taken in context of the entire Bible, where both
Old and New Testaments are required to form the whole, one must include
the striking resemblance with Revelation 17:8, below, of a person who exists,
then does not, but then exists once again.
NEW TESTAMENT
Revelation 17:8 (NIV);
The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come
up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction.
The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written
in the book of life from the creation of the world
will be astonished when they see the beast,
because he once was, now is not, and yet will come."
Revelation 17:8 (NAB);
…it [the beast] existed once, but exists no longer, and yet it will come.”
This is reincarnation; [was alive] Æ [is now dead] Æ [will be reborn] 125
John 6:63, Jesus; The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing."
Romans 4:17; …the God who gives life to the dead…"
Psalms 82:6-7; 6 …you are all [spirit] sons of the Most High.' "
7 But you will die like mere men [incarnations]; you will fall like every other ruler."
Isaiah 57:1-2; 1 The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart;
devout men are taken away, and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."
[The righteous go to "Paradise", "Heaven", or "Nirvana".]
Isaiah 48:10; "See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
Jeremiah 6:29-30;
29 The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining goes on [over and over again] in vain; the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”
Silver is precious, as human beings are to God. "Rejected silver" is refined
over again. So are we. With multiple lives, people will devalue human life?
This concern is addressed in the commentary following this next verse…
Bhagavad-Gita 2:19;
He who thinks that the living entity is the slayer, or that the entity is slain,
does not understand.
One who is in knowledge knows that the self slays not nor is slain."
Purport Bhagavad-Gita 2:19, Swami Prabhupada;
"When an embodied being is hurt by fatal weapons, it is to be known that the
living entity within the body is not killed. The spirit soul is so small that it is
impossible to kill him by any material weapon. Nor is the living entity killable in
any case because of his spiritual constitution. What is killed or is supposed to be
killed is the body only. This, however, does not at all encourage killing of the body.
The Vedic injunction is Ma himsyat sarva-bhutani, never commit violence to anyone.
The understanding that a living entity is not killed does not encourage animal
slaughter. Killing the body of anyone without authority is abominable and is
punishable by the law of the state as well as the law of the Lord. "
Another concern about reincarnation is the possibility we won't be fully
motivated to get things right in this life if we get more than one opportunity.
That concern has increasing merit over time. As evolved souls go to "Nirvana",
or "Heaven", leaving the cycle of reincarnation, they leave behind those with
personality types who would lack motivation if they knew reincarnation was a
universal principle. The prophecies predict exactly this dilemma. The solution
appears to be the "Second" Coming of Christ at the End of the Age, i.e., Now. 126
Here are three of these prophecies…
2 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul;
1 But mark this:
There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 People will be lovers of themselves,"…
[hedonistic, materialistic, and spiritually they'll be judgmental and self-righteous],
2 cont.; …"lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
5 having a form of godliness [mainstream judgmental theology]
but denying its [God’s] power [to save people of other religions].
Have nothing to do with them."
"The Signs Before The Day Of Judgement", p. 96, citing Ahmad, Musnad, 6/81;
'A'ishah…said… 'How will people be [at the last Hour?]'
He [Muhammad] said,
'Like locusts: the strong will devour the weak, until the Hour comes.' "
"The Signs Before The Day Of Judgement", p. 95, citing Ahmad, Musnad, 1/454;
It was reported from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr that the Prophet (S) said,
"The Hour will not come until Allãh takes away the best people on earth;
only the worst people will be left;
they will not know any good or forbid any evil."
Why will only the worst people be left? The explanation is "reincarnation".
The next piece of evidence is an example of the "three times for emphasis" rule.
God uses repetition for emphasis, especially in threes. Examples are the cock
crowing 3 times on the night of Jesus’ arrest (John 13:38,18:26), 3 days before
the resurrection, and 3 repetitions of the message to Peter in Acts 10:9-16.
Let's see the "three times for emphasis" rule applied to reincarnation…
Revelation 17:8,10-11, once again;
8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not [at the time John wrote this],
and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction.
The inhabitants of the earth…will be astonished when they see the beast,
because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.
10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come;
but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.
11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king.
He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction."
The phrase "once was, now is not, and yet will come" is repeated three times. 127
Next, samples of scripture from the Qur'an supporting reincarnation…
Sura 29:19-20;
19 See they not how God bringeth forth creation?
and then causeth it to return again?
This is truly easy for God.
20 SAY:
"Go through the earth,
and see how He hath brought forth created beings.
Hereafter, with a second birth will God will cause them to be born again…"
Sura 30:19;
He bringeth forth the living out of the dead,
and He bringeth forth the dead out of the living:
and He quickeneth [brings back to life] the earth [over and over] when dead.
Thus it is that ye too shall be brought forth."
Sura 2:28;
…Ye were dead and He gave you life;
next He will cause you to die; next He will restore you to life;
next shall ye return to Him!"
Sura 2:28, scripture Sura 2:28, explained
…Ye were dead and He gave you life; [ = You are born.
next He will cause you to die; [ = You die. That’s one life.
next He will restore you to life; [ = You're reborn. Reincarnation.
next shall ye return to Him!"
"next shall ye return to Him!" means that if one is a good Muslim, one earns
the right to Paradise (Nirvana) until the end of the 1000 years, if one so
chooses. The passage says nothing of the process ending before completion
of the 1000 year kingdom.
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol 4, Hadith#54;
Abu Hureira said,
I heard Allãh’s Messenger saying,
"By Him in Whose Hands my life is!
I would love to be martyred in Allãh’s cause
and then come back to life
and then be martyred
and then come back to life again
and then be martyred
and then come back to life and then be martyred."
128
Al-Imam al-MahdiThe Just Leader of Humanity
at al-islam.org/mahdi/nontl/
Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 73.;
"The Qá’im [Mahdi] will be among my [spiritual] descendants.
His name will be my name and his patronymic will be my patronymic.
His character will be like my own…
Anyone who obeys him would be obeying me,
and any one who turns away from him would be turning away from me.
Anyone who denies his existence during his concealment would have denied me,
and anyone who falsifies him would have falsified me.
Anyone who confirms his existence would have confirmed my existence."
Note the repetition for emphasis. Muhammad was making a very important
point. Because he was the Prophet, he knew he was returning! This opens a
doorway to reconciliation between Islam and the Hindu and Buddhist faiths.
It also resolves a contradiction of traditional Christian and Muslim theology—
What of people who never heard the teachings of Jesus or Muhammad?
How can a loving and just God condemn innocent people? Because we come back,
all eventually hear the Gospels, even those who previously missed out.
The preceding passages show Man's mortal form "dies". However, the soul
is a "son of the Most High" and remains. Traditional Christian theology rejects
reincarnation on the basis of one passage taken out of context…
Hebrews 9:27;
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…"
Our mortal form dies once, but the "Spirit gives life"—"the flesh counts for
nothing." Our spirits live on. The body dies. We face judgment between each life.
Evolved souls are separated out and go to Nirvana/Paradise/Heaven over
time. The remaining souls left are the most ego-centrics, so hedonism,
violence, and loveless sexuality abounds. In order to salvage those remaining,
God stages an End of the Age production…
1 Thessalonians 4:15, Paul;
15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive,
who are left till the coming of the Lord,
will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep [died]."
Regardless of the traditions of men, scriptures contain reincarnation.
As for the scripture describing reincarnation?
2 Timothy 3:16, Paul;
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,…" 129
The next step for connecting Hindu scripture with the Bible and Qur'an is
to compare the characteristics, or identity profiles, of the Father, Allãh, and
Krishna to see if they describe the same Person.
Krishna
Bhagavad-Gita 7:7 (Easwaran), Krishna;
…The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels."
Ramayana Prologue:4; That inconceivable Lord…"
the Father
Matthew 6:6, Jesus; …pray to your Father, who is unseen."
Allãh
Sura 57:3; …the seen and the hidden;
the Father
Genesis 17:1; …the LORD…said, "I am God Almighty;…"
Allãh
Sura 40:2; …the Almighty, the All-knowing,"
Krishna
Ramayana Prologue:4; …all powerful…all seeing…"
Allãh
Sura 32:2; "Lord of the Worlds" Sura 59:1; "the Most High!”
Krishna
Ramayana Prologue:4; "Lord of all the worlds…supreme deity
…universal authority…Lord of all the gods."
Deuteronomy 10:17 (NIV) the Father;
17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords,
the great God, mighty and awesome,…"
Sura 17:110; SAY:
"Call upon God (Allãh),
or call upon the God of Mercy…by whichsoever ye will invoke Him:
He hath most excellent names." 130
Hinduism’s One God; Krishna ( a.k.a. Vishnu)
"Bhagavad-Gita As It Is", pages 75-76 (Note; "Krsna" is another spelling of "Krishna")
Purport Bhagavad-Gita 2:2; The Sanskrit word bhagavan is explained by the great
authority Parasara Muni, the father of Vyasadeva. The Supreme Personality
who possesses all riches, entire strength, entire fame, entire beauty, entire
knowledge, and entire renunciation is called Bhagavan. There are many persons
who are very rich, very powerful, very beautiful, very famous, very learned,
and very much detached, but no one may claim that he is possessor of all these
opulences entirely. Such a claim is applicable to Krsna only, and as such He is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No living entity, including Brahma, Lord
Siva [Shiva], or even Narayana, can possess opulences as fully as Krsna.
Therefore it is concluded in the Brahma-samhita by Lord Brahma [Christ] himself
that Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is equal to or
above him. He is the primeval Lord, of Bhagavan, known as Govinda, and He is
the supreme cause of all causes…
In the Bhagavatam…there is a list of many incarnations of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead…Krsna is described as the original Personality of Godhead
from whom many, many incarnations and Personalities of Godhead expand.
"All the lists of the incarnations of Godhead submitted herewith are either
plenary expansions or parts of the plenary expansions of the Supreme Godhead,
but Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself." (Bhagavatum 1.3.28)
…Krsna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, the
source of both Supersoul and the impersonal Brahman [expanded "Body of Christ"]."
Purport Bhagavad-Gita 2:7, page 83; There is no difference between Krsna’s within
and without. And one who has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool
in trying to understand Bhagavad-Gita."
A Pictoral Image of Krishna/Vishnu
Ramayana 1:1:25;
“Seated in meditation, Brahma [Christ] thought of the Lord within his heart.
At that moment Vishnu [Krishna] appeared in the sky.
Only the gods saw him as he descended upon the back of his eagle carrier, Garuda.
His beautiful body was blackish and he shone with brilliant luster.
He was dressed in yellow silk with a garland of blue lotuses.
A necklace of bright celestial gems hung around his neck.
Adorned with numerous gold ornaments and jewels,
he held in his four hands a conch shell, a mace, a discus weapon, and a lotus flower.
Gracefully descending,
he sat amid the gods as they worshipped him with hymns and prayers." 131
Ramayana 1:1:25;
Seated in meditation, Brahma thought of the Lord within his heart."
Within his heart? Yes.
Ramayana 1:6:63; "…the indwelling Lord in everyone's heart."
When Brahma (Christ) turned his thoughts within, he found God.
When we do the same our spiritual eyes open. Like children, we see God all around us.
We see God—"Yahweh-Krishna-Allãh-the Father-WakanTanka" everywhere.
Sura 4:126; …and God encompasseth all things!”
We’ll see him in our neighbor…
Revelation 22:4;
They will see his [God's] face, and his name will be on their foreheads."
We’ll see God in outer space, the stars, and the earth,…
Jeremiah 23:24, God; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?"
…and we’ll see God in Nature, in the clouds, and the blueness of the sky….
Ramayana 1:1:25;
At that moment Vishnu [Krishna-Allãh-Father-Wakan Tanka] appeared in the sky.
Only the gods saw him as he descended upon the back of his eagle carrier, Garuda.
His beautiful body was blackish and he shone with brilliant luster.
He was dressed in yellow silk with a garland of blue lotuses.
A necklace of bright celestial gems hung around his neck.
Adorned with numerous gold ornaments and jewels,
he held in his four hands a conch shell, a mace, a discus weapon, and a lotus flower.
Gracefully descending,
he sat amid the gods as they worshipped him with hymns and prayers."
Vishnu’s body, the blackness of space, shines with the brilliant luster of stars.
He wears the yellow silk of the sun, and a garland of blue lotuses, clouds. From
his neck hangs the Milky Way, a necklace of bright celestial gems. As God is
inconceivable, his four hands are figurative, like God the Father’s, and represent
the four directions; North, South, East, and West, to show he is everywhere
and in all things. Only the gods saw Vishnu because only the gods recognize God
in all things. Remember, Vishnu is "inconceivable", so what we have here is a
beautifully written stylized picture of the universe personified. As we exist
within the universe, Krishna-Allãh-the Father sits amid us at all times. ]
John 14:20, Brahma [Jesus];
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father,
and you are in me, and I am in you."
132
Brahma-Christ-Jibreel
Ramayana 1:3:34; "…the self-born creator, Brahma."
Ramayana Prologue:4; Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe…"
Ramayana Prologue:15; "chief of the gods" [lower case "g"’ gods]
Glossary page 457 "Brahma: The first of all the gods and creator of the universe.
He was directly manifested from Vishnu and is thus sometimes called "the unborn."
John 10:36, Brahma (Jesus); …I said, 'I am God’s Son'…"
John 14:28, Jesus; …the Father [-Krishna-Vishnu] is greater than I."
Satan took Jesus (the incarnated Brahma) to a mountaintop and offered him
all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship him. Jesus said;
Matthew 4:10; "Away from me, Satan! For it is written:
'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "
Matthew 6:9, Jesus-Brahma;
"This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father[-Krishna-Allãh] in heaven, hallowed be your name...' "
Ramayana 1:1:25;
Brahma, Vishnu's [Krishna-the Father-Allãh] devoted servant…
addressed Vishnu in a reverential tone…"
We've merely scratched the surface of the depths of wisdom contained in
the Hindu sacred books, and God willing, there will be much more to write about
in future books. This book's goal is overcoming the principal barriers of theology
separating Hinduism from the Bible and Qur'an. As it is written;
Isaiah 40:3-5; 3 A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness a highway [Way of Holiness] for our God."
Isaiah 35:8,
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it."
Isaiah 40:3-5, cont.;
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground [of theology] shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD['s love of all mankind] will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
133
in God's Image 119
Created in God's Image
It's time for the Way of Holiness to reconcile Hinduism to the Bible and
Qur'an. It may have seemed impossible to reconcile Christianity and Islam,
but the two religions share much in common. Both are monotheistic, worshipping
a single, universal, supreme God. Hinduism appears to be polytheistic, worshipping
many gods. But what at first appears to be polytheism transforms through the
Way of Holiness into a monotheism in harmony with the Bible and the Qur'an.
If religions as diverse as Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam reconcile through the
Way of Holiness, a "narrow path" to peace opens wide. We know Christ connects
everyone (Ephesians 2:14-18) and that everyone must come to him (John 14:6).
Let's return to John 1:34, 1:3, and the Big Bang xpanding from the first point
of consciousness, and compare that with a passage from the Ramayana,
a Hindu sacred book…
John 1:3; Through him [Christ] all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made."
Ramayana 1:3:34; "…the self-born creator, Brahma."
Ramayana Glossary; "Brahma: The first of all the gods and creator of the universe.
He was directly manifested from Vishnu and is thus sometimes called "the unborn."
The Ramayana and the Bible agree on the presence of a localized spirit form
at the beginning through which all was created. That spirit is an "image of God".
2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul; ...Christ...is the [first localized spirit] image of God."
Hinduism, like the Bible and Qur'an, has a larger, undefinable "Something" behind
that first localized consciousness, too. The Hindu name for the Father-Allãh
is "Krishna". As the "Big Bang" proceeds from and through the single point of
consciousness (Christ-Jibreel-Brahma), the "body of Christ" expands in multiple
images of Christ. This is where our individual spirits enter Creation.
Job 38:4-7 (KJV), the Father-Allãh-Krishna-God;
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
What we call our "soul" is a "son [or daugther] of God". The book of Job
states our souls were present at earth’s creation. Thus, we’re all Christ’s
"children" in a sense. Since creation proceeds from this one point, the "body of
Christ-Jibreel-Brahma" expands to embrace the entire physical universe.
Since Christ is made in God’s image (2 Corinthians 4:4) and all things were created
through Christ, if we’re made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), we must be made in
the image of God through Christ. As it is written…
John 14:20, Jesus;
On that day you will realize that...I am in you."
Ramayana 1:6:63; "…the indwelling Lord in everyone’s heart…" 120
The "gods"
Reconciling Hinduism with the Bible and Qur'an necessarily involves examining
the nature of divinity in relation to human beings. Christ had this to say…
John 10:34-35, Jesus;
34 "Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’ ?"
[See Psalm 82:6-7, following the next verse.]
35 If he [God] called them [people] 'gods' to whom the word of God came
—and the Scripture cannot be broken—…"
Psalm 82:6-7, Asaph;
6 "I [God] said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' "
7 But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
Jesus knew this would be a hard lesson. Mainstream Christian theology
teaches that man is "fallen" and sinful by nature. It's true we're "fallen"
and have a "sinful nature", but what these terms mean makes a big difference.
We're not born "bad", we're born egocentric. The "sinful nature" is egocentric,
selfish thought. We "fall from grace" when we forget God is in all things
(Ephesians 4:6) and there's a degree of divinity in each of us. This challenges
traditional theology, which was why Jesus added the words, "and the Scripture
cannot be broken" to verse 35 of John 10. Jesus meant what he said and it
still applies today. That's why he pointed to Psalm 82:6-7 above,
and Psalm 82:5, Asaph; "They know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken."
The Father has something to add…
Psalm 50:16-17, Asaph;
16 But to the wicked, God says:
"What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?
17 You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you."
It's not wise to reject God's words. When we accept them, we make peace
with God. As it is written; Matthew 5:9, Jesus;
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."
Following are two cornerstones in reconciling Hinduism with the Bible and Qur'an.
First, Hinduism’s gods (except Krishna) are mortal, not immortal…
Ramayana Prologue:11; "Even the gods would eventually succumb to death…"
Hindu "gods" have divinity in them, but they die, just like people and just
like the "sons of the Most High" who "die like mere men" in Psalm 82:6-7.
The second cornerstone is that in the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna Himself doesn’t
actively encourage worship of the lesser gods… 121
Bhagavad-Gita 7:19-20 (Easwaran), Krishna;
19 After many births* the wise seek refuge in me;
Seeing me everywhere and in every-20 thing.
…There are others whose discrimination is misled by many desires.
Following their own [egocentric] nature, they worship lower gods,
practicing various rites."
Hinduism permits worship of "lower gods", but Krishna Himself doesn't
encourage it. The biggest problem is that it creates confusion. What it boils
down to is this; because God is in all things, there is also divinity in all things.
The universe has countless aspects and features. When we name any of them,
we're naming a part of God, so to speak. As long as we remember the divine
thing we focus on is part of the rest of God, we're alright. If we forget this
through egocentric thought, we "sin", create disharmony, divide God against
Himself and ourselves. Again, God is in all things, so there's divinity in all
things, including people…
Ramayana 1:7:81, Rama;
What wretched man would not devotedly serve his father,
a veritable god to him on earth."
Ramayana 1:9:94, Rama;
My worshipable father has ordered me to enter the forest…"
It's time for definitions of "gods", "God", and "worship".
From "Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary";
god ...1 : a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes
and power and to require man’s worship;
specif : one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality
2 : a person or thing of supreme value…"
"God n : the supreme or ultimate reality
: the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness
whom men worship as creator and ruler of the universe"
1
wor•ship… n [ME worshipe worthiness, repute, respect,
reverence paid to a divine being...]
…2 : to regard with extravagent respect or devotion....syn see REVERE"
"re•vere …: to show devotion and honor to…"
God placed part of His Spirit in each of us. Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
That makes us persons of "supreme value". We each control one "part of reality",
ourselves. By the Bible's, Ramayana's, and Webster's definitions, you're a "god"
and so am I--lower case, small "g" "gods". Big "G" God is the Father-Allãh-Krishna.
* Reincarnation is discussed on page 123. 122
Some lesser Hindu "deities" are descriptions of aspects of the One God.
For instance, Krishna creates and destroys. As "Creator", He's called "Vishnu".
As "Destroyer", He's called "Shiva". Worship of Vishnu is comparable to praising
the Father for creating something. As it is written…
Ramayana 1:1:22; Although they controlled the universe,
the other gods were but agents of Vishnu [Yahweh-the Father-Allãh-Krishna]."
Lesser "deities" are permissible to "worship" in an appropriate manner.
Lesser Hindu "deities" may be people, too, as evidenced by the two passages
from the Ramayana on the previous page. After all, God said, "Honor your
father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12). "Honor" is a form of worship;
"Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary"; "
1
hon•or … syn… REVERENCE…"
On the previous page, we learned "reverence" is a form of "worship". Both the
Qur’an and Bible teach us to respect other people. "Worship", meaning the
reverence and respect we should accord fellow human beings, agrees with the
Qur’an and Bible. We’re not joining gods to God when we acknowledge that
part of Him within each of us as divine. In a sense, people are "godlets"
with bits of God in each. As it is written…
"gods" and God
Deuteronomy 10:17 (NIV);
17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords,
the great God, mighty and awesome,…"
Deuteronomy 10:17, ("The Torah");
For the LORD your God is d-God supreme and Lord supreme,-d…"
d--dLit "the God of gods and the Lord of lords". "
1 Corinthians 8:4-5, Paul;
4…We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world
and that there is no God but one [the Father-Krishna-Allãh].
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth
(as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),"
Psalm 82:1-2,5-7, Asaph;
1 God presides in the great assembly;
he gives judgment among the "gods" [That’s us.]
2 "How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
5 "They [people not recognizing our divinity] know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 "I said, ‘You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' "
7 But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
What is this? "Sons of the Most High" dying "like mere men" ? Don't
"sons of God" inherit eternal life? It's time we discuss reincarnation… 123
Reincarnation
Traditional Christian theology rejects reincarnation with the same certainty
as day follows night. Because reincarnation is part of Hinduism, it appears an
unbridgeable gulf separating Christians and Hindus. Technically, reincarnation
isn't in Hindu sacred books, either. Reading the Bhagavad-Gita or the Srimad
Bhagavatum, you won't find the word "reincarnation" in scripture, only in the
commentary. The Hindu sacred books describe the process. The same holds
true for the Bible; the word "reincarnation" isn't in it, but descriptions of the
process are. That means teaching reincarnation is non-Biblical is a heresy.
The Bible and Qur'an say God is "Love", merciful, truthful, impartial, and
"Almighty". Given this, how can God permit starving children while wealthy
people eat caviar on yachts? This situation reconciles with the five attributes
mentioned above only with eternal souls growing over lifetimes, balancing past
actions, or Karma, with what we must go through in this and future lives.
We’ll start with…
The Eternal Nature of Souls
HINDU
Bhagavad-Gita 2:12, Krishna;
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings
nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.”[Eternal Life]
OLD TESTAMENT
Job 38:4,7, God (KJV);
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?…"
7 "When…all the sons of God [us] shouted for joy?"
MORMON
Doctrine & Covenants 93:29,33, Jesus;
29 Man was also in the beginning with God. 33 For man is spirit.
The elements are eternal,
and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy [love]."
CATHOLIC APOCHRYPHA
Wisdom 2:23; For God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own [eternal] nature he made him."
ISLAM
Sura 2:154;
And say not of those who are slain on God’s path that they are dead;
nay, they are living! But ye understand not." 124
The OldTestament,DoctrineandCovenants, andQur’an support reincarnation.
By confirming the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-18), Jesus also confirmed the
book of Job, which places us at the world's creation. This raises a pertinent
question; What were we doing all the time since? Sleeping? Reincarnating?
BHAGAVAD-GITA
Bhagavad-Gita 2:13, 17; 13
As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth,
and then to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. …"
17 That which pervades the entire body is indestructible.
No one is able to destroy the imperishable soul."
QUR'AN
Sura 2:28;
…Ye were dead and He gave you life; next He will cause you to die;
next He will restore you to life; next shall ye return to Him!"
OLD TESTAMENT
Daniel 11:20-21, 28, Gabriel;
20 "…In a few years, however, he [king of the North] will be destroyed,
yet not in anger or in battle.
21 He will be succeeded by a contemptible person…"
[The "king of the North" dies, leaves a successor, then returns to life in verse 28]
28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth,
but his heart will be set against the holy covenant."
One may argue these are different men with the same title, but Daniel
made no such distinction. Taken in context of the entire Bible, where both
Old and New Testaments are required to form the whole, one must include
the striking resemblance with Revelation 17:8, below, of a person who exists,
then does not, but then exists once again.
NEW TESTAMENT
Revelation 17:8 (NIV);
The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come
up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction.
The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written
in the book of life from the creation of the world
will be astonished when they see the beast,
because he once was, now is not, and yet will come."
Revelation 17:8 (NAB);
…it [the beast] existed once, but exists no longer, and yet it will come.”
This is reincarnation; [was alive] Æ [is now dead] Æ [will be reborn] 125
John 6:63, Jesus; The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing."
Romans 4:17; …the God who gives life to the dead…"
Psalms 82:6-7; 6 …you are all [spirit] sons of the Most High.' "
7 But you will die like mere men [incarnations]; you will fall like every other ruler."
Isaiah 57:1-2; 1 The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart;
devout men are taken away, and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."
[The righteous go to "Paradise", "Heaven", or "Nirvana".]
Isaiah 48:10; "See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
Jeremiah 6:29-30;
29 The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining goes on [over and over again] in vain; the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”
Silver is precious, as human beings are to God. "Rejected silver" is refined
over again. So are we. With multiple lives, people will devalue human life?
This concern is addressed in the commentary following this next verse…
Bhagavad-Gita 2:19;
He who thinks that the living entity is the slayer, or that the entity is slain,
does not understand.
One who is in knowledge knows that the self slays not nor is slain."
Purport Bhagavad-Gita 2:19, Swami Prabhupada;
"When an embodied being is hurt by fatal weapons, it is to be known that the
living entity within the body is not killed. The spirit soul is so small that it is
impossible to kill him by any material weapon. Nor is the living entity killable in
any case because of his spiritual constitution. What is killed or is supposed to be
killed is the body only. This, however, does not at all encourage killing of the body.
The Vedic injunction is Ma himsyat sarva-bhutani, never commit violence to anyone.
The understanding that a living entity is not killed does not encourage animal
slaughter. Killing the body of anyone without authority is abominable and is
punishable by the law of the state as well as the law of the Lord. "
Another concern about reincarnation is the possibility we won't be fully
motivated to get things right in this life if we get more than one opportunity.
That concern has increasing merit over time. As evolved souls go to "Nirvana",
or "Heaven", leaving the cycle of reincarnation, they leave behind those with
personality types who would lack motivation if they knew reincarnation was a
universal principle. The prophecies predict exactly this dilemma. The solution
appears to be the "Second" Coming of Christ at the End of the Age, i.e., Now. 126
Here are three of these prophecies…
2 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul;
1 But mark this:
There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 People will be lovers of themselves,"…
[hedonistic, materialistic, and spiritually they'll be judgmental and self-righteous],
2 cont.; …"lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
5 having a form of godliness [mainstream judgmental theology]
but denying its [God’s] power [to save people of other religions].
Have nothing to do with them."
"The Signs Before The Day Of Judgement", p. 96, citing Ahmad, Musnad, 6/81;
'A'ishah…said… 'How will people be [at the last Hour?]'
He [Muhammad] said,
'Like locusts: the strong will devour the weak, until the Hour comes.' "
"The Signs Before The Day Of Judgement", p. 95, citing Ahmad, Musnad, 1/454;
It was reported from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr that the Prophet (S) said,
"The Hour will not come until Allãh takes away the best people on earth;
only the worst people will be left;
they will not know any good or forbid any evil."
Why will only the worst people be left? The explanation is "reincarnation".
The next piece of evidence is an example of the "three times for emphasis" rule.
God uses repetition for emphasis, especially in threes. Examples are the cock
crowing 3 times on the night of Jesus’ arrest (John 13:38,18:26), 3 days before
the resurrection, and 3 repetitions of the message to Peter in Acts 10:9-16.
Let's see the "three times for emphasis" rule applied to reincarnation…
Revelation 17:8,10-11, once again;
8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not [at the time John wrote this],
and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction.
The inhabitants of the earth…will be astonished when they see the beast,
because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.
10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come;
but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.
11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king.
He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction."
The phrase "once was, now is not, and yet will come" is repeated three times. 127
Next, samples of scripture from the Qur'an supporting reincarnation…
Sura 29:19-20;
19 See they not how God bringeth forth creation?
and then causeth it to return again?
This is truly easy for God.
20 SAY:
"Go through the earth,
and see how He hath brought forth created beings.
Hereafter, with a second birth will God will cause them to be born again…"
Sura 30:19;
He bringeth forth the living out of the dead,
and He bringeth forth the dead out of the living:
and He quickeneth [brings back to life] the earth [over and over] when dead.
Thus it is that ye too shall be brought forth."
Sura 2:28;
…Ye were dead and He gave you life;
next He will cause you to die; next He will restore you to life;
next shall ye return to Him!"
Sura 2:28, scripture Sura 2:28, explained
…Ye were dead and He gave you life; [ = You are born.
next He will cause you to die; [ = You die. That’s one life.
next He will restore you to life; [ = You're reborn. Reincarnation.
next shall ye return to Him!"
"next shall ye return to Him!" means that if one is a good Muslim, one earns
the right to Paradise (Nirvana) until the end of the 1000 years, if one so
chooses. The passage says nothing of the process ending before completion
of the 1000 year kingdom.
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol 4, Hadith#54;
Abu Hureira said,
I heard Allãh’s Messenger saying,
"By Him in Whose Hands my life is!
I would love to be martyred in Allãh’s cause
and then come back to life
and then be martyred
and then come back to life again
and then be martyred
and then come back to life and then be martyred."
128
Al-Imam al-MahdiThe Just Leader of Humanity
at al-islam.org/mahdi/nontl/
Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 73.;
"The Qá’im [Mahdi] will be among my [spiritual] descendants.
His name will be my name and his patronymic will be my patronymic.
His character will be like my own…
Anyone who obeys him would be obeying me,
and any one who turns away from him would be turning away from me.
Anyone who denies his existence during his concealment would have denied me,
and anyone who falsifies him would have falsified me.
Anyone who confirms his existence would have confirmed my existence."
Note the repetition for emphasis. Muhammad was making a very important
point. Because he was the Prophet, he knew he was returning! This opens a
doorway to reconciliation between Islam and the Hindu and Buddhist faiths.
It also resolves a contradiction of traditional Christian and Muslim theology—
What of people who never heard the teachings of Jesus or Muhammad?
How can a loving and just God condemn innocent people? Because we come back,
all eventually hear the Gospels, even those who previously missed out.
The preceding passages show Man's mortal form "dies". However, the soul
is a "son of the Most High" and remains. Traditional Christian theology rejects
reincarnation on the basis of one passage taken out of context…
Hebrews 9:27;
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…"
Our mortal form dies once, but the "Spirit gives life"—"the flesh counts for
nothing." Our spirits live on. The body dies. We face judgment between each life.
Evolved souls are separated out and go to Nirvana/Paradise/Heaven over
time. The remaining souls left are the most ego-centrics, so hedonism,
violence, and loveless sexuality abounds. In order to salvage those remaining,
God stages an End of the Age production…
1 Thessalonians 4:15, Paul;
15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive,
who are left till the coming of the Lord,
will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep [died]."
Regardless of the traditions of men, scriptures contain reincarnation.
As for the scripture describing reincarnation?
2 Timothy 3:16, Paul;
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,…" 129
The next step for connecting Hindu scripture with the Bible and Qur'an is
to compare the characteristics, or identity profiles, of the Father, Allãh, and
Krishna to see if they describe the same Person.
Krishna
Bhagavad-Gita 7:7 (Easwaran), Krishna;
…The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels."
Ramayana Prologue:4; That inconceivable Lord…"
the Father
Matthew 6:6, Jesus; …pray to your Father, who is unseen."
Allãh
Sura 57:3; …the seen and the hidden;
the Father
Genesis 17:1; …the LORD…said, "I am God Almighty;…"
Allãh
Sura 40:2; …the Almighty, the All-knowing,"
Krishna
Ramayana Prologue:4; …all powerful…all seeing…"
Allãh
Sura 32:2; "Lord of the Worlds" Sura 59:1; "the Most High!”
Krishna
Ramayana Prologue:4; "Lord of all the worlds…supreme deity
…universal authority…Lord of all the gods."
Deuteronomy 10:17 (NIV) the Father;
17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords,
the great God, mighty and awesome,…"
Sura 17:110; SAY:
"Call upon God (Allãh),
or call upon the God of Mercy…by whichsoever ye will invoke Him:
He hath most excellent names." 130
Hinduism’s One God; Krishna ( a.k.a. Vishnu)
"Bhagavad-Gita As It Is", pages 75-76 (Note; "Krsna" is another spelling of "Krishna")
Purport Bhagavad-Gita 2:2; The Sanskrit word bhagavan is explained by the great
authority Parasara Muni, the father of Vyasadeva. The Supreme Personality
who possesses all riches, entire strength, entire fame, entire beauty, entire
knowledge, and entire renunciation is called Bhagavan. There are many persons
who are very rich, very powerful, very beautiful, very famous, very learned,
and very much detached, but no one may claim that he is possessor of all these
opulences entirely. Such a claim is applicable to Krsna only, and as such He is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No living entity, including Brahma, Lord
Siva [Shiva], or even Narayana, can possess opulences as fully as Krsna.
Therefore it is concluded in the Brahma-samhita by Lord Brahma [Christ] himself
that Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is equal to or
above him. He is the primeval Lord, of Bhagavan, known as Govinda, and He is
the supreme cause of all causes…
In the Bhagavatam…there is a list of many incarnations of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead…Krsna is described as the original Personality of Godhead
from whom many, many incarnations and Personalities of Godhead expand.
"All the lists of the incarnations of Godhead submitted herewith are either
plenary expansions or parts of the plenary expansions of the Supreme Godhead,
but Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself." (Bhagavatum 1.3.28)
…Krsna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, the
source of both Supersoul and the impersonal Brahman [expanded "Body of Christ"]."
Purport Bhagavad-Gita 2:7, page 83; There is no difference between Krsna’s within
and without. And one who has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool
in trying to understand Bhagavad-Gita."
A Pictoral Image of Krishna/Vishnu
Ramayana 1:1:25;
“Seated in meditation, Brahma [Christ] thought of the Lord within his heart.
At that moment Vishnu [Krishna] appeared in the sky.
Only the gods saw him as he descended upon the back of his eagle carrier, Garuda.
His beautiful body was blackish and he shone with brilliant luster.
He was dressed in yellow silk with a garland of blue lotuses.
A necklace of bright celestial gems hung around his neck.
Adorned with numerous gold ornaments and jewels,
he held in his four hands a conch shell, a mace, a discus weapon, and a lotus flower.
Gracefully descending,
he sat amid the gods as they worshipped him with hymns and prayers." 131
Ramayana 1:1:25;
Seated in meditation, Brahma thought of the Lord within his heart."
Within his heart? Yes.
Ramayana 1:6:63; "…the indwelling Lord in everyone's heart."
When Brahma (Christ) turned his thoughts within, he found God.
When we do the same our spiritual eyes open. Like children, we see God all around us.
We see God—"Yahweh-Krishna-Allãh-the Father-WakanTanka" everywhere.
Sura 4:126; …and God encompasseth all things!”
We’ll see him in our neighbor…
Revelation 22:4;
They will see his [God's] face, and his name will be on their foreheads."
We’ll see God in outer space, the stars, and the earth,…
Jeremiah 23:24, God; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?"
…and we’ll see God in Nature, in the clouds, and the blueness of the sky….
Ramayana 1:1:25;
At that moment Vishnu [Krishna-Allãh-Father-Wakan Tanka] appeared in the sky.
Only the gods saw him as he descended upon the back of his eagle carrier, Garuda.
His beautiful body was blackish and he shone with brilliant luster.
He was dressed in yellow silk with a garland of blue lotuses.
A necklace of bright celestial gems hung around his neck.
Adorned with numerous gold ornaments and jewels,
he held in his four hands a conch shell, a mace, a discus weapon, and a lotus flower.
Gracefully descending,
he sat amid the gods as they worshipped him with hymns and prayers."
Vishnu’s body, the blackness of space, shines with the brilliant luster of stars.
He wears the yellow silk of the sun, and a garland of blue lotuses, clouds. From
his neck hangs the Milky Way, a necklace of bright celestial gems. As God is
inconceivable, his four hands are figurative, like God the Father’s, and represent
the four directions; North, South, East, and West, to show he is everywhere
and in all things. Only the gods saw Vishnu because only the gods recognize God
in all things. Remember, Vishnu is "inconceivable", so what we have here is a
beautifully written stylized picture of the universe personified. As we exist
within the universe, Krishna-Allãh-the Father sits amid us at all times. ]
John 14:20, Brahma [Jesus];
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father,
and you are in me, and I am in you."
132
Brahma-Christ-Jibreel
Ramayana 1:3:34; "…the self-born creator, Brahma."
Ramayana Prologue:4; Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe…"
Ramayana Prologue:15; "chief of the gods" [lower case "g"’ gods]
Glossary page 457 "Brahma: The first of all the gods and creator of the universe.
He was directly manifested from Vishnu and is thus sometimes called "the unborn."
John 10:36, Brahma (Jesus); …I said, 'I am God’s Son'…"
John 14:28, Jesus; …the Father [-Krishna-Vishnu] is greater than I."
Satan took Jesus (the incarnated Brahma) to a mountaintop and offered him
all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship him. Jesus said;
Matthew 4:10; "Away from me, Satan! For it is written:
'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "
Matthew 6:9, Jesus-Brahma;
"This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father[-Krishna-Allãh] in heaven, hallowed be your name...' "
Ramayana 1:1:25;
Brahma, Vishnu's [Krishna-the Father-Allãh] devoted servant…
addressed Vishnu in a reverential tone…"
We've merely scratched the surface of the depths of wisdom contained in
the Hindu sacred books, and God willing, there will be much more to write about
in future books. This book's goal is overcoming the principal barriers of theology
separating Hinduism from the Bible and Qur'an. As it is written;
Isaiah 40:3-5; 3 A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness a highway [Way of Holiness] for our God."
Isaiah 35:8,
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it."
Isaiah 40:3-5, cont.;
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground [of theology] shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD['s love of all mankind] will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
133