On Prophecy & Lifelong Learning
Prophets are pretty common, though most don't realize their status or potential. An advanced prophet, my term, is highly skilled at paying attention and learning. I'd say prophets are "lifelong" learners, but the term has been ruined by well-meaning public school officials, bless their hearts, always seeking new language to say the same things over and over again. (Meanwhile, kids learn.)
God says that once you stop being a lifelong learner, you're dead. Until then, you're at least learning about what dying feels like.
As if to prove me not dead yet, God recently revealed some amazing passages in the Gnostic Gospels. Fifty-two of these books, written on papyrus in Greek and bound in leather, were hidden in large clay pots found in remote caves somewhere in Upper Egypt. These books were written at about the same time that Mathew, Mark, Luke and John were circulating through a fragmented early church. The Gnostic Gospels of Nag Hammadi were discovered in 1945.
Of course, the ruling patriarchy accepted Christianity only after they figured out how to use it for control as they continued the eternal quest for wealth & power. It became dangerous for anyone to possess certain "heretical" gospels. One needn't be reminded what happens to heretics once a true religious hegemony comes to power. Thus, the books were stashed away in caves.
Prophetic Warning: Beware of religious hegemony. Starts with a minority and ends with minority rule.
Back to the Gnostic Gospels, which will forever be included in my own lifelong personal Bible.
Here's a poem from what sounds a lot like a female deity, unnamed - from Gnostic text, Thunder, Perfect Mind (0-200 AD)
For I am the first and the last.
I am the honored one and the scorned one.
I am the whore and the holy one.
I am the wife and the virgin . . .
I am the barren one,
and many are her sons . . .
I am the silence that is incomprehensible . . .
I am the utterance of my name.
Mary Magdalene
Was the poem written by Magdalene? The Gospel of Philip tells us that Mary Magdalene, who is referred to as his companion, was clearly one of the disciples. The others become would become jealous when Jesus kissed her in front of them and would complain to Jesus that he loved her more. And lo, Jesus says, I'm paraphrasing, answered, "You want me to love you like I love her?" I hear an unspoken, "Really?", but that's open to interpretation.
Of course, this is my own interpretation. I'm no theologian. I can tell you that God has never condemned the Gnostic Gospels, nor has He questioned their relevance or authenticity. I find them strangely reassuring. A bunch of old church elders declared them heretical, not God.
I'll leave you with this gem from the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said, "Know what is before your face, and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you."
