The Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus

                                                                resurrection-of-jesus


The Bible contains the extraordinary account of the Master Jesus who was able to raise his physical body from the grave and take it up into Heaven. How was he able to accomplish this? Here I will attempt to shed more Light on this matter which is perhaps the greatest of all the mysteries known to man.

One of the Soldiers with a Spear Pierced His Side by Tissot

 

Following the death of Jesus on the cross one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear to ensure that he was dead. He was then placed in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea, a secret disciple of Jesus, who had hewn the tomb out of the rock. They took the body of Jesus, wound it in linen, rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed. The chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate saying, Sir, we remember that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as you can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. As it began to dawn toward the first day of the week (which was on a Sunday) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the sepulchre. There was a great earthquake as an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow. For fear of him the guards did shake and became as dead men. The angel informed them that Jesus was risen from the dead.

The middle figure in the Chart represents the "Holy Christ Self," who is also called the Higher Self or the Higher Mental Body.

What of course the Bible does not tell us is how Jesus was able to rise from the dead. To understand this mystery I will turn to the teachings of the Ascended Masters: During the time Jesus’ body lay in the tomb, the faculties of His outer consciousness were drawn into his Higher Mental Body and from within It’s Light and Substance he poured the Flame of his own Life Stream from his Higher Mental Body’s Heart, Head and Hands into the flesh structure of his physical body and at the same time the Ascended Master known as the Great Divine Director also poured the Flame from his Heart and the Ascended Masters Octave of Light upon the flesh body of Jesus. The Great Divine Director drew the Cosmic Light Ray from his Octave and held that protected and undisturbed by the vibratory action of the atmosphere of this earth until all the Points of Light in the flesh body were drawn into Jesus’ Higher Mental Body. When that was completed Jesus came forth from the tomb on Easter Morning in his Higher Mental Body. (The Voice of the I AM 1941 November p22-23) The Higher Mental Body can be raised or lowered in vibration to appear physically or disappear up into the higher Planes.

                    Jesus, resurrection

The Bible goes on to tell us that following Jesus’ Resurrection some of those soldiers who were assigned to watch the tomb showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. The elders gave large amounts of money to the soldiers saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. So they took the money and did as they were taught. As a group of Jesus’ disciples were gathered together Jesus appeared in the midst of them. They were terrified and thought He was a spirit. He allowed them to handle His Resurrected Body pointing out that a spirit does not have flesh and bones as they could see He had. As further proof they gave Him a piece of fish and honey comb which He took and ate before them. After about forty days Jesus made the Ascension at noonday before more than five hundred people. Through the Saint Germain Foundation Jesus gives a more in depth account of his Ascension which is the next spiritual stage after the Resurrection: When [My body] was placed in the tomb, I returned to it, completed the purifying work, and came forth from the tomb in My Higher Mental Body- then, forty days afterward, made the Ascension at noonday in the presence of more than five hundred people. …I knew there were hundreds of others in the secret Retreats of the World who had made the Ascension. …Our Bodies are not physical but We can make Them as tangible as yours! …We have entered into the Great “Presence” when We became the Ascended Being. …Light has taken the place of the blood stream of the human form. …Our Bodies have the most natural appearance with a glowing color of pink to the Substance and Form. That is the Activity of Light radiating from the Heart! …In the Ascended Body, the Heart has become Light- a Heart of Light which pulsates carrying that Energy through the Body. (The Voice of the I AM December 1943) In another discourse Jesus describes His Ascension after His Resurrection: At the moment of the Ascension when in the Glory of that Higher Mental Body, as I beheld My “Presence” in the atmosphere I called unto It to glorify Me with Its own Self- with the Glory which I had with It in the Central Sun before the World was. I saw that Flaming “I AM Presence,” [which Jesus referred to as His Heavenly Father in the Bible] and the Flame of the outer self feeling the Oneness with that “Presence,” drew the Glory of Its Cosmic Power and Manifestation around the outer form, until it became all the Flame. (The Voice of the I AM March 1948)

                                   jesus-ascension

One other account of Jesus’ Ascension process can be found in the Books of the Saviour: CHAPTER 1. vs. 1. It came to pass, when Jesus had risen from the dead, that he passed eleven years discoursing with his disciples, and instructing them… CHAPTER 2 vs. 4. …It came to pass then, when the disciples were sitting together on the Mount of Olives, speaking of these words and rejoicing in great joy, and exulting exceedingly and saying one to another: “Blessed are we before all men who are on the earth, because the Saviour hath revealed this unto us, and we have received the Fulness and the total completion,” -they said this to one another, while Jesus sat a little removed from them. And it came to pass then… that there came forth behind him a great light-power shining most exceedingly, and there was no measure to the light conjoined with it. For it came out of the Light of lights, and it came out of the last mystery… 5. …from within without. …And that light-power came down over Jesus and surrounded him entirely, while he was seated removed from his disciples, and he had shone most exceedingly, and there was no measure for the light which was on him. And the disciples had not seen Jesus because of the great light in which he was, or which was about him; for their eyes were darkened because of the great light in which he was. But they saw only the light, which shot forth many light-rays. And the light-rays were not like one another, but the light was of divers kind, and it was of divers type, from below upwards, one [ray] more excellent than the other, …in one great immeasurable glory of light; it stretched from under the earth right up to heaven. -And when the disciples saw that light, they fell into great fear and great agitation. CHAPTER 3 vs. 6. It came to pass then, when that light-power had come down over Jesus, that it gradually surrounded him entirely. Then Jesus ascended or soared into the height, shining most exceedingly in an immeasurable light. And the disciples gazed after him and none of them spake, until he had reached unto heaven; but they all kept in deep silence. …It came to pass then, when Jesus had reached the heaven, after three hours, that all the powers of the heaven fell into agitation… and the whole earth was agitated… from the third hour… until the ninth hour of the morrow. And all the angels and their archangels and all the powers of the height, all sang praises to the interiors of the (vs. 7.) interiors, so that the whole world heard their voices, without their ceasing till the ninth hour of the morrow. CHAPTER 4 But the disciples sat together in fear and were in exceedingly great agitation and were afraid because of the great earthquake which took place. …Then, on the ninth hour of the morrow, the heavens opened, and they saw Jesus descend, shining most exceedingly, and there was no measure for his light in which he was. For he shone more [radiantly] than at the hour when he had ascended to the heavens, so that men in the world cannot describe the light which was on him; and it shot forth light-rays in great abundance and there was no measure for its rays, and its light was not alike together, but it was of divers kind and of divers type, some [rays] being more excellent than others… and the whole light consisted together. It was of threefold kind, and the one [kind] was more excellent than the other. …The second, that in the midst, was more excellent than the first which was below, and the third, which was above them all, was more excellent than the two which were below. And the first glory, which was placed below them all, was like to the light which had come over Jesus before he had ascended 8. into the heavens, and was like only itself in its light. And the three light-modes were of divers light-kinds, and they were of divers type, one being more excellent than the other… CHAPTER 5 …Then Jesus… when he saw his disciples, that they were in great agitation, spake with them, saying: “Take courage. It is I, be not afraid.” CHAPTER 6 It came to pass then, when the disciples had heard this word, that they said: “Lord, if it be thou, withdraw thy light-glory into thyself that we may be able to stand; otherwise our eyes are darkened, and we are agitated, and the whole world also is in agitation because of the great light which is about thee.” Then Jesus drew to himself the glory of his light; and when this was done, all the disciples took courage, stepped forward to Jesus, fell down all together, adored him, rejoicing in great joy and said unto him: “Rabbi, whither hast thou gone…?” Then Jesus, the compassionate, said unto them: “…I have gone to the regions out of which I had come forth. From this day on then will I discourse with you in openness, 9. …From this hour on will I not hide anything from you of the [mystery] of the height and of that of the region of Truth. For authority hath been given me through the Ineffable [or indescribable] and through the First Mystery of all mysteries to speak with you, from the Beginning right up to the Fulness, both from within without and from without within. Hearken, therefore, that I may tell you all things… CHAPTER 7 “It came to pass… through the First Mystery, which existed from the beginning, on account of which the universe hath arisen, 10. out of which also I am myself now come… -it came to pass, through the command of that mystery, that there should be sent me my Light-vesture, which it had given me from the beginning, and which I had left behind in the last mystery… until the time should be completed to put it on, and I should begin to discourse with the race of men and reveal unto them all from interiors of the interiors to the exteriors of the exteriors… CHAPTER 10 It came to pass then… that a great light-power came down, in which was my Vesture, which I had left behind in the… mystery, as I have said unto you. …And I found a mystery in my Vesture… -come hither unto us, for we are thy fellow-members. We are all with thyself; we are one and the same. Thou art the First Mystery, 17. which existed from the beginning in the Ineffable before it came forth; and the name thereof are we all. Now, therefore, are we all come to meet thee at the last limit, which also is the last mystery from within; itself is a portion of us. Now, therefore, have we sent thee thy Vesture, which hath belonged to thee from the beginning, which thou hast left behind in the last limit, which also is the last mystery from within, until its time should be completed, according to the commandment of the First Mystery. Lo, its time is completed; put it on [thee].”‘Come unto us, for we all draw nigh to thee to clothe thee with the First Mystery and all his glory, by commandment of himself, in that the First Mystery hath given us it, consisting of two vestures, to clothe thee therewith, besides the one which we have sent thee, for thou art worthy of them, since thou art prior to us, and existeth before us. For this cause, therefore, hath the First Mystery sent thee through us the mystery of all his glory, consisting of two vestures… 20. …Come, therefore, quickly, that thou mayest receive thy whole glory, that is the glory of the First Mystery. CHAPTER 11 It came to pass then, when I saw the mystery of all these words in the vesture which was sent me, that straightway I clothed myself therewith, and I shone most exceedingly and soared into the height… CHAPTER 14 “And I… ascended to the great æons [or the series of spiritual powers evolved by progressive emanation from the eternal Being] of the rulers and came before their veils and their gates, shining most exceedingly, and there was no measure for the light which was about me. …Their veils drew themselves apart of their own accord, and their gates opened. …And all the angels of the æons and their archangels and their rulers and their gods and their lords and their authorities… saw me, shining most exceedingly, and there was no measure for the light which was about me… 24. …-not of the former quality that it was about me when I was on the earth of man-kind, when the light-vesture came over me, -for the world could not bear the light such as it was in its truth, else would the world at once be destroyed and all upon it, -but the light which was about me in the twelve æons was eight-thousand-and-seven-hundred-myriad times greater than that which was about me in the world among you.” (Pistis Sophia translated by G. S. R. Mead) The three vestures referred to in this account could be Garments of Light however they are more likely to be Jesus’ three Higher Selves He left behind on the Higher Mental Plane, the Soul Plane and the Higher Soul Plane when He came down to this Physical Plane. These Higher Selves would have been wearing Garments of Light which reflected their particular Glory. There are other references in the Books of the Saviour which refer to bodies as vestures.