Showing results by author "Joseph B. Lumpkin" in All Categories

Is mankind headed for destruction? How will it all end? When will it happen? What is man's destiny? Will we die by our own hand or by the hand of God? For thousands of years, the questions have been the same. Millions of souls have searched for the answers to no avail; nevertheless, some believed they knew. We call them prophets. They saw the end of our world, and they believed their visions were true.

This volume contains essays, epistles, letters, and notes from the men who were taught and influenced by the Apostles of Jesus. These first men, who influenced the development of our doctrines and the establishing of the church are called The Apostolic Fathers. The Apostolic Fathers played a pivotal role in the early development of Christianity, offering insights into the theological, ecclesiastical, and moral challenges faced by the early Christian communities.

The Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha, and Sacred Writings of the Old Testament. The books of Enoch, Jasher, and Jubilees in a single volume.

Although the book presents the Jewish leaders Judas, Jonathan, and Simon as devout people and has little sympathy for people who favor Hellenization, it must be noted that he nowhere mentions divine intervention. The author must have been a cultivated Jew living in Judah, and can be dated to c.100 B.C.E.

The text known as "Second Enoch," was discovered in 1886 by Professor Sokolov in the archives of the Belgrade Public Library. The Second Book of Enoch, or 2 Enoch was written in the latter half of the first century A.D. but had gone through alterations and additions to make it more acceptable to the Christian community. It was written in Slavonic, but had evidence of being translated from another language.

The Gospel of Thomas has been a flame of enlightenment in the world for almost 2,000 years. Once, almost extinguished, it has returned to us in ways most have never imagined. Today, the Gospel of Thomas leads us both spiritually and psychologically. In this work we will delve deeply into the spiritual and psychological meaning and application of each verse. We will gain a profound understanding of our nature and we will see how Gnosticism has influenced the development of modern psychology, under the hand of Carl G. Jung.

Are angels, seraphim, and cherubim exactly as the scriptures describe them - spiritual beings made by God for his service? Are demons those same beings acting contrary to their natural purpose? This audiobook draws no conclusions but only asks those questions shouting to us from recently unearthed scrolls, which are thousands of years old.

Since the dawn of his existence, this creature, this fierce and violent beast, has been obsessed with conflict. Like an incurable disease - an addictive drug - war has terrified, teased and taunted, repelled, and fascinated. The power of conquest, the lure and craving for wealth, has fashioned the ultimate beast of war - man. In his own words throughout the centuries, man speaks to us of war - its art, its poetic strategy, its allure, and its tragedy. Come with us now and listen to the words of our own kind as they teach us how to be warriors.

The Book of Gad the Seer, also called The Word of Gad the Seer, is said to have been written by the Prophet mentioned in 1 Chronicles 29:29. The passage reads: "Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in The Book of Gad the Seer."

No discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls has rocked the Christian world like that of the newly translated Gospel of Judas. Imagine Judas, the man all of Christendom has hated for 2,000 years, now portrayed as the chosen one, the martyr, the scapegoat, and the man instructed and appointed by Jesus himself to orchestrate and carry out the greatest treachery of all time. Come with us as we explore the Gospel of Judas. We will attempt to fill the gaps in the text and the theology.

By examining the earliest and most ancient texts of the faith, the original and unaltered words and intentions of Jesus may be heard in a brighter light. With fresh insight, we may better understand the evolution and journey of a new movement from a small Jewish sect to a world religion.

Most would agree that the modern church has become a disgraceful place, which still houses an eternal truth. Even when faced with this knowledge it is difficult to break away from our traditions. How do we rescue our own spirituality from the church? We shall cut tradition away from truth and let truth stand on its own. Tradition is a prison housing truth and religion is the hangman of spirituality. Both truth and spirit can be rescued with the courage to question and still believe.

Using texts from ancient and controversial discoveries, the missing years of Jesus are uncovered, revealing a young man's struggle between childhood and godhood. Jesus the child, the boy, the man, and the messiah are all seen in documents spanning from the time of his birth to his crucifixion. Now, the missing years in the life of Jesus are told through these hotly contested books and letters.

3 Enoch, also called The Third Book of Enoch, The Hebrew Book of Enoch, and The Book of the Palaces, purports to have been written in the second century A.D. by a Rabbi, who became a 'high priest' after he had visions of an ascension to Heaven, 90 AD - 135 A.D. The book is part of the Merkabah tradition, which are writings with the theme of ascension into heaven. The name is derived from a Hebrew word meaning chariot, referring to Ezekiel's vision beginning in Ezekiel 1:4.

It is the solitary purpose of this work to place back on this beautiful text flesh and blood so readers of today may feel and see and touch and know the wisdom and peace expressed so very long ago. The world of the twenty-first century is not the same as China in 300 BCE, but there remain common threads connecting mankind throughout the ages. In these threads we find a way to fully express and connect the depth of the Tao Te Ching to a modern age without compromising its ancient meaning.

The extremes to which the church and its leaders have gone in order to protect and justify various decisions regarding points of faith is fascinating, but tends to obscure the truth. Revisionist history, coercion, greed, lust, and propaganda were the order of the day when the major items of doctrine were being decided. In fact, many of those truths that we hold so dear in our Christian faith were decided, if not invented, through or because of political and financial aims, and not by theological insight. Many doctrines went well beyond what the early church held as truth.

This audiobook will reach down into your soul and force contemplation. It will make you search the length and breadth of the consequences of your beliefs and faith and it will make you want to seek the very heart of God and His grace in your life through the words you hear. Take your time. God will be there, waiting. The journey is not an easy one. It takes heart-wrenching emptiness to be filled with only Him.

Expand your knowledge and power of self through the classic work of Florence Schovel Shinn. This three-part series about the Law of Attraction is rich with insight that has helped countless people reap the benefits of manifesting their will since the first book was released in 1925. This collection of unusual and unique books is a must-listen for anyone interested in exploring The Law of Attraction and the impact mindset has in our lives. In addition, authors discover new perspectives and contemporary findings that support her work, along with fresh quotes from other great thinkers.

The newly discovered Gospel of Jesus' Wife was revealed to the public in September of 2012. The small scrap of codex is the size of a credit card, but it has reignited controversy over what is now mounting evidence that Jesus may have been married. Gospels and letters, some hidden by the church and some lost until recently, tell the story of who Jesus was, what he looked like, and hint at who he may have married. Were Jesus of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala husband and wife? The evidence is piling up.

Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and secular mystics all search for a deeper and personal connection with life and spirit. In this audiobook, we will look at all major paths of mysticism and see what marvelous truth and beauty is held within the heart of the mystic. This amazing journey may have a thousand paths, but all will end at the door of the infinite. The mystical experience is an encounter with the deepest truth and ultimate reality in which there is a sense of sacredness so rich and beautiful it cannot be adequately described.