Detective Deity: Bible

Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts

Monday, December 15, 2025

Was Josephus the Historical Jesus and Paul?

Flavius Josephus (Whiston, 1737 [1851 edition]):

Abide With Me by Simon Dewey:

St. Paul the Apostle (19th-20th century A.D.) by Friedrich Stummel and Karl Wenzel (Encyclopaedia Britannica. Saint Paul’s Contributions to the New Testament):

I have already written a post trying to find the historical Jesus. However, I made this new post to focus on one person who seems to have been the main historical template for Jesus: Flavius Josephus. Not only was Josephus the historical template for Jesus, but he was also Saul/Paul. Check out my "Was Jesus Christ Real?" post for more information, but I will add more info. to this post over time.

Links:
Whiston (1737 [1851 edition]):
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Complete_Works_of_Flavius_Josephus_T/Z1eDk09sNoIC?hl=en&gbpv=1
Altus. Abide With Me by Simon Dewey:
https://altusfineart.com/products/simon-dewey-abide-with-me-jesus-with-open-arms
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Saint Paul’s Contributions to the New Testament:
https://www.britannica.com/list/st-pauls-contributions-to-the-new-testament
-Pic:
https://images.app.goo.gl/yqTyWMGvVm3mogG88
Was Jesus Christ Real?
https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2019/07/jesus-christ-wasis-real.html

1.) The Comparisons:
I've heard of Josephus for a while now. Initially, I just used him as a source to support Jesus Christ as a historical entity. Later on, I found out that those passages on Jesus in Josephus' works where Christian forgeries. Then, I thought that the Egyptian was Jesus. However, the Jesus character seems to have been a conglomerate of different historical personas. Notwithstanding this, a part of me was determined to find a single historical figure that could've been the main inspiration for Jesus. Saul/Paul later became a point of contention. While investigating Paul, the two figures, Jesus and Paul, started to become blurred. I became convinced that Saul/Paul was a composite character as well, and could've been another persona for Jesus! After re-reading Josephus' works, and reading and watching other stuff regarding Josephus himself, an idea formed in my head: was Josephus the historical template for Jesus and Paul? After learning about Josephus' life, it seems that the surprising answer to said question is yes!

In his autobiography, The Life of Flavius Josephus, Josephus said that he descended from the Jewish priesthood. His mother was of royal blood, and is descended from the family of Asamoneus. His popular father, and his brother, were named Matthias (Matthew). Josephus had three sons, and curiously enough, they seem to have had Hasmonean and Herodian names: Hyrcanus, Justus, and Agrippa ([Whiston, 1737 translation] Verses 1-2). Josephus was a smart child. At around 14, he received accolades from “High Priests and principle men of the city.” He said that they even came to him to properly understand “the law.” At 16, Josephus joined the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. He was also a student of a man named Banus, a desert teacher, for three years (53-56 A.D). Banus "used no other clothing than" what "grew upon trees." He also "had no other food than what grew of its own accord." He also took cold baths to maintain "his chastity." Josephus did all of these things as well. Finally, at 19 years of age, Josephus joined the Pharisees again (Verse 2). From what I can tell, "Asamoneus" seems to be Asamonaius, a version of the name Hasmonean (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hasmonean dynasty, para. 1). Therefore, Josephus descended from the Jewish priesthood and the Hasmoneans. The Herodians married into the Hasmonean family (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Herod, King of Palestine, para. 1), so Josephus would've been related to the Herodians.

Let's compare this information to Jesus' story. I'll stick with the Gospels of Matthew and Luke mainly, since I believe those two gospels were the earliest ones (originally Gospel according to the Hebrews, and Gospel of the Lord):

1.) The Talmud Jesus has been stated to have been a Hasmonean. This is stated in my "Was Jesus Christ Real?" post. Josephus was Hasmonean.
2.) At the age of 12, Jesus amazed the Jewish teachers at the Jerusalem Temple (Luke 2:41-51). At 14, Josephus was well-renowned for his knowledge by the Jewish teachers.
3.) Banus sounds similar to John the Baptist. John ate "locusts and wild honey," and he "came preaching into the wilderness of Judea," (Matthew 3:4). Jesus was also baptized by John at the Jordan River (Matthew 3:13-17). I know that baptism is an initiation ritual, but the comparison is close enough. The baptism ritual most likely came from the Essenes. I stated this in my "Was Jesus Christ Real?" post.
4.) Jesus was called "Rabbi" (Matthew 26:25 and 49). This word was used to describe the Pharisees (Got Questions, What is a Jewish rabbi, para. 2) (Hamman, 2018, The Pharisees, para. 2), which means that Jesus was probably a Pharisee. Josephus was a Pharisee.
5.) Jesus taught Essene-like beliefs, wore similar clothing, and his followers used terminology found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Check out my "Was Jesus Christ Real?" post for more info. on that. Josephus joined the Essenes, and wrote about them.

Now, we'll turn to Saul/Paul:

1.) Paul was a Pharisee (Acts 26:4-5), just like Josephus.
2.) Paul had Herodian family members. One was a man named Herodion (Romans 16:11). Josephus, being a Hasmonean, would've been related to the Herodians.

Josephus later stated that, while on his way to Rome to help some Jewish priest he knew that were arrested by the Romans, Josephus’ boat “drowned in the Adriatick sea.” A Cyrenian ship rescued him, and a few others that managed to survive. There were 600 originally, but only 80 survived the shipwreck (The Life of Flavius Josephus [Whiston, 1737 translation], Verse 3).

As for Paul:

3.) After his trial for causing a disturbance in Jerusalem, Paul was led prisoner to Rome. When the prison boat reached the Adriatic Sea, the ship struck a reef and sank. Paul, and a few others, survived (Acts 27:1, 27, and 41).

Josephus described himself as a pacifist who tried to get the Jews to not fight the Romans. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain. In fact, he and his fellow Pharisees pretended to side with the Jewish "robbers" (rebels) in order to not suffer their wrath (The Life of Flavius Josephus [Whiston, 1737 translation], Verses 4-5). Josephus, and a few other priests, were sent to Galilee to get the Jewish rebels to surrender (Verses 7-8, and 12). After some time there, Josephus got on the bad side of some Jewish men from Dabaritta. They raided the carriages of Ptolemy's wife, and took the spoils back to Josephus. Now, Josephus tried to convince the men to not disperse the plunder, but this is not what the robbers wanted. In return, they spread a rumor that Josephus was going to make the Galileans surrender to the Romans (Verse 26). As a result, Jesus son of Sapphias led a group of Galileans against Josephus (Verse 27). Josephus explained himself, and seems to have pacified some of the hostility (Verse 29). However, not all of the Galileans were swayed and continued to try and attack him (Verses 30-31). Encyclopaedia Britannica paints a slightly different picture of Josephus. It seems that Josephus' depiction of himself during this time might be untrustworthy, and Josephus was actually a soldier who fought against the Romans (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Poole, 2025, Flavius Josephus, Military career).

Compared to Jesus:

4.) Jesus was rejected by Capernaum and Nazareth, two cities in Galilee (Matthew 11:23) (Luke 4:14-30).
5.) Jesus was depicted as a pacifist (Matthew 5:1-11, and 21-48) (Matthew 26:51-54) (Luke 6:20-23, and 27-36) (Luke 22:51).
6.) However, Jesus also had Zealot-like characteristics (Matthew 10:34-38) (Matthew 21:12-13) (Matthew 26:55-56) (Luke 19:45-46) (Luke 22:35-38). Even his own disciples had weapons, and zealous-like behavior (Matthew 26:51) (Luke 22:35-38, and 49-50).

As for Paul:

4.) Paul, as Saul, persecuted the Christians while working for the Jewish authorities (Acts 22:3-5) (Acts 26:4-11). Later on, he joined the Christians (Acts 22:6-21) (Acts 26:12-18). The Romans protected Paul from the Jews (Acts 21:27-40).
5.) Long after his conversion, Paul was assaulted by the Jews at the Jerusalem Temple. Paul tried to pacify them (Acts 21:27-40) (Acts 22:1-22).

In The Jewish War, it seems that Vespasian sent Josephus’ friend, Nicanor, to Josephus to force him to surrender. Josephus' allies tried to commit suicide, but Josephus stopped them from doing so. He also tried to get his compatriots to disarm themselves. On the other hand, Josephus seems to have made the idea to cast lots. This would make one person kill the other, instead of committing suicide. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to go through with the deed. Afterwards, Nicanor sent Josephus to Vespasian. While in his presence, Josephus proclaimed that Vespasian will be emperor ([Whiston, 1737 translation], Book 3 Ch. 8. Verses 2, 6-9). Josephus is described here as "a prophet" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Poole, 2025, Flavius Josephus, Military career, para. 3).

In comparison to Jesus:

7.) Jesus' disciple, Judas Iscariot, betrayed him to the Jewish and Roman authorities (Matthew 26:47-56).
8.) Jesus was called a prophet (Matthew 21:11).

Compared to Paul:
6.) Paul had a vision of Jesus on his way to Damascus (Acts 22:6-21) (Acts 26:12-18).

Josephus was a prisoner for a while. After Vespasian was made emperor, Josephus was released. He became a Flavian, and worked with the Romans to end the war. He was "hated by the Jews," yet "distrusted by the Romans" for being a Jew." (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Poole, 2025, Flavius Josephus, Military career, para. 3). He later obtained a Roman citizenship (Josephus as historian, para. 2).

Compared to Jesus:

9.) Jesus was taken prisoner (Matthew 26:47-67) (Matthew 27:11-26).

Compared to Paul:

7.) Paul was taken prisoner by the Romans (Acts 21:27-40) (Acts 22:22-29).
8.) He had a Roman citizenship. This is why the Romans protected Paul (Acts 21:27-40) (Acts 22:22-29).

While Josephus was traveling with Titus, Cerealius, and their army, from Theocoa to Jerusalem, he saw multiple people (Jewish prisoners) crucified by the Romans. He personally knew three of them. Saddened by their predicament, Josephus asks Titus to let the three prisoners down from their crosses. Titus allows this, but two of the prisoners ended up dying. However, the third prisoner survived his crucifixion (The Life of Flavius Josephus [Whiston, 1737 translation], Verse 75).

Compared to Jesus:

10.) Jesus is crucified by the Romans (Matthew 27:11-56).
11.) After Jesus dies on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for Jesus' body. Pilate agrees, and Joseph helps to bury Jesus' body (Matthew 27:57-60). It should also be noted that Josephus' was also called Joseph ben Matthias (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Poole, 2025, Flavius Josephus). We already know that Josephus' father was named Matthias. I wonder if Josephus is Joseph of Arimathea as well? Dr. Eisler seems to have believed this. He also raised the question if Joseph of Arimathea was "merely a corruption of Josephus bar Mattathia," or if Josephus transformed into Joseph? He also mentioned that Professor Remy thought that Joseph of Arimathea was "'confused'" with Josephus (p. 73; note 2).

2.) Conclusions:
In summation, Josephus bears many similarities to Jesus and Paul. As far as I'm concerned, the historical persona for Jesus and Paul is Josephus. He was probably Joseph of Arimathea as well. We know that the New Testament used Josephus' works as sources (check my "Was Jesus Christ Real?" post), so it's not hard for me to hypothesize that the authors used Josephus himself as a historical template for Jesus Christ. Perhaps Josephus was the author of the gospels himself? Either way, Josephus and his works seem to have been the sources for the gospels.

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Does Heaven and Hell Exist?

Heaven and Hell. Retrieved from Hilles (2024):

Recently, we discovered that the "God" of the Bible and Satan/Devil were the same person. This leads us to the topic of this current post: Do Heaven and Hell exist? Surprisingly, Heaven is easier to explain than Hell but we shall discuss both topics here.

Links:
Heaven and Hell. Retrieved from Hilles (2024):
https://images.app.goo.gl/J8BiWZuzoWfoRV53A
Hilles (2024):
https://www.bcworldview.org/hell-will-be-hell-and-heaven-will-be-heven/

1.) Does Heaven Exist?
Clouds obscure a gate (Getty Images) from Almond (2018):

Let's discuss Heaven first. We all tend to think that Heaven is another world, or dimension, outside of ours. Actually, I've heard people discuss it as a place in outer space. Anyway, Heaven is suppose to be the home of the god of the Bible, Ieue/Ea/Zeus, and his son Jesus Christ. However, when you look for Heaven in the Bible, things get complicated. In the Tanakh/Old Testament, Heaven is called Shmin (pronounced "Sh-min")/Shamayin or Samayin. However, this just means Earth's sky (Genesis 1:8 [NASB] [Interlinear]) (Bible Hub, Strong's Hebrew: 8064. Shamayin). It also seems to mean "the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve," (Bible Hub, Strong's Hebrew: 8064. Shamayin, Lexical Summary). This seems to be space, if you ask me. The heavenly bodies are the planets (Mackenzie, 1915, p. 304), and their astrological symbols (Cook, 1914, Vol. 1 p. 235 note 2). So far, Heaven is a place on Earth or surrounding Earth: The sky and space. It's not another dimension, or a place beyond space. In fact, Shmin is a deity. He is called Baal Samen (or Shamayin)-Anum-Adad in the Middle East, and Dyeus (Uranus-Zeus) in Eurasia. In the New Testament, Ouranos/Ouranois (Uranus) is the word for Heaven. Uranus is a god, and the original form of Zeus/Dyeus. I talked about this in my "The Demonic Deity Unveiled" post. Heaven is the sky, space, and a god.

There is another aspect of Heaven that we have to discuss. There are multiple levels of Heaven, and they are the sun, moon, and the planets. This goes back to astrology. There are seven Heavens, and each of them have a corresponding planet and angel:

1.) First Heaven: Moon and Archangel Gabriel.
2.) Second Heaven: Venus and Archangel Anael.
3.) Third Heaven: Mercury and Archangel Raphael.
4.) Fourth Heaven: Sun and Archangel Michael.
5.) Fifth Heaven: Mars and Archangel Samael/Azrael.
6.) Sixth Heaven: Jupiter and Archangel Sachiel/Asariel.
7.) Seventh Heaven: Saturn and Archangel Cassiel/Uriel.

These are the celestial bodies. The god of the Abrahamic religions is represented by each of the planets, sun, and moon. Therefore, each of these seven planets and archangels are different aspects of the deity itself. Check my "The Demonic Deity Unveiled," and "My List of Gods and Goddesses" posts for more information.

We also have to talk about Abraham real quick. In Luke 16, Jesus talks about the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. When Lazarus died, he "was carried by the angels to Abraham's arms." The Rich Man went to Hades when he died (Luke 16:19-23 [NASB]). In the King James Version, Hades is called Hell. According to Rev. Taylor (1884), Abraham is Saturn in the parable (pp. 172-173). This means that Lazarus ascended to the seventh Heaven/planet Saturn when he died. He didn't go to another universe, or beyond space.

There is a place like Heaven in the Greek religion. This place is called Elysium, also called the "Elysian Plain" and "Isles of the Blessed." This is a "paradise to which heroes on whom the gods conferred immortality were sent." Homer called it the "Elysian Plain," and said that it was located "at the end of the Earth, on the banks of the Oceanus." Hesiod called it the "Isles of the Blessed," and "By the time of Hesiod, however, Elysium was a place for the blessed dead, and, from Pindar on, entrance was gained by a righteous life." Elysium was edited to be a part of Hades. An example of this is in Virgil's book "Aeneid, Book VI" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Elysium). This sounds a lot like the Christian Heaven, aside from the locations. "God's" chosen people go to Heaven/Elysium, while those he disdains go to Hell/Hades.

In summation, Heaven is not another universe, or beyond space. It was Earth's sky, and space itself. It was personified as a deity. The planets, sun, and moon represented seven different levels of Heaven. They were called celestial bodies, and were different personifications of the deity. I guess Heaven really is a place on Earth... Literally.

Links:
Almond (2018):
https://www.newsweek.com/heaven-afterlife-christianity-islam-judaism-966354
Clouds obscure a gate (Getty Images):
https://images.app.goo.gl/Zv69HPZuxfNruV6i6
Genesis 1:
-NASB:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/genesis/1.htm
-Genesis 1:8 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1-8.htm
Bible Hub. Strong's Hebrew: 8064. Shamayin:
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8064.htm
Mackenzie (1915) (P. 304):
https://books.google.com/books?id=HTrXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA529&dq=Ea+Dagon&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjU2Y3VnPKFAxV6EFkFHbvSBfwQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=Ea%20Dagon&f=false
Cook (1914) (Vol. 1 p. 235 note 2):
https://books.google.com/books/about/Zeus.html?id=9e9gpRpZWCYC&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity&hl=en&gl=US&ovdme=1#v=onepage&q=Iaw%20&f=false
Luke 16:
-NASB:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/16.htm
-KJV:
https://biblehub.com/kjv/luke/16.htm
Rev. Taylor (1884) (PP. 172-173):
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Devil_s_Pulpit.html?id=0mYWcpMPtLkC&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity&hl=en&gl=US#v=onepage&q=%20Saturn&f=false
The Demonic Deity Unveiled:
https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2022/10/was-yhwh-yahwehjehovah-angel.html
My List of Gods and Goddesses:
https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2024/12/my-list-of-gods-and-goddesses.html
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Elysium:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Elysium-Greek-mythology

2.) Does Hell Exist?
The Hell from The Evil Fandom Wiki, Hell (theology):

Now we must wonder if Hell exists. I think this is the more interesting question since people, mainly Christians I'd believe, are concerned night and day about whether or not they're going to go to Hell. Honestly, I was extremely concerned about this as well. However, since Heaven isn't the afterlife, is Hell part of the afterlife? You can't have Hell without Heaven. Well... It turns out that Hell is the original afterlife in the Bible. Actually, we shouldn't even call it Hell.

The Jewish word for "Hades or the world of the dead" is called Sheol (actually spelled "Sh'ul"/"Shaul"). It is also translated as "grave, hell, pit" (Bible Hub, Strong's Hebrew: 7585. Sheol). The best scene in the Tanakh/Old Testament that concerns Sh'ul is in 1 Samuel 28. King Saul goes to a female medium to talk to the spirit of Samuel. The medium conjures up Samuel who came "'up from the earth.'" Interestingly, a "'divine being'" also came up. What's also important to note is what Samuel's spirit said to Saul: Saul and his sons will die and join Samuel in the afterlife (1 Samuel 28:3, 7-15, 19-20). Now, Saul is said to have disappointed Ieue/Ea (1 Samuel 15:10 and 35), so wouldn't that mean that Ieue/Ea sent Saul to Hell and Samuel would've gone to Heaven?Apparently not. Everybody goes to Sh'ul, and it's stated clearly in the Tanakh/Old Testament. Not only that, but Sh'ul seems to be the underworld. This is also stated in Job 7:9 where "Sheol" (Sh'ul) is a place you go "down to," and do "not come up" from. This brings us to Hades, which is the Greek underworld ruled by the god Hades. Hades is where "the infernal powers and [...] the dead" reside. Hades did watch over "the trial and punishment of the wicked after death," he wasn't "one of the judges in the underworld." The punishment of evil doers was inflicted by "the Furies (Erinyes)." Interestingly, there is another level of the underworld below Hades. It's called Tartarus, and it's where evil people are punished. Albeit, it "became almost a synonym for Hades." Hades is also Sheol "In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible." It was a "dark region of the dead," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hades). So, Hades was the first layer of the afterlife and Tartarus was the second layer of the afterlife where evil people were punished. Hades is the Greek translation of Sh'ul, which means that everyone goes to Sh'ul when they die. This matches what is stated in the Tanakh/Old Testament.

In the New Testament, Hell is Hades. This is seen in the the NASB, and KJV, translations of the Rich Man and Lazarus parable in Luke 16:19-31. In the parables, the Rich Man is being tormented and burned in Hades (Luke 16:23-24). Hades is filled with "infernal powers" in the Greek version. Evil people also seem to be punished in Hades, and Tartarus, in the Greek version as well (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hades, para. 2 and 4). Tartarus is also in the New Testament, and it is translated as Hell as well. In 2 Peter 2:4, Ieue/Ea sent disobedient angels to Hell to await judgement. This is the NASB translation. However, note a in the NASB translation said that Hell in this passage is Tartarus. The Berean Literal Bible, and Interlinear, translations said that Hell in this passage is Tartarus too (2 Peter 2:4 [NASB] [BLB] [Interlinear]) (Bible Hub, Strong’s Hebrew: 5020. tartaroo). Hell in the New Testament is the Hades of the Greek religion, just like in the Tanakh/Old Testament. The difference in the New Testament is that good people go to Heaven, a.k.a the sky/space/planets. As stated previously, Lazarus in Luke 16 went up to Abraham. Abraham is the planet Saturn/seventh Heaven. Jesus said that he is going to sit on the right hand of God, and he does that later on. This is the Archangel Michael's position, and some Christians have equated Jesus to Michael before. See my "Was Jesus Christ real?" post for more information on that. This means that Jesus ascended to the fourth Heaven/sun, from what I can tell.

There is one more word that is translated into Hell that we have to examine. In Matthew 5:29, the word for Hell in the Beatitudes is Gehenna. This is in notes m, t, and w for the NASB translation (Matthew 5:22, and 29-30). Gehenna is the Greek translation of "Ge Hinnom, meaning 'valley of Hinnom.'" This was a literal "valley west and south of Jerusalem where children were burned as sacrifices to the Ammonite god Molech." It was later turned into a "garbage center to discourage a reintroduction of such sacrifices." Gehenna then served as "imagery of the burning of humans" and "the concept of 'hellfire' to Jewish and Christian eschatology," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Gehenna). This valley, called "Ben-hinnom," and the sacrifices to Molech, are mentioned in Jeremiah 32:35. As we already know, Molech is a title for the god of the Bible and not the name of another god. The human sacrifices were made to Ieue/Ea-'l/Enlil, not a rival god. See my "The Demonic Deity Unveiled" post. Ben hinnom/Gehenna is a literal place on Earth, not Hell. At the very least, it's a metaphor.

So, what is Hell? It's the underworld, and everyone goes there. Heck, from what I've seen, Hell isn't the proper name. It's Sh'ul in Jewish, and Hades in Greek. Evil people, and divine beings, do get tortured there and in Tartarus. Ben hinnom/Gehenna is not Sh'ul/Hades or Hell, but a physical place on Earth.

Where did this belief of the underworld come from? I would venture to guess that, since people are buried into the Earth (usually), it would make sense that our ancestors believed that the afterlife was the underworld. Some support for my idea comes, once again, from the Greek religion. Some caves were thought to have been entrances into Hades (Schumacher, 2002; in Marinatos and Hagg, 2002, p. 59). In the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, Orpheus physically goes to Hades to bring back the deceased Eurydice. There is an "opening into the land of the living" in Hades. It allows physical people to leave (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Orpheus, para. 3). This sounds like a cave, if you ask me. At the very least, it's a physical hole of some kind. Hades/Hell is inside the planet Earth!

3.) The Real Afterlife?
Destiny of Souls (2000) by Michael Newton, Ph.D.:

Although we probably cannot know the afterlife entirely, there seems to be some evidence to suggest that it's completely different from the Heaven and Hell of Christianity. I found a book, Newton (1994), which details the journey of the soul in the spirit world and the Earth. Dr. Newton said that, according to the cases studies that he has investigated, after we die our souls are taken to the spirit world. Depending on what kind of soul we have (a young or old soul), we can be guided to the spirit world by a spiritual guide or a soul mate. This typically always happens for a young soul, or a child soul. None of the subjects documented a “major religious figure such as Jesus or Buddha” ever bringing souls to the afterlife, based on Newton's research. This seems to be more of a job for the soul guides. We are all assigned a guide, who exist in Earth's astral plane. When we reach the spirit world, Newton details something amazing that happens. Instead of going to Heaven or Hell, we basically go through a review of our life on Earth. If we were bad on Earth, we go to "special centers" or "'intensive care units.'" This sounds like therapy, if you ask me. Then, you will go back to Earth through reincarnation. This seems to be done in order to learn a lesson that you didn't learn in your previous life. Karma is also a part of this. I'm a big believer in karma, I'll tell you that! Anyways, Newton said that this isn't punishment, although the reincarnated soul might agree to go through a troubled life in order to learn their lesson. If there is any place that could be linked to a Hell, Newton said that it's probably Earth. As for our reward, it seems to be resting from our journey on Earth. We also socialize with other souls. We seem to be assigned to a soul "cluster group." The groups seem to be our friends or "intimate soulmates," and they welcome us back with open arms and celebration (pp. 1-4 [Ch. 1]).

No Jesus Christ, Buddha, or other major religious figures; no Heaven or Hell, and no divine reward or punishment as stated in our religions. We all go back to the same place after we die (which is what the Jewish and Greek religions stated, but this is contrary to Christianity), and we regroup with loved ones. If we were evil in our past life on Earth, we reincarnate in order to learn our lesson and, hopefully, become a better person. Honestly, the more I learn about the afterlife, the more I realize that Christianity's view of it is the worst one. The Jewish and Greek religions were somewhat closer to the truth.

Links:
Newton (1994):
https://mariaelenamexia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Destiny-of-Souls-New-Case-Studies-of-Life-Between-Lives.pdf
-Date:
https://books.google.com/books?id=NcGklVFxLloC&printsec=copyright#v=onepage&q&f=false

4.) Conclusions:
Heaven and Hell are not the afterlife. They're not a place above space either. Heaven is the Earth's sky/atmosphere or space, and its multiple levels are the sun, moon, and the planets represented by the symbols of the zodiac and archangels. Heaven is also a god in both the Jewish and Greek religions. Christian Heaven acts like the Greek Heaven, Elysium. However, Elysium is located in Hades. Speaking of Hades, that is the proper name of Hell. Sh'ul/Hades is the afterlife in the Tanakh/Old Testament and Greek religion. Everybody goes there when they die, both the good and the bad. This changed in the Christian religion, where good people go to the sky/space and the bad go to the underworld. The Christian Hades matches the Greek Hades, where evil people are judged and tortured. They can also be tortured in Tartarus as well, which is a second level of the Greek afterlife and is also in the New Testament. Ben hinnom/Gehenna is translated as Hell, but it's not the afterlife. It's a literal place near Jerusalem, and served as a metaphor for hellfire. Hades is a physical place on Earth, and physical people can enter and leave it. I believe this is based on a possible ancient belief that, since we bury our dead into the ground, the afterlife was thought to have been underground. Later on, Christianity changed this slightly: The good go to the sky/space while the bad go underground.

Does Heaven exist? The Heaven that we usually think of does not exist. Does Hades exists? No. We know what is under the Earth, and there isn't a bunch of spirits being tortured or waiting to be judged. What's really under the Earth is magma, and the Earth's cores. From what I can tell, the afterlife is not what Christianity says it is. We all go to the same place, are welcomed back by our soul cluster groups, and if we need to redo our life on Earth we reincarnate.

Saturday, July 5, 2025

God, Satan/Devil, and Jesus are the Same Person.

Devil by Popperfoto on Getty from Hutto (2019):

Everybody has heard of Satan, also known as the Devil. He's the angel that rebelled against God in Heaven, and was exiled as a result. He is the archenemy of God and His Son Jesus, and he prowls around the Earth trying to lure human beings to Hell by tempting us to do evil things. Yeah, that makes sense. Take out your frustration on a lesser being because you can't achieve what you want. It is also stated in the Abrahamic religions that the gods of the pagans were demons who lured people away from worshipping the only God, who only the Jews, Christians, and Muslims knew about. These demons were ruled by Satan/Devil, who followed him in rebelling against God and his other angels. They were also casted out of Heaven along with their master. I use to like this story when I still believed in Christianity, but it also scared me since I thought that Satan/Devil was everywhere, trying to find a way to send me to Hell and torture me forever.

However, during my 5 and 1/2 years of researching the history of my previous religion, I had to come to the conclusion that Satan/Devil wasn't who I thought he was. He wasn't an angel that rebelled against God. He WAS God. In fact, Satan/Devil is God's dark side or his war-like side.

Links:
Devil by Popperfoto on Getty:
https://images.app.goo.gl/ih2P7V3HjUsL5MxKA
Hutto (2019):
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-devil-critiques-expressions-that-mention-him

1.) Satan/Devil in the Bible:
Satan/Devil tempting Jesus Christ in Temptation of Christ (1854) by Ary Scheffer (Wikipedia):

According to the Christian tradition, In the Tanakh/Old Testament, Satan is the serpent that seduced Eve and Adam into eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3). Satan got into a bet with Ieue to see if Job will stay loyal to God, or not. Apparently, Ieue allowed Satan to have Job's livestock stolen, and his children killed (Job 1:6-19). Then, Ieue allowed Satan to infect Job with boils (Job 2:1-7). Satan tried to accuse Joshua the high priest, but the angel of the LORD/The LORD (Ieue/Ea) stopped him from doing so (Zechariah 3:1-2). There is one more incident that Satan apparently did as well, but we'll circle back to that event later on.

So far, Satan isn't very prominent in the Tanakh/Old Testament. Heck, he's only called Satan and not Satan and/or the Devil. This changes in the New Testament. Jesus said that the Devil is the original liar, and creator of lies (John 8:44). In Revelation 12, Satan/Devil caused a rebellion in Heaven and failed. He, and his followers, were casted out of Heaven and sent to Earth by Michael and 'l's-Ieue's other loyal angels. He's also called the dragon/serpent (Revelations 12:7-9). This might go back to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. In Jude 1, the Archangel Michael fought with the Devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9). Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan/Devil. Jesus beats him (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus said that the Devil is the "'father'" of the Pharisees. He later says that the Devil is the original liar, and spreads lies (John 8:44). Later on, Luke says that "Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot." Judas then agreed to betray Jesus to the Pharisees (Luke 22:3-6). Satan then decided to go after Simon (Peter), and the other disciples (Luke 22:31). Although this isn't stated, I believe that it is hinted that Satan took hold of Peter and made him deny Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62). Satan made Ananias lie to the Holy Spirit, and keep some money he received when he sold some land. As a result, Peter admonished him and Ananias instantly died (Acts 5:1-6).

In the New Testament, Satan gains the name "the Devil" and is officially the bad guy and arch-nemesis of God, Jesus, and the angels. This is not the case in the Tanakh/Old Testament. Satan barely does anything in the Tanakh, aside from tempting Eve and Adam in Eden. God and Satan even work together in the Old Testament. He got a mighty upgrade in the New Testament. It's also interesting how Satan and his forces were cast down to Earth, and not Hell.

Links:
Temptation of Christ (1854) by Ary Scheffer (Wikipedia):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temptation_of_Christ#/media/File:Ary_Scheffer_-_The_Temptation_of_Christ_(1854).jpg
-Pic:
https://images.app.goo.gl/bFjZw4iWaxzCdyP3A
Genesis 3:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/genesis/3.htm

Job 1:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/job/1.htm

Job 2:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/job/2.htm

Zechariah 3:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/zechariah/3.htm

John 8:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/8.htm

Revelation 12:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/revelation/12.htm

Jude 1:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/jude/1.htm

Matthew 4:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/4.htm
Luke 22:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/luke/22.htm

Acts 5:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/acts/5.htm

2.) "God" is Called Satan in the Tanakh/Old Testament?
In the Tanakh/Old Testament, "God" (Ieue/Ea) commits the majority of the carnage instead of Satan. However, there seems to be a hint that Ieue/Ea and Satan/Devil are the same person! In 2 Samuel 24:1, the LORD (Ieue/Ea) was angry with Israel and ordered David to "'count Israel and Judah.'" This was a census. In an alternative version of the event in 2 Chronicles 21, Satan takes Ieue's/Ea's place (2 Chronicles 21:1). However, Joab says that it's the LORD (Ieue/Ea) who is ordering David to commit the count/census (2 Chronicles 2:3). This is also stated in 2 Samuel 24:3. The Tanakh/Old Testament inadvertently equated "God" to Satan/Devil! Rev. Taylor (1884) also stated this, saying that "Jehovah and Satan, God and the Devil, are really one and the self-same imaginary being," (Part 1 pp. 75-76). Rev. Taylor also stated that the name Satan, spelled Sathen or Stn in Hebrew, "first occurs in 2 Chronicles 21." Satan also appears to be the sun, Abaddon, and Apollyon/Apollo (p. 75). As stated in my "The Demon Deity Unveiled" post, Ieue/Ea was equated to the sun.

Blavatsky (1877) also stated that Satan was first introduced in 2 Chronicles, and that "The inference is unavoidable that the two, Satan and Jehovah, were regarded as identical." She also equates Satan to Apollo, Set (Seth), and Beelzebub (Vol. 2 p. 481). Using Zechariah 3 and Jude, Blavatsky seems to state that the angel of the LORD and Satan/Devil were the same entity. The angel of the LORD is the Archangel Michael, and Michael and Jehovah were also the same person (p. 482). Another example of the angel of the LORD being Ieue/Ea himself is in Judges 13. Manoah and his wife encountered the angel of the LORD. When Manoah asked for his name, the angel of the LORD didn't say it because "'it is wonderful.'" Manoah and his wife said that it was God/the LORD (Ieue/Ea) (Judges 13:17, 21-23 [NASB]). Now in Judges 13:22, the name of "God" here is Elohim (the gods), so what Manoah actually said in Judges 13:22 is that he and his wife saw the gods (Judges 13:22 [Interlinear]). Manoah's wife used the name Ieue in Judes 13:23 (Interlinear). Therefore, we can say that the angel of the LORD is also being equated to Ieue/Ea here.

A second example is Balaam and the donkey. In Numbers 22, Ieue/Ea became angry with Balaam and sent the angel of the LORD to confront him. The angel of the LORD is an "adversary" to Balaam. The donkey saw the angel, and tried to avoid it by going different ways. Balaam became angry with the donkey, and attacked it with his staff three times to make it move on the proper road. The LORD (Ieue/Ea) possessed the donkey, and then Balaam, while the angel of the LORD/adversary confronted Balaam (Numbers 22:20-33 [NASB]). In the interlinear version of Numbers 22:22, the Jewish word for adversary is Satan. Here, the angel of the LORD is Satan. Using Blavatsky (1877), you can even say that both the angel of the LORD and Ieue/Ea are Satan here, since the two individuals worked together to harass Balaam and possess his donkey.

So taking everything together, "God," Satan/Devil, the angel of the LORD, and the Archangel Michael are the same person.

Links:

2 Samuel 24:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/2_samuel/24.htm

2 Chronicles 21:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/1_chronicles/21.htm

Rev. Taylor (1884) (Part 1 PP. 75-76):
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Devil_s_Pulpit.html?id=0mYWcpMPtLkC&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity&hl=en&gl=US#v=onepage&q=Jehovah&f=false

Blavatsky (1877) (Vol. 2 pp. 481-482):
https://books.google.com/books?id=GfDUN6fgoSgC&pg=PA165&dq=jehovah+nissi+dionysos&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdrsfs6ZWNAxXrMlkFHd4aGEsQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=snippet&q=satan%20jehovah&f=false

Numbers 22:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/numbers/22.htm

-Numbers 22:22 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/numbers/22-22.htm

Judges 13:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/judges/13.htm

-Judges 13:22 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/judges/13-22.htm

-Judges 13:23 (Interlinear):
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/judges/13-23.htm

3.) Yaltabaoth, the Satan/Devil of Gnostic Christianity:
We talked about Satan/Devil in the Bible, but that was the Orthodox Christian Satan/Devil. Let's talk about the Gnostic Satan/Devil. His name is Yaltabaoth. We'll use the Gnostic book The Apocryphon of John (Wisse translation) to get a good look at his character:

God the Father, the Invisible Spirit and first aeon, created the goddess/second aeon Barbelo, who was His first thought/deed and the image of the Father. Barbelo is the "womb of the everything," "the Mother-Father," "the thrice powerful" and "thrice-named androgynous one," etc. Together, the Father and Barbelo create Christ, "an only-begotten child of the Mother-Father which had come forth" and the "Autogenes." Christ was put in charge of overseeing everything. That's the best way that I can describe this story so far!

As for Sophia, also called "Sophia of Epinoia," she is an aeon and created Yaltabaoth without the help of the Father or her male consort. Yaltabaoth is an archon (I'm guessing that archons are bad guys), and he stole power from Sophia. He is stated to look like a "lion-headed serpent." Yaltabaoth is also called Saklas, and Samael. Yaltabaoth used Sophia's powers to create a bunch of beings: angels, demons, etc. In order to get her powers back, Sophia went to the Father. He told Yaltabaoth to create something, which turns out to be man (Adam), and Yaltabaoth lost Sophia's powers as a result. The Father sent Epinoia, also called Life (Eve!), to be Adam's helper. Eve is Sophia! She became Adam's helper, since her power is now in Adam. She also took on the bodily form of a woman (I think the Father did this). Sophia is mankind's helper in this text.

The name Samael is interesting because it is, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, "the major name of Satan in Judaism." It "first appears in [...] the Ethiopian Book of Enoch 6" in which he is one "of the leaders of the angels who rebelled against God," (Jewish Virtual Library, Samael, para. 1). Also, as stated in The Apocryphon of John, Yaltabaoth and the other archons that he created "created seven powers for themselves." One of them is called Yao, who "has a serpent's face with seven heads." Another power, who also seems to have been an archon created by Yaldabaoth himself, is called Sabaoth. He is also called Adonaiou. He had "a dragon's head." Iao (Iaw/Yao) is the Greek spelling of Ieue (Yhvh) in the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint (Vasileiades and Gordon, 2021, Figure 6). Sabaoth is also a name of Ieue in the Old Testament (Ex.: 1 Samuel 15:2 [Interlinear]). The Gnostics seem to be saying that Yaltabaoth, and his archons and powers, are the god of the Bible. Not only that, but Yaltabaoth is Samael/Satan. This would make Ieue/Ea Satan as a result.

Links:
The Nag Hammadi Library. The Apocryphon of John (Wisse translation):

https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/nag_hammadi/apocjn.htm
Jewish Virtual Library. Samael:
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/samael

Vasileiades and Gordon (2021):

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349711568_Transmission_of_the_Tetragrammaton_in_Judeo-Greek_and_Christian_Sources
1 Samuel 15:2 (Interlinear):

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_samuel/15-2.htm

4.) Jesus and Satan/Devil are the Same Person?
In the New Testament, Satan/Devil is the arch-nemesis of Jesus Christ. However, it seems that even Jesus and Satan/Devil are the same person. According to Weor (2012), "The Pentagram is the sign of the Word made flesh, and according to the direction of its rays, it can represent God or the Devil, the Immolated Lamb or the male goat of Mendes." When the Pentagram is "aiming up towards the sky, it represents Christ." When the pentagram is "aiming downwards, it represents Satan." Finally, the pentagram represents the "fallen Angel" when "aiming down," (Ch. 30 [p. 2]):

This means that Jesus and Satan are the same individual. They're two sides of the same coin. This suggests that Satan/Devil was the dark side of Jesus Christ, and ultimately "God" himself.

Link:

Weor (2012) (Ch. 30):

https://books.google.com/books?id=jHWGyAMa5vYC&pg=PT266&dq=Jupiter+pentagram&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWz8e3krKGAxURFFkFHWosAIU4ChDoAXoECAgQAw#v=onepage&q=Jupiter%20pentagram&f=false

5.) "God," Satan/Devil, and Jesus are the Planet Mars:

The planet Mars (Billings and Mirsky, 2018):

According to the Archangels and Angels website, Samael is the planet Mars. His astrological symbol is the ram (Archangels and Angels, Archangel Samael-Angelic and Planetary Correspondences). As stated in my "The Demon Deity Unveiled" and "Who is YHVH?" posts, Ieue/Ea and El/Enlil are the ram god. This is both in, and outside, the Bible. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is called "the lamb of God" by John the Baptist (John 1:29 and 35-36). In Revelation, Jesus is described as "a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth," (Revelation 5:5-10). In Revelations 3, Amen is "the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the Creation of God." Amen is talking to John here. He also said that he "sat with My Father on His Throne," (Revelation 3:14 and 21). However, John called Jesus the "faithful witness" (Revelation 1:5). It seems that Amen is the one who appeared to John at the beginning of Revelation. Amen said that he "was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore," (Revelation 1:18). Jesus also sat on the right hand of God, died, and rose from the dead. Amen is Jesus. Amon, also spelled as Ammon, Amun, Amen, and Amana, was the "king of the god" in Egypt. He was "identified with the sun god Re," and became "Amon-Re." Amon-Re was personified as a human "sometimes with a ram's head," or just "as a ram." Amon means "the Hidden One, and his image was painted blue to denote invisibility." Aside from Re, Amon was equated to Ptah. The three gods either "formed a triad," or Re and Ptah became "manifestations" of Amon. Amon "was linked to Jupiter," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Amon). Jesus is the ram, which equates him to Samael and the planet Mars. Jesus, Ieue/Ea, and El/Enlil are Samael.

Samael's celestial title is the "Warrior of God" (Archangels and Angels, Archangel Samael-Angelic and Planetary Correspondences). In the Greek and Roman religions, Ares/Mars is the god of war (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ares, para. 1) (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Mars). This means that Samael is the warrior aspect of "God." This helps to explain why the angel of the LORD is Satan while confronting Balaam.

Links:

Billings and Mirsky (2018):

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/mars-lander-will-peer-inside-the-red-planet/

Archangels and Angels. Archangel Samael-Angelic and Planetary Correspondences:
https://www.archangels-and-angels.com/archangels/a_samael/archangel_samael.html

Saturn: The Demon Deity Unveiled:
https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2022/10/was-yhwh-yahwehjehovah-angel.html

Who is Ieue (YHVH)?
https://demythifyinggod.blogspot.com/2025/01/who-is-yhvh.html

John 1:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/john/1.htm
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ares:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ares-Greek-mythology#:~:text=Ares%20was%20the%20ancient%20Greek,was%20not%20extensive%20in%20Greece.

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mars:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mars-Roman-god

Revelation 1:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/revelation/1.htm

Revelation 3:
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/revelation/3.htm

Revelation 5:

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/revelation/5.htm

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Amon:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amon

6.) Conclusion:
In the Christian religion, Satan/Devil is depicted as the ultimate evil. He rebelled against "God" in Heaven, lost the war and was sent down to Earth along with his followers, and is the nemesis of Jesus Christ. However, numerous lines of evidence show that Satan/Devil was actually "God," the angel of the LORD, the Archangel Michael, and Jesus Christ. He was the dark side of those three personalities. Better yet, he was the warrior side of "God." This means that there isn't an evil entity trying to stop you from going to Heaven, who will torture you forever in the afterlife, or is tempting you to commit sins. Worse yet, this would mean that "God" himself is trying to get you to sin so he can punish you. Honestly, this fits his character, especially in the Tanakh/Old Testament.

Bonus (7/20/25):
Notice how the Devil is usually depicted holding Adad's trident and horns. Adad is Ea, so this is more proof that Satan/Devil is the god of the Abrahamic religions.

Bonus 2 (2/12/26):
The Devil also has goat horns, and legs. Ieue/Ea is represented by the goat, so this is another confirmation that Satan/Devil is the god of the Bible.