Are We Living in Hell?

Much research has been done on the subjects and material in the holy scriptures that we have in place today. There are many holy texts and scriptures across many religions, however, the one I am most familiar with is the Holy Bible. The advent of the internet has allowed many of to realize that there are many gospels and writings that are not included in the Holy Bible. Additionally, there are many translations or versions of the writings, which insert of remove some of the known gospels and writings. For example, the book of Enoch in most versions of the bible only have a few chapters included, however, there are a whole lot more chapters to the writings of Enoch. Is this because the additional writings do not necessarily uphold the doctrine of certain denominations? I cannot truthfully speculate as to why and for what reasons books are included and/or not considered for inclusion. In recent times, however, there have been many discoveries and publications on gospels and writings by prominent people from the time of Christ.

One such discovery that has caught my attention is the recently discovered Gospel of Judas. These writings are not completely intact, however, there are some key items that are very clear and seem to bring to light some very interesting topics. The writings certainly make me believe that we may be currently living in what we would call “Hell” or the “Underworld”. Additionally, it seems that there are many “realms” discussed which may indicate what science has been telling us in reference to parallel and multiple universes. In the scriptures, at least at face value, seems to be indicating that there is primarily a heaven and a hell, unless we are including some of the “lost” or omitted gospels. Additionally, the story of Judas portrays a disciple that betrays Jesus simply for the payment of 30 pieces of silver. Now this story has been told for centuries, however, it appears that Judas was fairly wealthy and 30 pieces of silver really is not much in the way of value. So why would Judas betray Jesus for little value, and why would he do this to Jesus? I believe that Judas was simply part of the plan for the journey of Jesus. Who was Jesus and where was he really from? I know the Holy Bible talks about Jesus being the only begotten son of God, but is there an actual place or realm that God, as we know God, actually exists? I believe that God has always been and has always existed, but it is certainly nice to be able to give a name to his place of existence. Contained within the recently discovered Gospel of Judas, there appears text that tells us where Jesus is actually from.

The following texts are from the lost Gospel of Judas, not necessarily in the order from the original text, however, grouped together to bring attention to the realm from which Jesus came from.

He was able to stand before him, but he could not look him in the eyes, and he turned his face a way. Judas said to him, “I know who you are and where you have come from. You are from the immortal realm of Barbelo. And I am not worthy to utter the name of the one who has sent you.”

JESUS SPEAKS TO JUDAS PRIVATELY Knowing that Judas was reflecting upon something that was exalted, Jesus said to him, “Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom. It is possible for you to reach it, but you will grieve a great deal.

“I went to another great and holy generation.” Truly I say to you, no one of this aeon will see that generation, and no host of angels of the stars will rule over that generation, and no person of mortal birth can associate with it…..

For there exists a great and boundless realm, whose extent no generation of angels has seen, in which there is a great invisible Spirit, which no eye of an angel has ever seen, no thought of the heart has ever comprehended, and it was never called by any name.

It seems apparent that Barbelo, as we look at this text, may be another name for God. If you do some research in the Gnostic texts, you will notice that Barbelo is shown to be the “Father” as we know the definition of God in the Christian based writings. From Barbelo, with a thought that became a reality, came the first power, and this female spirit became the womb of who proceeds everything. If you compare this to the what is discussed in the Holy Bible, there seems to be a direct correlation to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So if there are other realms, then what realm or reality do we currently exist within? Are we actually a body with a soul that one day can one day reach other realms, or ultimately the realm of Barbelo, or the realm where God exists? Judas does ask this same question of Jesus in the following texts.

JUDAS ASKS JESUS ABOUT THAT GENERATION AND HUMAN GENERATIONS Judas said to him, “Rabbi, what kind of fruit does this generation produce?” Jesus said, “The souls of every human generation will die. When these people, however, have completed the time of the kingdom and the spirit leads them, their bodies will die but their souls will be alive, and they will be taken up.”

“Does the human spirit die?” Jesus said, “This is why God ordered Michael to give the spirits of people to them as a loan, so that they might offer service, but the Great One ordered Gabriel to grant spirits to the great generation with no ruler over it— that is, the spirit and the soul.

I am excited by the preceding texts, because it seems to support my beliefs. This idea of a soul “borrowing” a body for the experience of the soul, also correlates to the idea of reincarnation. But what realm does our soul, within a body, actually have human experiences? Jesus further informs Judas of the following:

“The twelve aeons of the twelve luminaries constitute their father, with six heavens for each aeon, so that there are seventy-two heavens for the seventy-two luminaries, and for each of them fifty firmaments, for a total of three hundred sixty firmaments ….The first is Seth, who is called Christ. The second is Harmathoth, the third is Galila, the fourth is Yobel, the fifth Adonaios. These are the five who ruled over the underworld, and first of all over chaos.

It seems then that we are already living in the underworld! I do understand, however, that this could simply mean that we live in realms “beneath” the great realm of Barbelo. However, you will also notice that there are many heavens, aeons, luminaries, and firmaments list in the text above. The way this paragraph is written makes me feel like we are living in the very depths, or the bottom levels of the existing realms. Are we then living in the most dense and painful realities that seem to exist as per these writings? What is most interesting about his paradigm, is that I was given a vision, in my past, that mirrors this scenario exactly. For me then it appears that we may truly be living in what the Holy Bible depicts as Hell!