The tomb in which they laid the body of the Lord was in a garden, rich with flowers, the garden of Siloam, and Joseph’s home was near. Before the watch began Caiaphas sent a company of priests out to the garden of Siloam that they might be assured that Jesus’ body was within the tomb. They rolled away the stone; they saw the body there, and then they placed the stone again before the door. And Pilate sent his scribe who placed upon the stone the seal of Rome, in such a way that he who moved the stone would break the seal. To break this Roman seal meant death to him who broke the seal. (Aquarian Gospel 172:1-5)
More proof of Jesus’ resurrection is being set in place. An entire company of priests saw that Jesus’ body was in the tomb before it was sealed by a seal that all the guarding soldiers could testify was unbroken until Jesus came forth from the tomb.
The Jewish soldiers all were sworn to faithfulness; and then the watch began. At midnight all was well, but suddenly the tomb became a blaze of light, and down the garden walk a troupe of white-clad soldiers marched in single file. They came up to the tomb and marched and countermarched before the door.
The Jewish soldiers were alert; they thought that friends had come to steal the body of the Nazarene. The captain of the guard cried out to charge. They charged; but not a white-clad soldier fell. They did not even stop; they marched and countermarched among the frightened men. They stood upon the Roman seal; they did not speak; they unsheathed not their swords; it was the Silent Brotherhood.
The Jewish soldiers fled in fear; they fell upon the ground. They stood apart until the white-clad soldiers marched away, and then the light about the tomb grew dim. Then they returned; the stone was in its place; the seal was not disturbed, and they resumed their watch. (Aquarian Gospel 172:6-14)
It was the Silent Brotherhood. Members of the Silent Brotherhood came at the birth of Jesus (Aquarian Gospel 3:6, 7), and now they attend his resurrection. What was the Silent Brotherhood? No explanation is given, but we can assume that it was a spiritual association of highly developed individuals. They are mentioned several times in the Aquarian Gospel.
Now, Jesus did not sleep within the tomb. The body is the manifest of soul; but soul is soul without its manifest. And in the realm of souls, unmanifest, the Lord went forth and taught. He opened up the prison doors and set the prisoners free; he broke the chains of captive souls, and led the captives to the light; he sat in council with the patriarchs and prophets of the olden times; the masters of all times and climes he met, and in the great assemblies he stood forth and told the story of his life on earth, and of his death in sacrifice for man, and of his promises to clothe himself again in garb of flesh and walk with his disciples, just to prove the possibilities of man; to give to them the key of life, of death, and of the resurrection of the dead.
In council all the masters sat and talked about the revelations of the coming age, when she, the Holy Breath, shall fill the earth and air with holy breath, and open up the way of man to perfectness and endless life. (Aquarian Gospel 172:15-24)
The body is the manifest of soul; but soul is soul without its manifest. All of creation proceeds from the subtlest causal realms down through the astral regions and then manifests as the material universe. It is the same with the manifestations of the spirit: first the causal bodies, then the astral bodies and then the material body. Just as creation emerges from Spirit, so all the bodies of an individual emerge from the spirit.
The Lord went forth and taught. He opened up the prison doors and set the prisoners free; he broke the chains of captive souls, and led the captives to the light. Even in the astral worlds Jesus was Messiah and Savior, bearing witness to his mission before those great souls that had gone before him.
He stood forth and told the story of his life on earth, and of his death in sacrifice for man, and of his promises to clothe himself again in garb of flesh and walk with his disciples, just to prove the possibilities of man; to give to them the key of life, of death, and of the resurrection of the dead. All the works and words of Jesus were not for his glorification, but rather were intended “just to prove the possibilities of man” to man. “To give to them the key of life, of death, and of the resurrection of the dead.” His purpose was to show every one of us our divine potential which he realized and showed to the world. Jesus is not unique, but what every human being is destined to be. This is the glorious Gospel of the true Christ: “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:25). So said Saint Paul, another Christ.
The revelations of the coming age, when she, the Holy Breath, shall fill the earth and air with holy breath, and open up the way of man to perfectness and endless life. This is about the Aquarian Age which began in the year 2000.
The garden of Siloam was silent on the Sabbath day; the Jewish soldiers watched and no one else approached the tomb; but on the following night the scene was changed. At midnight every Jewish soldier heard a voice which said, Adon Mashich Cumi, which meant, Lord Christ arise. And they supposed again that friends of Jesus were alert, were coming up to take the body of their Lord away.
The soldiers were alert with swords unsheathed and drawn, and then they heard the words again. It seemed as though the voice was everywhere, and yet they saw no man. The soldiers blanched with fear, and still to flee meant death for cowardice, and so they stood and watched.
Again, and this was just before the sun arose, the heavens blazed with light, a distant thunder seemed to herald forth a coming storm; and then the earth began to quake and in the rays of light they saw a form descend from heaven. They said, Behold an angel comes. And then they heard again, Adon Mashich Cumi. And then the white-robed form tramped on the Roman seal and then he tore it into shreds; he took the mighty stone in hand as though it were a pebble from the brook, and cast it to the side.
And Jesus opened up his eyes and said, All hail the rising sun; the coming of the day of righteousness! And then he folded up his burial gown, his head bands and his coverings and laid them all aside.
He rose, and for a moment stood beside the white-robed form. The weaker soldiers fell upon the ground, and hid their faces in their hands; the stronger stood and watched. They saw the body of the Nazarene transmute; they saw it change from mortal to immortal form, and then it disappeared. The soldiers heard a voice from somewhere; yea, from everywhere, it said, Peace, peace on earth; good will to men. They looked, the tomb was empty and the Lord had risen as he said. (Aquarian Gospel 172:25-42)
He folded up his burial gown, his head bands and his coverings and laid them all aside. We must not forget that Jesus had been wrapped up like a mummy with one hundred pounds of aromatics in the windings. Yet he passed through all that as though it did not exist.
They saw the body of the Nazarene transmute; they saw it change from mortal to immortal form. How they recognized what they saw, and exactly what they saw we do not know, but somehow it was communicated to them. From then on the body of Jesus was purely divine light: real, but not material, yet able to be touched. This seems contradictory because we forget that everything at all times are manifestations of Divine Light.
Peace, peace on earth; good will to men. Now at the consummation of Jesus life the angels proclaim what they did at his birth (Aquarian Gospel 3:13).
The soldiers hastened to Jerusalem, and to the priests, and said, Behold, the Nazarene has risen as he said; the tomb is empty and the body of the man is gone; we know not where it is. And then they told about the wonders of the night.
Caiaphas called a council of the Jews; he said, The news must not go forth that Jesus has arisen from the dead; for if it does all men will say, He is the son of God, and all our testimonies will be proven false.
And then they called the hundred soldiers in and said to them, You know not where the body of the Nazarene is resting now, so if you will go forth and say that his disciples came and stole the body while you slept, each one of you shall have a silver piece, and we will make it right with Pilate for the breaking of the Roman seal. The soldiers did as they were paid to do. (Aquarian Gospel 172:43-50)
How tragic that they could not rejoice with all the righteous at the triumph of Jesus that was the triumph of all men.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis