Lost Years
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Introduction
For over 2,000 years, people around the globe have known about the remarkable man named “Jesus”. Even now, Christianity is the world’s largest religion with over 2.3 billion people. Countless books, movies, poems, music, artwork, churches, prayer groups, charities, and schools are dedicated to Christianity. The Christian message has been spread to every nation over the centuries. Many wonderful, and even terrible, things have happened in the name of Christianity.
It would be easy to assume that we must know the truth about the Life and Mission of Jesus. How could we not, after such a long period of time focusing on and worshipping him? Yet, it is a well-known and largely unspoken “secret” that we know very little about Jesus. The fact that The Bible, containing the New Testament, is used by Christians as the ONLY source of legitimate information about Jesus . . . and yet there is a huge gap in his story. And even the parts of his life that we do learn about provide very little detail.
This should seem a little strange, considering so many people love Jesus and celebrate his Life and Mission on a daily basis and not just for Christmas and Easter. Is it not odd that The Bible gives only fragments about his life as a child, and then we last hear about him when he is in the Temple around 12-years-old? Then, we do not hear anything about him until he appears for his Mission around 30-years-old.
It is completely reasonable to ask two obvious questions:
1.) Where was Jesus during that time?
2.) What was Jesus doing during that time?
Why do we not have the answers to those two simple questions? Is it because there were no records of where he was and what he was doing? That seems unlikely considering we have records of other parts of his life, and people knew at the time that he was “special” and had a very important Mission to fulfill. If there were / are records, then where are they . . . and why have we not seen them?
Does any Christian church in the world, including Catholic ones, ever provide documents / records that discuss the “Lost Years” of Jesus? Can we truly believe that the Vatican, for example, would not be interested in such records and even have some (or all) of them in their Archives? If they do have such information, then why would it have been withheld from Christians for centuries?
We can see in our society today, regarding politics and current events, that we are rarely given the truth about anything . . . especially the WHOLE truth. There is a narrative that powerful people want the general public to believe is true, and they do everything they can to suppress any information that challenges that narrative . . . even to the point of censoring, silencing, harassing, arresting, and killing those who speak the truth. If that is happening today, then we can be certain that has happened throughout history.
The desire for power, money, and control by various individuals within Christianity over the centuries is a massive issue to discuss, and this website is not going to go down that “rabbit hole”. It is very interesting to learn about what people like Constantine the Great, as well as the Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora, did to harm Christianity . . . not to mention the sinister actions of corrupt Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, the Vatican, the Jesuits, and all those who have done a great disservice to Jesus, his Life, and his True Message for humanity.
However, the purpose of this website is to provide Christians (and lovers of Jesus) with information regarding his “Lost Years” and “Lost Teachings”. If people are open-minded and not attached to doctrine / dogma as if their lives depended upon it, then they will sincerely enjoy this website and everything it contains! Why would we NOT want to know more about our Beloved Jesus the Christ?! The more we learn, the more exciting it is . . . and the more we will love him and his Great Message. We should want Truth rather than Fiction, because we should want Reality rather than Unreality. Plus, the Truth is always more amazing!
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Life and Education in the Essene Community
There is much evidence that Jesus and his “Holy Family” (i.e., Saint Joseph and Mother Mary) were members of the Essene Community. We know that many of his messages are very similar in wording to the Teachings from the Essenes and from the Patriarch Enoch! This is not mentioned in most Christian churches today, but one would think that they would be excited to hear such things in order to learn more about Enoch, the Essenes, and the incredible influence that spiritual community had in helping to raise / educate the young Jesus.
It seems that many people would like to believe that Jesus was born and automatically ready for his Mission . . . not needing anything from anyone to become “Jesus the Christ” as we know him. However, is that realistic? Of course, Jesus was born pure and had the potential to BE the Christ. But what child can develop naturally and reach his / her full potential without the wise and loving assistance of great parents, teachers, and even a community of spiritually like-minded individuals? Raised in a different situation by different people would have certainly changed how Jesus was raised and educated, as would be the case with everyone in the world.
Saint Joseph and Mother Mary were “Chosen” to be the parents of Jesus for many reasons; their souls were prepared, purified, and ready to raise and educate a very important child like Jesus and give him what he needed to fulfill God’s Purpose through him! Believing that things happen randomly and without Divine Purpose is the mindset of atheists and humanists, but even many “religious people” have a similar view of life and events as well.
EVERYONE in Jesus’ life, from the time he was born until the time he left embodiment, was there for a reason . . . and it was all planned out before ANY OF THEM were born in that lifetime. Whether it was his family, the Three Wise Men, the shepherds who were there at his birth, the Essene Community, his Disciples, the people he healed and raised from the dead, and even those who wanted to destroy his Mission and kill him. That is how God works! Nothing is by accident or without purpose and planning.
One of the stories in Christianity is that Mother Mary was a “virgin” and “conceived by the Holy Spirit”. Both are true (in a manner of speaking); she had such great purity in Body, Mind, and Soul that she had a “Virgin Consciousness” which made her worthy of giving birth to The Christ, and she did conceive as an act of the Holy Spirit.
However, to make Jesus more Divine than everyone else and unrelatable, thereby taking control of his Image and his Message, the Church eliminated the fact that Mary still had to conceive in a physical manner with Joseph. Why should sex, as a Sacred and Holy Act between two pure and God-Loving souls, be seen as a “dirty deed” and suggest that Jesus was not Divine because of it?
There was an attack on the “Mother Figure” by the Catholic Church, and even today it will not allow female priests or leaders. Mother Mary is venerated by many Christians (especially the Saints), but not necessarily by the Church hierarchy itself. She is not presented to people as someone they can learn from and emulate, and her role after the birth of Jesus is scarcely mentioned. There was also an attack on the “Father Figure” by the Church so that it would be the central focus in people’s lives instead of both parents (like what governments have done today). This hindered many people in establishing their own “Holy Family” by modeling themselves after The Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus . . . and for their families to revolve around the powerful and wealthy Church instead.
The Church eliminated Joseph from the Sacred Conception of Jesus and wanted people to believe that he was nothing more than a simple carpenter and a “foster parent” to Jesus. They diminished his role as the Guardian of Mary and Jesus (and their other children), as well as neglecting to mention his vital role in helping to raise and educate Jesus during his youth. This is just one of many examples regarding the life of Jesus that we do not have the whole truth about, which is a great shame.
For people interested, they would enjoy reading books and watching videos regarding the “Lost Years” of Jesus; some are shared in the “Books” and “Videos” sections of this website. In particular, people can study the Teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls found at the Qumran Caves (1947) and the 4-volume set of books called The Essene Gospel of Peace by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, which he found in the Vatican library and translated.
It is also a fascinating story about Joseph of Arimathea, the great-uncle of Jesus, who brought him to England during his youth to travel and even study under the Master Druids. One book that people may be interested to read on this topic is The Traditions of Glastonbury: The Biblical Missing Years of Christ – Answered by E. Raymond Capt. There is much evidence that shows how Joseph was connected with Glastonbury and that he possibly returned there after Jesus’ Crucifixion with the Holy Grail from The Last Supper, which is why the King Arthur legend takes place in that location.
Pilton Church Banner, Somerset England - Joseph of Arimathea and the boy Jesus Visiting Glastonbury
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Life and Education in the East
When most people discuss the “Lost Years” of Jesus, they normally do not mention any time that he spent in England with Joseph of Arimathea. Instead, their focus is usually on the obvious gap in The Bible where Jesus “disappears” during his teens and twenties. Did Jesus simply live a simple life . . . as a carpenter? Would that kind of life have fully prepared him for his Great Mission, or would he have needed more specific development and preparation?
There have been many people who suggested that Jesus spent 17 years in the East during that time to learn from Great Masters and Teachers among the Egyptian Priests, Hindu Brahmins, and Buddhist Lamas to name a few examples . . . traveling to Egypt, India, Ladakh, Nepal, and Tibet where he was both a student and a teacher.
Would it not make more sense that someone with an important Mission like his must have required a more than “normal” upbringing and education? Would it not seem entirely reasonable that he needed time to study, pray, meditate, fast, discipline himself, and even practice preaching to others before he was fully ready to carry-out his Mission that would change the world? Maybe spending his time making wooden tables and chairs would have been enough, but that seems highly unlikely. Nothing GREAT can be achieved without GREAT Preparation; that applies to everyone . . . especially Jesus the Christ!
The primary source about Jesus spending his youth in the East came from Nicolas Notovitch and his book, The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ. His story is fascinating! He claimed to have been shown ancient writings by a Buddhist Lama in the Hemis Monastery (Ladakh) referencing the life of “Saint Issa” spending time in the East, and that person was said to have been the one we know as “Jesus”. Other people said that they also saw ancient texts confirming the Notovitch story; this included Swami Abhedananda (disciple of Indian mystic Ramakrishna), Nicholas Roerich (famous Russian archaeologist, painter, and writer), and Elisabeth Caspari (great friend of Maria Montessori and promoter of The Montessori Method).
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Nicholas Roerich - Issa and The Giant's Head
To learn more about the incredible story of Jesus’ years in the East, people may be interested to read books that discuss it in greater detail and provide evidence for such a journey. Such books, including that by Nicolas Notovitch, are also mentioned in the “Books” section of this website. However, the most captivating is The Lost Years of Jesus: Documentary Evidence of Jesus' 17-Year Journey to the East by Elizabeth Clare Prophet.
The Summit Lighthouse
- Possible route for Jesus’ journey to the East during his “Lost Years”
The Summit Lighthouse
- Jesus Approaching Ladakh as a Youth
There are also those who believe that after the Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus and Mary Magdalene lived in Kashmir and had children together. Mary is the “Twin Flame” of Jesus (i.e., “Other Half”). After his Resurrection, Jesus’ time with Mother Mary and the Disciples lasted for only 40 days. When Jesus “disappeared”, where did he go and what did he do? It is certainly understandable that people would wonder about that as well. And considering the claim that he spent years in that region during his youth, it would not be surprising if he returned there to live a quiet life after having fulfilled his Great Mission that led to the formation of Christianity and contributed immensely to the foundation of Western Civilization as we know it!
Herbert Gustave Schmalz
- Rabboni
Marius Michael-George
- Mary Magdalene and The Holy Grail
The Summit Lighthouse
- Twin Flames
So, why does it matter if we know where Jesus was and what he did during his “Lost Years” as a youth? Firstly, we want to know because we love Jesus and are sincerely interested to learn everything that we can about his life. Secondly, knowing his life better also allows us to better understand his Mission and Message for humanity. When we admire someone, we want to learn from them and try to emulate them . . . in order to improve ourselves and make a positive difference to our family, our community, and the world.
We have been “cheated” out of knowing more about the Great Man, Jesus. This has caused people over the centuries to worship him, instead of following his example (which is what he truly wanted). If we know how Jesus lived, we could better understand what we need to do in our own lives to model ourselves after him. Why would Christians and lovers of Jesus be upset (or threatened) by the idea that he spent time learning from Wise Teachers of various religions? This is where the problem comes in when people unfortunately believe that THEIR religion is the “One True Religion”, and there is nothing of importance to learn from other faiths and spiritual beliefs.
Instead, people should celebrate how at the core of all the major religions are the same ideals of love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, truth, freedom, justice, joy, and “The Golden Rule”. Jesus taught those principles, and yet they were already being taught by other great Masters, Saints, and Sages in the East many centuries before his time. By walking the Spiritual Path that he did, Jesus showed us what we must do as well. If he did not leave such a Path, then how could we follow?
Golden Rule Across the World’s Religions
And why should people think less of Jesus if he spent time learning from Great Teachers? Is that not what a true Teacher-Student relationship is all about . . . for Great Teachers to help their Students to reach their full potential and become Greater than them? John 3:30 says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This not only applies to John the Baptist speaking about himself and Jesus, but it also applies to the true nature of the Master-Disciple / Teacher-Student relationship in all aspects of our lives.
Lastly, it is important to mention that our lack of understanding of the “Lost Years” of Jesus also negatively impacts young people. In a world today with few exceptional role models, our youth desperately need individuals they can learn from and emulate . . . from the past and present. Jesus would be an incredible role model for them to say the least! And while so many young people do love Jesus, they are unable to fully benefit from their devotion because they do not have the knowledge of what he did while he was their age.
Would that not be an amazing thing for them to learn?! If they knew the things that Jesus did during his teens and twenties, imagine all the young people in the world in a similar age-range who could do what he did! And by living in such a way, they could also reach their full potential and live incredible lives that would not be possible without a Higher Image / Role Model to learn from.
Jesus lived his life as an example for mankind to follow. If we do not know HOW he lived his life and the things that he did (at least not in great detail), then it makes if very difficult to truly walk in his Great Footsteps.
John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Great Teachers like the Buddha and Jesus, for example, wanted mankind to be FREE! One big reason that we are still not fully free in all aspects of our lives (spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically) is because we have not been given the Truth.
This is why it is vital for us to know the Truth about the Life, Mission, and Teachings of Jesus . . . so that we can BE LIKE HIM and BE FREE, which is what God envisions for all of His Sons and Daughters!
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
(Matthew 4:19)
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