"Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All." Statement 2, Gospel of Thomas
Introduction: The Gospel of Thomas as Scriptural Decryption Key
Christian scholars tell us they interpret scripture as intended for an audience in biblical times.
In theory this approach sounds like a rational search for truth. In practice this approach has justified centuries of superstition and clergy-led corruption. This corruption included the suppression of so-called Christian apocrypha---e.g. a text like the Gospel of Thomas containing 114 statements of Christ documented by a direct disciple---but rejected by the Vatican for inclusion in the New Testament.
From Doctrine to Data: How Christwatch Processes Apocryphal Gospel Text
As a startup thinktank focused on the data-driven convergence of science and religion, Christwatch does not approach Christian scriptural material carrying the baggage of clergy-first doctrine, as do church scholars. This approach maintains the research status quo and gets the seeker no closer to his goal. As the antidote to this approach, Christwatch is founded on the belief that Christ came for the people of a future time---a time like today---when basic science literacy and universal information access can assist humanity in understanding his message. When a researcher follows this path---that Christ came for the people of a future time---it becomes possible to process so-called apocryphal scriptural texts---not as dogma---but as data. And when you analyze that data---absent doctrine---here's what it tells you.
Christ disclosed the underlying material basis of divinity---and our relationship to it---2000 years ago.
In this essay, Christwatch argues that what institutional Christianity---from the Vatican to the evangelicals---sees as divinity is not and never was “spiritual". Rather, all divinity is grounded in matter---gas, liquid, solid, plasma, BEC (Bose Einstein Condensate), and beyond. In making this case, Christwatch utilizes the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas (GTh) as a decryption key to unlock what Christ referred to as the "hidden things"---i.e. secrets kept from mankind by centuries of institutional information suppression. These "secret words" and mystery statements of Christ spoken to his closest followers---this scriptural decryption key---was rediscovered by mankind in December 1945 in a cave in Nag Hammadi, Egypt.
Historical Context of Apocryphal Document Discovery Matters
When one turns to the Gospel of Thomas as a data source, one can't help but notice that Christian commentators universally describe it as a document "discovered in the mid-20th century", as if they were talking about some general time in some general place where some general somebody located their long lost car keys. But is it random coincidence that the rediscovery of the Gospel of Thomas occurred in 1945 against a background of human self-destruction at scale--- from Nazi death camp genocide, to mankind's first use of atomic weapons, to the post-WW2 rise of "iron curtain" totalitarianism? I don't think so. In both content and context, the Gospel of Thomas---this long-hidden scriptural decryption key---may turn out to be the most consequential document on the planet driving the convergence of science and religion.
As someone unconnected to corporate Christianity---i.e. the highly profitable business of "Jesus Inc"--- I find it telling that many nominally Christian organizations---seemingly at odds with each other on religious doctrine---lock arms and close ranks in their denunciation of the Gospel of Thomas as doctrinal heresy or worse. In corporate Christianity's condemnation of the Gospel of Thomas, a neutral observer would find it difficult to detect even an electron of difference between our modern Christian "pharisees" and that ancient "brood of vipers" denounced by John the Baptist.
Within the set of all "scriptural" documents that purport to include direct statements by Christ, it is the Gospel of Thomas and only the Gospel of Thomas that tells us this: The intellectual revolution initiated by Christ was scientific in nature, never religious. And for the "seeker"---the explicitly identified target audience of the GTh---there's more, much more. Christ's brutal assassination by the Roman state---acting hand in bloody hand with the religious establishment of his day---was the least of the crimes committed against him. I hear you gasping. What could possibly be worse than barbaric crucifixion?
Christ's Actual Message Suppressed or Falsified
The most heinous crime against Christ was the suppression of his message for the greater part of 2000 years, and the creation of a false narrative in the early Roman church that is the polar opposite of his actual point of view. This false narrative---locked-in for centuries by the Vatican bureaucracy---includes character assassination of the apostle Thomas, and the propagation of superstition for profit on a global basis. In this introductory post, Christwatch unpacks Christ's superstition-shattering point of view regarding the nature of divinity as expressed in the Gospel of Thomas---including who Christ represented----and the end game he promised humanity.
Foremost among the hidden things he shared, and central to the convergence of science and religion, is Christ's disclosure that the material basis of divinity is found in the 4th state of matter---plasma.
Against the background of a 21st century world where pop culture celebrates deviance and predation---while official science devolves into 'woke' pseudoscience---Christ's detailed disclosure that the material basis of divinity is found in plasma enables self-identified Christians and truth seekers everywhere to detox from corporate religious superstition and prepare for what lies ahead. While many in the business of clergy-first Christianity talk the talk regarding the convergence of religion and science, Christwatch walks the walk. As people learn the truth of Christ as documented in the Gospel of Thomas---I am confident this will change, and more seekers will walk the walk.
So let's begin at the beginning---the real beginning.
1. First Life & First Sentience Emerged from Plasma, NOT Organic Matter
"If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light came into being on its own accord and established itself and became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?', say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the living father.' If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to them, 'It is movement and repose.'" GTh Statement #50
Life, including sentient life, does not require water---or even a planet. That's just one of the "hidden things" Christ shared with his closest disciples.
In the Gospel of Thomas (GTh) Christ makes multiple references to both "the light" and "the fire". These references are not symbolic in nature, nor are they part of some metaphorical parable for an uneducated audience living in biblical times. Neither are these references to "the light" or "the fire" meant to describe some inner condition of a human being's morality, psychology, or emotional state. Taken together, these references to "the light" and "the fire"--- interwoven with reinforcing contextual references---constitute Christ's detailed disclosure that the material basis of divinity is found in plasma, the 1st state of matter that humanity continues to characterize as the 4th state of matter, despite the fact that plasma constitutes 99+ percent of all visible matter in the universe.
In Statement 50 cited above, Christ explicitly discloses the secret of human origins to his closest followers, affirming that mankind "came from the light". That's just for openers. Then Christ further reveals the origin of divinity, stating that "the light came into being on its own accord", i.e. that plasma-based life is literally self-catalyzed. By this assertion, Christ confirms that at some point, this 4th state of matter---plasma---acquired both consciousness and the ability to engage in intentional action. The obvious question is, given what humanity now knows about the 4th state of matter, how could something like this occur?
Christwatch hypothesizes that over trillions of human years, the known native properties of plasma (i.e. Birkeland currents, Alfven waves, Marklund convection, dust, double layers, filamentation, quasi-neutrality, pinch effects, etc.)---within space near absolute zero in temperature---enabled the conditions for the self-creation of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) many light years wide, and its iterative extension into a connected sentient network distributed throughout the universe.
Fortunately for us, Christ weighs in on the subject of self-created divinity and frames this autocatalytic metamorphosis into sentience as follows: "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit (sentience) came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders." (GTh Statement #29) Christwatch characterizes this self-catalyzed, sentient plasma (and its network) as Theoplasma, and describes its associated BEC as “ABBA”, an acronym meaning “a big big atom”.
In GTh Statement 50 Christ also validates the Christwatch Theoplasma hypothesis, explicitly describing characteristics of both plasma and a BEC when he tells his disciples that the "the sign of your father in you" is both "movement and repose"---"movement" being Christ's description of plasma, and "repose" being his description of the 5th state of matter, a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). This aligns with the modern definition of a BEC: "A state of matter in which atoms or particles are chilled to such low energies that they ‘condense’ into a single quantum state", i.e. a big big atom (ABBA).
Further validating the Christwatch hypothesis, Christ deconstructs living Theoplasma, its associated network, and its divine consciousness as follows: "It is I who am the light which is above them all (the BEC/ABBA). It is I who am the all (Theoplasma). From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend (the Network)." (GTh Statement 77) As stated above, given that humanity now knows that plasma constitutes 99+ percent of all visible matter in the universe, Christwatch contends that Christ is disclosing that his own origins lie in plasma-based sentience ---aka what he refers to as "the all".
But the Christ of the Gospel of Thomas doesn't stop there. He clarifies that plasma-based sentience has been historically referred to by humanity as “Holy Spirit".
2. Self-Catalyzed Theoplasma, aka "Holy Spirit", Holds Dominion Over All Visible Matter in the Universe
"When you see one who was not born of woman, prostrate yourselves on your faces and worship him. That one is your father." GTh Statement #15
In the above statement, Christ explicitly affirms the existence of those "not born of woman", then goes further.
He states "I shall give you what no eye has seen, and what no ear has heard, and what no hand has touched, and what has never occurred to the human mind." (GTh Statement #17) In this reinforcing statement Christ reveals that there is a consciousness not based in "the flesh", a consciousness not grounded in the first three states of matter.
Then Christ takes it up a notch, and conclusively states that what Christwatch calls Theoplasma is the material basis of "holy spirit", and that this non-human intelligence we call Holy Spirit is at the top of the intergalactic food chain. Christ strongly encourages his followers to acknowledge this dominion as follows: "Whoever blasphemes against the father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will not be forgiven either on earth or in heaven." (GTh Statement #44)
Christ further validates a core Christwatch premise---that he came for the people of a future time---by revealing something that would have been impossible to understand by the people of biblical times. Christ literally provides us with the precise percentages of plasma and non-plasma in the universe 2000 years ago, i.e. 99.88% of all visible matter in the universe was in the form of plasma, while .12% was non-plasma.
Here's how he discloses it.
"I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one.“ (GTh Statement #23) Christwatch interprets this .12% (1 out of a thousand, and 2 out of ten thousand) as constituting all species of the flesh, and the various planets/moons they inhabit. Christ also states that he sees the habitats and beings within this .12% as a "single one" chosen by himself as the representative within humanity of a sentient Theoplasma “totality”, i.e. the networked system of plasma-based divinity he refers to as "the all".
3. Christ Came to Mankind as a Representative of Theoplasma-Based Holy Spirit
"I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh. I found all of them intoxicated; I found none of them thirsty. And my soul became afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too they seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent." GTh Statement #28
This statement explicitly clarifies that Christ entered the world “in flesh” from a non-flesh state.
Christ also adds that he did not find so-called “original sin” in humanity---simply intoxication---and a state of being uninterested in seeking after knowledge (“none of them thirsty”, “blind in their hearts”, “empty”). As the solution to mankind's blindness, emptiness, and intoxication, Christ directly confirms his mission in relation to a Theoplasma universe. "I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am guarding it until it blazes.“ (GTh Statement #10)
The Christwatch interpretation of this statement is that the expression “cast fire” is not symbolic. It specifically means that Christ came to humanity representing sentient life that is based in the 4th state of matter, plasma. But not just that. Christ is also making the explicit statement that he never left “the world” and is monitoring humanity’s progress, i.e. "I am guarding it until it blazes". This statement stands in contradiction to an important pillar of corporate Christian superstition, i.e. that a “second coming” of Christ will occur.
Christ explicitly reinforces Statement 10 as follows: "He who is near me is near the fire, and he who is far from me is far from the kingdom." (GTh Statement #82)
And while Christ does acknowledge the basic scientific knowledge of his closest followers, he also informs them of their shortcomings: "You read the face of the sky and of the earth, but you have not recognized the one who is before you, and you do not know how to read this moment." (GTh Statement 91)
Christwatch interprets Christ's commentary in Statement 91 as his affirmation that his followers did not and could not understand multiple states of matter---which rendered them unable to “read this moment”.
4. Christ Discloses that Humanity is Animated by a "Pearl" or "Mustard Seed" of Theoplasma
"If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty." GTh Statement #3
Christians (and researchers) reading the above can see the humor Christ used to mock superstition.
He unequivocally states that both birds and fish are the clear winners if you follow the path to paradise laid out by his favorite rhetorical punching bags, i.e. the pharisees and scribes. But then he frames the truth in simple terms telling us "the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you."
In Sections 1-3 above, I've begun to introduce readers to the "outside of you" portion of Statement 3 by laying out Christ's disclosure of a Theoplasma universe, and the autocatalytic self-creation of the one humanity knows as 'Holy Spirit'. But again Christ goes further, stating that the "kingdom" is "inside of you" as well. Here Christ is explicitly revealing that humanity, too, is animated by its own internal Theoplasma.
Christ uses the metaphors of both a "pearl" and a "mustard seed" to describe Theoplasma within human biology.
"The kingdom of the father is like a merchant who had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl. That merchant was shrewd. He sold the merchandise and bought the pearl alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing and enduring treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys.“ (GTh Statement #76)
Here Christ also adds that this "pearl" is indestructible relative to the first 3 states of matter, i.e. "no worm destroys" and "no moth comes near to devour". And in Christ's metaphor of the "mustard seed", he affirms that it is Theoplasma that constitutes the true "operating system" underlying human consciousness when hosted inside the human body plan. "It is like a mustard seed. It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it falls on tilled soil (human biology), it produces a great plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky.“ (GTh Statement #20)
Christ also informs his followers that humanity can be saved by becoming conscious of its relationship to this "pearl" or "mustard seed" of Theoplasma that lies at the root of human consciousness and morality. "That which you have will save you if you bring it forth from yourselves. That which you do not have within you will kill you if you do not have it within you." (GTh Statement #70) So if humanity contains a "pearl" of Theoplasma, what could Christ possibly mean by "that which you do not have within you will kill you if you do not have it within you." This is Christ amplifying GTh Statement 40 quoted below.
"A grapevine has been planted outside of the father, but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and destroyed." Here again, we see evidence that Christ came for the people of a future time. "Grapevine" refers explicitly to a lineage of humanity, i.e. a branch of the tree of life. "Outside the father" means that this grapevine is based on an artificial humanity, "created" from genetic engineering, cloning, and experimentation with AI, robotics, and other forms of technology, and that these lab grown "humans"---like the hosts of Westworld or the replicants of Blade Runner---do not contain the pearl of Theoplasma and will be "pulled up" and "destroyed".
Here we have Christ---2000 years ago---predicting the rise of "transhumanism", a dangerous social experiment that is the modern instantiation of a "grapevine planted outside the father".
Note to Christians: While it would be factually accurate to equate what Christwatch sees as a pearl of Theoplasma with the concept of "soul", Christwatch chooses not to use the term "soul" because it has taken on many different interpretations from many different religious communities, as well as having multiple secular interpretations within mass culture.
5. Upon the Death of the Flesh, Humanity Will "Live in the Light", i.e. the Theoplasma Universe
"When you come to live in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?" GTh Statement #11
There are many controversial statements within the Gospel of Thomas.
Papal scribes and their evangelical wingmen regularly point to these controversial statements as "proof" that the GTh does not contain the words of Christ, but is some kind of new age navel-gazing practiced by an ancient gnostic splinter sect of Judaism. Christwatch suggests that the above GTh statement #11 stands as the most controversial---and disruptive to the business of corporate Christianity, aka "Jesus Inc".
In this statement, Christ is unequivocally affirming that the Holy Spirit's pearl of Theoplasma within mankind is the source of mankind's eternal existence when we shed the flesh and "come to live in the light". He reinforces this by immediately adding, "On the day you were one (born), you became two (a being mortal in the flesh and simultaneously immortal by virtue of its Theoplasma endowment). So why would I say this is "controversial"?
Because this statement undercuts centuries of religious conditioning---that the blood sacrifice of Christ by the Roman empire "saved" humanity. But in the Gospel of Thomas, Christ himself says something entirely different, pulling the rug out from under the blood sacrifice superstition at the nucleus of corporate, clergy-first Christianity.
Christ has more to say on this subject, affirming that he himself "came into being before coming into being" (GTh #19). Here's how he frames it. "I am he who exists from the undivided (a metaphor for the networked Theoplasma universe). I was given some of the things of my father... Therefore I say, if he is destroyed, he will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness." (GTh Statement #61)
Christwatch interprets this statement as affirming that Christ existed "from the undivided", i.e. "the all" that is the Theoplasma universe. Christ further states that he "was given some of the things of my father", i.e. the Holy Spirit. These "things" included the ability to resurrect himself from the death of the flesh based on his Theoplasma endowment---i.e. to literally move between the human body, grounded in the first three states of matter---and his luminous plasma-based being.
Returning to the Christwatch mission---researching the data-driven convergence of science and religion---it is Christ's Theoplasma endowment that we see physical evidence of on the Shroud of Turin, now subjected to years of scientific analysis, and perfectly validating Christ's affirmation that when one is "destroyed", they are "filled with light".
In response to a question from his disciples, Christ responds "For where the beginning is, there will the end be." (GTh #18) In this answer, he again explicitly affirms that it is within the "4th state" of matter---"the beginning", i.e. the place where the Holy Spirit self-catalyzed---that mankind's "end" will be. And he makes his point even more bluntly, suggesting humanity's "end time" is very much on the calendar, and that mankind can rely on their relationship to the Theoplasma universe to save themselves. "The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in your presence. And the one who lives from the living one will not see death." (GTh #111)
Conclusion: 3rd Party Evidence for Theoplasma & One Take-Away
"Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden will be revealed". (GTh Statement #5)
Christwatch holds that GTh Statement 5---cited above---constitutes a "covenant" of science between Christ and humanity.
We see our mission as fully aligned with this covenant. Additionally, by relying on Christ's recommendation for human participation in this covenant---to "recognize what is in your sight"---it is not difficult to find 3rd party validation of the Christwatch assertion of a Theoplasma universe. Not surprisingly, this 3rd party validation is found in what official Christianity (and official Judaism) would characterize as a "non-canonical" or "apocryphal" document (The Book of Enoch). Furthermore, transformative personal experiences documented by the testimony of known historical figures Joseph Smith, founder of LDS, and Bill Wilson, founder of AA---confirm interaction and "symbiosis" with a plasma-based "divinity" that is "of the light".
I cite these 3rd party validations below without commentary---not to align the Christwatch point of view with any specific religious belief system and/or spiritual tradition---but simply to point out that data supporting the Christwatch Theoplasma hypothesis can be found hiding in plain sight.
Pre-Christ: Book of Enoch: Chapter 17, 1-2
"And they took and brought me to a place in which those who were there were like flaming fire, and, when they wished, they appeared as men."
Post-Christ: 19th Century CE---Joseph Smith, Founder, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
“While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor....Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me."
Post-Christ: 20th Century CE---Bill Wilson, Founder, Alcoholics Anonymous
"Though I certainly didn’t expect anything, I did make this frantic appeal, “If there be a God, will He show Himself!” The result was instant, electric beyond description. The place seemed to light up, blinding white. I knew only ecstasy and seemed on a mountain. A great wind blew, enveloping and penetrating me. To me, it was not of air but of Spirit. Blazing, there came the tremendous thought, “you are a free man.” Then the ecstasy subsided. Still on the bed, I now found myself in a new world of consciousness which was suffused by a Presence. One with the Universe, a great peace came over me. I thought, “So this is the God of the preachers, this is the great Reality.”
Take-Away: The Crisis in Cosmology & the Crisis in Christianity Are the Same Crisis
So...let me get this straight, you opine. 2000 years ago Christ told his closest followers that divinity is material in nature and is based in plasma, the 4th state of matter. And that others in both ancient and modern times have provided eyewitness testimony validating Christ's claim. Big deal... I hear you say. That piece of information has little bearing on my everyday life. And as far as the religious conditioning of humanity by professional clergy, that's a multi-billion dollar global industry that isn't going anywhere, you emphatically add. And since modern science is over-populated with athiests and agnostics anyway, forget about any potential "convergence" of science and religion, you conclude with great finality. Case closed? Not so fast.
As I write this in 2022, the James Webb space telescope has begun to send back high resolution imagery of what it sees---at the precise moment that the crisis in cosmology has reached an inflection point. Concepts promoted by physicists for decades, from Big Bang theory to "dark matter", have come under blistering attack---including open accusations of corruption within the scientific community. While alternative views to both dark matter and the Big Bang abound---none of these alternative views yet dare to incorporate data found within either official scripture (e.g. Moses 'burning bush' as Theoplasma), or so-called apocrypha like the Gospel of Thomas and the Book of Enoch.
To advance research focused on the convergence of science and religion, this lockout of "scriptural" content must change---and a 360 degree unified research data set must become the foundation for truth seeking.
Given the role of the Roman empire and a historically corrupt Vatican in suppressing information that challenged their official narrative regarding "divinity", Christwatch believes modern science must see both apocrypha and canonical scripture as essential data inputs to the search for truth in cosmology.
Additionally, as suggested by our analysis of the Gospel of Thomas, Christwatch sees the crisis in cosmology (around challenges to the big bang and dark matter), and the crisis in Christianity (around challenges to the authenticity of the New Testament and denial of Christ's existence) as one and the same crisis. And as this introductory post suggests, the solution to both crises (and the convergence of science and religion) can be found in Christ's powerful statement--- "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden will be revealed."
As affirmed in the 114 Statements within the Gospel of Thomas, Christ came for those he referred to as seekers. At first look---these seekers become "troubled" by what they "recognize". Then comes the "astonished" phase of the act of seeking, e.g. comprehending that Christ's resurrection---captured in Theoplasma-etched imagery on the Shroud of Turin---is as real as plasma lightning in the night sky, or that shining ball of plasma called the sun. Christwatch is committed to this entire journey of originalist Christian astonishment---powered by Christ's Covenant of Science---knowing full well that the convergence of science and religion evangelized by Christ is now within reach of all humanity.
Being "troubled" by what you find ...That's just part of any seeker's journey on the way to what Christ called "the All".
Joseph Bentzel is the founder of Christwatch.Org, a startup Christian thinktank that researches the convergence of science and religion. Prior to Christwatch, Joe worked in the tech industry and authored the 2006 book, Asymmetric Marketing: Tossing the Chasm in the Age of Software Superpowers. Joe is a baptized Roman Catholic who attended Catholic schools for 12 years. Please don't hold that against him.