KFLCC / New Age Bible Versions - Gail Riplinger

They accommodate the 'historical' Jesus in a manner that is acceptable to all of the religions of the world, i.e., He is Jesus, one of a series of 'Teachers'. As early as the second century, sects like the Essenes rejected Jesus Christ as 'Lord' but acquiesced to the title Jesus, Teacher of Righteousness'. The Dead Sea Scrolls promote this "right-teacher” who comes right "before the final era.. .to usher in the Golden Age." Since the nineteenth century, the title 'teacher' has been the appellative of choice among liberals and esoterics, when referring to Jesus or any of the world's 'avatars'. Even Blavatsky will say, "Jesus [was] a teacher of the most sublime code of ethics."5o Bailey parades Jesus among her troop of teachers as an unnamed 'lesser teacher'. All the Cyclic Teachers have mastered life for themselves in the three worlds of human evolution. The first such Teacher. . .[was] Hercules. . .Later the great Teacher, Yass. . .Between the times of these two teachers, the Buddha and the Christ, lesser teachers appeared.5i Modem New Age churches tally these 'Teachers' as well: At Collegians we acknowledge the World Teacher who has appeared as Jesus the Christ, also known variously as the Lord Maitreya and the Bodhisattva as well as other appearances of the Christ through such personalities as Melchizedek, Krishna, and Mithra.52 The New Age group 'Holy Order of MANS' professes, "Jesus was a great teacher, but only one of several great avatars. . . Christ is not eternal God but merely a great teacher."53 Authors of Ancient Empires of the New Age summarize: Neo-pagans are more than willing to ascribe the title Teacher. . .to Jesus. . .but utterly refuse to consider claims that Christ Himself made that he was God.54 Like good pagans, new version editors change the honorific "Good Master" of Matthew 19:16 to the egalitarian term 'teacher' to keep up with the 'times'. NIV's Edwin Palmer bends to today's breeze saying: