It is likely that humankind will go through distinct phases in spiritual development. One conception of those stages follows.

 
Materialism, Religiosity, Spiritual Apathy, Agnosticism

This is the stage of spiritual growth humankind is in now. It is full of ignorance, superstition, religiosity, spiritual apathy, and an agnosticism about things having to do with the Higher Power and the eternal nature of the self. At its basis, this period of time is materialistic, meaning it believes the material realm is all there is to life and the afterlife is a vague notion that has no relevance to this life. Religions are focused on the material realm and misunderstand spiritual growth. As a result, they keep adherents from exploring and understanding spirituality. As Carl Jung said, “Religion is a defense mechanism against having a religious experience.”

As long as people are in the grips of materialism, religiosity, spiritual apathy, and agnosticism about the Higher Power and afterlife, humankind will continue to sink into the tar pit of death, destruction, hostility, war, greed, cruelty, crime, violence, self-centeredness, and insensitivity. There is no force in the physical realm that will evolve humankind away from those impulses except a widespread tragedy that decimates humankind and leaves the survivors with only each other for sustenance and comfort. We live in a spiritual dark ages that is permitting humankind to continue rushing headlong into materialism and self-destruction.

The American culture is predominantly in this stage. It results in the homicide rate we have, murder by law, and the sentiment that the world’s problems must be solved by aggression. It results in $470 billion being spent on defense when $40 billion would be enough to provide the infrastructure needed in the third world, ensure women's health worldwide, and eradicate hunger.

In the United States, 78% to 98% of the people claim to be Christians. However, adherence to religious creeds, regardless of how widespread, is allegiance to physical-realm notions that have no relationship to spirituality. They have no life in them.

Early Awakening

Among some today, there is an early awakening to the real nature of the universe, the Higher Power, the afterlife, and spirituality. That is a gradual dawning, an acknowledgement that we are eternal beings having a physical experience and that we are one with each other. It appears in concerns for world peace, feelings of oneness with nature and the cosmos, an understanding that there is an afterlife, the understanding that we are all spiritual beings growing with one another toward love and compassion, and an acknowledgement that the Higher Power, unconditional love, and benignant agency are alive in the universe. Intermingled with this early awakening is doubt, fear of death, apathy toward things spiritual, a focus on sensual pleasure and acquiring physical realm wealth, and an enjoyment of some measure of violence. This is a transition period where people have their feet in both worlds.

The Good Neighbor Society

The good neighbor society was described by Yeshua. It is based on love, compassion, caring, forgiving, and love of humankind for one another and for God. Integral to it are impulses from a desire to be part of the group, so the spirituality isn’t entirely internalized. The group wants harmony and caring, so as a group, we provide it. Rules and admonitions about compassion and love are still part of the society because people need the boundaries and guidance.

Yeshua’s teachings about love, compassion, forgiveness, and servanthood serve as guidelines for people earnestly working at having peace, brotherhood, and harmonious relationships. The lessons are still being learned and people need to talk about their own doubts and difficulties in comprehending and applying them.

Some in this society are still materialistic, so there is still some animosity, competition, and hostility. That makes it more difficult to display the fruits of the good neighbor society, but those who are part of this society spiritually outnumber the others, so there is more love and compassion than greed and self-centeredness in the culture.

Heaven on Earth

20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21) Heaven on earth is a potential, not a place. It already exists, but we are not living in it. It will become a reality for us when we change the reality we are creating in our assumptions and perspectives. Andrew Cohen uses the term “ecstatic compulsion” to describe a drive from within toward creation. The sex drive, he explains, is an ecstatic compulsion. No rules or requirements are necessary to feel it. Creation at the big bang, he implies, was an ecstatic compulsion from the universe to create.

In heaven on earth, people will have ecstatic compulsions: to care for others, to give all they have for others, to relinquish control to others, to be servants to others. It won’t simply be a choice or a well-thought-out goal—it will be a compulsion, as natural and as irresistible as the ecstatic compulsion for sex.

There is already an ecstatic desire to be loved and to receive compassion. That is already part of our being; perhaps it is the root of our being. That will remain, but it will be satiated so it isn’t thought of and is never thwarted. We desire to be close, sexually, psychologically, physically. We desire to be understood and accepted. The ecstatic desire to be joined, to be one, is in our music, gatherings, and the underlying symphony of the universe. It is unnatural for us to be separated, to feel that we are anything less than one with others, with God, and with the universe. “There are only two commands,” Yeshua said: “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” Be one. Be joined. Dissolve separations. Spiritual maturity is the earnest, cosmic endeavor to eliminate separation and all things that separate, to feel and live the oneness that is our basic nature. To eliminate the ignorance that tells us there is a separation, the illusion that because we’re in separate bodies on the physical plane that we’re really separate. Gradually, we reduce and eliminate the illusion. That is the goal of our spiritual development in this world. To know we’re one; to act knowing we’re one. We are one with God, with humankind, and with nature. Until we know our oneness, without reservation, we will continue to live in ignorance and destroy ourselves and nature.

The Next Stages We Cannot Understand

Beyond the heaven on earth stage are stages of spiritual growth we cannot understand. Some speculate that here humankind will become one consciousness, without separation, when the ecstatic compulsion to unity fulfills itself. But I don’t believe that is likely. Inherent in the universe we can understand is the need for a lover and a beloved. The separation that is inherent in the physical realm provides the love, the lover, and the beloved. Without the lover and beloved, love ceases to exist. The opportunity for love seems to be integral to the universe.

But that is only how we can see it when we’re looking at the spiritual horizon now. Beyond that horizon is a horizon we might be able to glimpse if it were shown to us, and understand in part. But beyond that horizon are a thousand thousand other horizons. We could not understand them.