Apocalypse Unsealed: Introduction
----------------------------------------------Start of page XII--
THE TIME AND SPACE OF THE APOCALYPSE
[Date positions on this chart are approximate, to fit within the
limitations of the ASCII character format. As originally
published, the chart is wider, with twelve interior
geographic-area columns.]
S Y :-----------------------------------------------------: L Y
O E | | | | ASIA | U E
L A | SPAIN | ITALY | GREECE | MINOR | N A
A R | | | | | A R
R S :-----------------------------------------------------: R S
-4500| | | | |-5000
-4000| | | | |-4500
-3500| | | | |-4000
-3000|Almerians | | | |-3500
| | | | |
-2500| | | | |-3000
| | | | |
-2000| | | | |-2500
| | | | |
| | | | |
-1500| | |Minoa |Hittites|-2000
| | |Mycenae |Troy |
| | | | |
-1000|Iberians | | | |-1500
| |Etruscans |Achaea | |
|Celts | |Homer |Lydia |
| |::: | ..Persian....|
-500| |:::::::::: | |..Empire|
|Carthage |::::::::::::::|==Empire of Alexander==|
|:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::|=========Hellenism=====|
|::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::|========|
1 AD|::::::::::::::::::::: ROMAN :::::::::::::::::::::::::| -500
100|:::::::::::::::::::::::: EMPIRE :::::::::::::::::::::|
200|:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::|
300|:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::|Goths:::::::::|Constan-|
400| |Alaric::::::::|;;;;;;;;;;;;;;| tine |
500|Visigoths | ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;|
600| | ;;Lombards;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;| 1 AH
700| | ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;| 100
800|Islam |Charlemagne |;; Eastern Roman Empire| 200
900|xxx Umayyad xx| Islam |;;;; (Byzantium) | 300
1000|xxx Dynasty xx| | ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;| 400
1100|Almohades |Normans |Slavs ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;| 500
1200| |.. Crusades ..| ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;| 600
| |Holy Roman | ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;|
1300| | Empire | ;;;;;;;+++++| 700
1400| |Renaissance | ;;;|++++++++| 800
1500|==============|French Empire | ++++++++++++++++++| 900
|==============| |+++++++++++++++++++++++|
1600|== Spanish ===| |+++++++++++++++++++++++| 1000
|== Empire ===| |+++++++++++++++++++++++|
| =============| | +++++++ ISLAM +++++|
1700| ===========| |+++++++++++++++++++++++| 1100
| =======| | +++++++++++++++++++|
| ====| | +++++++++++++++++++|
1800| =|Napoleon | +++++++++++++++++++| 1200
| | | +++++++++++++++++++| 1260
| | | |++++++++| 1279
| | | |++++++++|
1900| | | |++++++++| 1300
| | | |Attaturk|
| | | |++++++++|
| | | |++++++++|
2000| | | |++++++++| 1400
:-----------------------------------------------------:
S Y :-----------------------------------------------------: L Y
O E | | | | | U E
L A | SYRIA | EGYPT | N. AFRICA | ARABIA | N A
A R | | | | | A R
R S :-----------------------------------------------------: R S
-4500| | | | |-5000
-4000| | | | |-4500
-3500| | |Tassili | |-4000
-3000| | |Rock painting | |-3500
| |Writing | | |
-2500| | | | |-3000
| |Pyramids | | |
-2000| |Old Kingdom | | |-2500
| | |Sahara | |
| | | .. | |
-1500| |Middle Kingdom| dries | |-2000
| Hysos | .. | |
| New Kingdom | out |Minaen |
-1000||| Assyrian |||Moses? | |Sheba |-1500
||| Empire ||| | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
-500| | | | |
| | |Carthage | |
| | | | |
| | |::::::::::::::| |
1 AD|Jesus:::::::::| |::::::::::::::|Hymirite| -500
100|::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::| |
200|:::::::::::::::::::::: ROMAN EMPIRE :::::::::::: |
300|::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::| |
400|Constantine:::|;;;;;;;;;;;;;;|::::::::::::::|Abyssin-|
500| |;;;;;;;;;;;;;;|Vandals | ian |
600|Sasanids |;;; Eastern Roman Empire ;;;;|Muhammad| 1 AH
700| |;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;| | 100
800|xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Umayyad Dynastyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx| 200
900|///////////////////// Abbasid Dynasty ///////////////| 300
1000| Dynasty |==============|+++++++++++++++++++++++| 400
1100|Almohades |== Fatimids ==|+++++++++++++++++++++++| 500
1200|. Crusades ...|==============|+++++++++++++++++++++++| 600
|......... |++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
1300|Mongols |++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| 700
1400|Tamurlane ++++++++++++++ Ottomans ++++++++++++++++++| 800
1500|++++++++++++++|Mamluks ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| 900
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
1600|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| 1000
|Safavids ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
1700|++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ISLAM ++++++++++++++++++++| 1100
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
1800|++++++++++++++|Napoleon +++|+++++++++++++++++++++++| 1200
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| 1260
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| 1279
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|{{{{{{{{{{{{{{|\French\|
1900|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|British Empire|\Empire\| 1300
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|{{{{{{{{{{{{{{|\\\\\\\\|
|Israel @@@+++++|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
|@@@@@@@@@@+++++|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
2000|@@@@@@@@@@+++++|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| 1400
:-----------------------------------------------------:
S Y :-----------------------------------------------------: L Y
O E | | | | | U E
L A | MESOPOTAMIA | IRAN |WEST TURKESTAN| INDIA | N A
A R | | | | | A R
R S :-----------------------------------------------------: R S
-4500|Adam (?) | | | |-5000
-4000|Writing | | | |-4500
-3500|Noah (?) | | |.. |-4000
-3000|Sumer | |Elam | Indus |-3500
|Akkad | | | .. |
-2500|Ur III | | | .. |-3000
|Abraham (?) | | | Valley|
-2000|Babylonia | | | .. |-2500
|'''''''' Kassites ''' | | |
| ''''''''''''''''' | |Krishna |
-1500| | | | (?) |-2000
||| Assyrian ||| |Zoroaster (?) |.. |
||| Empire ||| |{{{{{{{{{{{{{{| Vedic |
-1000|Neo-Babylon |{{{{{{{{{{{{ Medes {{{{{{{{{{| .. |-1500
| | | | Age |
| | | | .. |
|................... Persian ................... |
-500|................... Empire ................... |
|=========== Empire of Alexander ============|Buddha |
|== Hellenism =|%%% Bactria %%|Sakas |%Bactria|
| | | | |
1 AD| | |Kushans |.. | -500
100| Selucids | | .. |
200| Parthians | |Maurian |
300| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| | .. |
400| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |
500|^^^^^^^^^^ Sasanids ^^^^^^^^^|Huns |^^ .. |
600|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|Turks |^^ Gupta| 1 AH
700|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| |^ ..| 100
800|xxxxxxxx Umayyad Dynasty xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | | 200
900|//////// Abbasid Dynasty ////|Transoxania |+ | 300
1000| | | |++ | 400
1100|Almohades | Saljhos |+++ | 500
1200|. Crusades ...|==============|+++++++++++++++++ | 600
|......... |}}}}}}}}} Genghis Khan }}}}}}|++ |
1300| }}}}}}}}}}}}}} MONGOLS }}}}}}}}}}}|++ | 700
1400|}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Tamurlane }}}}}}}}}|++ | 800
1500|++++++++++++++|+++++++}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}|++ | 900
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|}}}}}}}}}}}}}}|++ |
1600|++++++++++++++|Samanids |Uzbeks |++ | 1000
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|Khazaks |Mughals |
|++++++++++++++++++++ ISLAM ++++++++++++++++++++ |
1700|++++++++++++++|Afghans ++++++|++++++++++++++++ | 1100
|++++++++++++++|Russians +++++|++++++++++++++|{{{{{{{{|
|++++++++++++++|Turks ++++++++|++++++++++++++|{{{{{{{{|
1800|++++++++++++++|Qajars +++++++|++++++++++++++|British | 1200
|++++++++++++++|The Bab ++|++++++++++++++|Empire {| 1260
|++++++++++++++|Baha'u'llah ++|++++++++++++++|{{{{{{{{| 1279
|++++++++++++++|#############################|{{{{{{{{|
1900|++++++++++++++|{{{ British {{|### Russian ##|{{{{{{{{| 1300
|+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|### Empire ##|Pakistan|
|Israel @@@++++|++++++++++++++|##############|Bangla- |
|@@@@@@@@@@++++|++++++++++++++|##############| desh |
2000|@@@@@@@@@@++++|++++++++++++++| | | 1400
:-----------------------------------------------------:
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The writer wishes to acknowledge the assistance given throughout
the writing of this book by the Friends. Initial encouragement
and continued promptings were the gifts of Flora Brooks of
Staunton, Virginia. Her class notes of a course on the
Apocalypse given by Ruth Moffet were inspirational. The writer
was also fortunate to have within the local Baha'i communityes
several people of outstanding talent and knowledge who offered
references, leads and possible answers to perplexing questions as
they arose. Among them were Robert Keithley, Edward Price, James
Price and the late Edward Schlesinger. Edward Price was
particularly valuable in matters pertaining to Islam and the
Arabic language. James Price assisted in the history of
religion. Michael Bernhard gave important aid at several
critical points during the research and also helped in linguistic
matters, especially Greek, Persian and Arabic. In matters
pertaining to Koine Greek, it was sometimes necessary to seek the
assistance of Father Peter Rexinas of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Later during the research it was my very good fortune to have the
invaluable assistance of Marion Hofman, who alerted me to
additional source material, and, by her critical analysis of the
manuscript, led me to a reexamination of certain aspects of my
text.
Melissn Tansik wrote the Preface and offered valuable suggestions
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in matters of style and grammar, suggestions that, unfortuantely,
were not always followed. Bette and John Alden Decker were
responsible for most of the art work. Typing assistance was
sometimes given by Shirley Johnson.
Tireless patience, encouragement and understanding were the major
contributions of my beloved Dottie, who also helped in typing and
who offered numerous suggestions for improvement in stype. And,
most of all, the writer wishes to acknowledge the assistance of
the Master, His Holiness 'Abdu'l-Baha, without Whose gentle
whisperings the writer would not have gotten past the first
alpha.
R.F.R.
Charlottesville, Virginia
7th October, 1979 AD
11th Mashiyyat, 136 BE
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PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
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THE SOURCES
The Revelation to John, also known as the Apocalypse, or simply
Revelation, has been the subject of controversy since early
Christian times. The controversy is still active, many doubting
its authenticity, others doubting its originality. There can be
no doubt, however, that the book has been widely known and
accepted in the West since the second century after Jesus Christ.
The book purports to be a revalation to a certain John, possibly
the Apostle, given to him through an angel by Jesus Christ. The
language of the book is highly allegorical and has defied all
attempts at interpretation until the present time. Like all
prophetic books, it has been
"sealed"* and has awaited the time *See Daniel 12:4, 8-9;
when the One worthy of unsealing it John 16: 12-13;
has made His appearance on the I Corinthians 13:8-12
stage of history. That One was
Baha'u'llah, the Glory of God, and the Manifestation of God in
our time.
Baha'u'llah unsealed the Apocalypse in two ways. Firstly, His
Advent fulfilled many prophecies in the book, thus making them
comprehensible and permitting the remaining portion to be filled
in by scholars. Secondly, Baha'u'llah revealed with His own pen
the meanings of many important symbols used in this and other
prophetic writings. Without these symbols being explained it
would be impossible to find a rational interpretation of the
Apocalypse.
Baha'u'llah was assisted in unsealing the books by His Fore-
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runner, the Prophet-Herald Mirza 'Ali-Muhammad, the Bab. He too
fulfilled many important prophecies in the book. The work of
unsealing the books was continued by the son of Baha'u'llah,
'Abdu'l-Baha, designated as the Center of the Covenant by
Baha'u'llah and the Interpreter of the Baha'i Revelation. For
the first time in nearly two thousand years, 'Abdu'l-Baha
revealed the meanings of whole chapters of the Apocalypse in a
language that was clear, unambiguous and convincing. In
particular, He revealed in totality the meaning of Chapter 11 and
part of Chapter 12, probably the most difficult and the most
crucial for the interpretation of the remaining chapters. These
and other revelations are found in
_Some Answered Questions_.* *A list of references can
Following the death of be found at the end of
'Abdu'l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi this book.
Rabbani, the great-grandson of
Baha'u'llah and a relative of the Bab, continued the work by
revealing the meanings of certain important symbols in the
Apocalypse. These are found principally in his masterpiece, _God
Passes By_.
In addition to these authentic sources, various additional
material was used. Tablets from 'Abdu'l-Baha to private
believers were very useful, as were transcriptions of
conversations between 'Abdu'l-Baha and visitors to the Holy Land.
One example of the latter was a transcription of a conversation
purported to have occurred between 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shahnaz
Waite. The title of this item is _The New Jerusalem and its
Twelve Foundation Stones_. Its content deals exclusively with
subject matter in Chapter 21 of the Apocalypse. Although it
contains errors in transcription and typing, its style and depth
are clearly that of 'Abdu'l-Baha, and this writer adapted its
contents as if they were authentic, although the obvious errors
were corrected.
The remaining cources have no authenticity whatsoever in terms of
the Baha'i Revelation. They were used only when they seemed to
concur with and to amplify the authentic sources. As for the
remaining bulk of the material in this book, it must be
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confessed that it is largely the result of the writer's own
research, intuitions, and deductions. Consequently, they should
not be considered the official view of the Baha'i Universal House
of Justice nor any other official organ of the Baha'i
Administration. However, the writer has written nothing that is
contrary to his own convictions as a Baha'i.
Does this book succeed in reconstructing the original meanings in
the Apocalypse? The answer to this question must rest with each
individual reader. It is the writer's opinion that, as a whole,
it represents a fair approximation to the original meanings. As
a Baha'i, I accept the total validity of those passages that have
been specifically revealed by the Prophets and Interpreters of
the Baha'i and Babi Faiths, but beyond being a matter of faith,
their interpretations are totally convincing from a rational
point of view. Furthermore, their interpretations compel the
seeker to go beyond well travelled roads of scholarship and to
explore the intellectual life of the ancients, an exploration
that proves to be a rewarding adventure. Modern man has little
use for ancient numerology, gematria, and other obscure literary
devices. But even the casual seeker will soon realize that an
understanding of the ancient allegorical method is absolutely
essential to understanding the Apocalypse. If he chooses to
pursue the study, he will discover that modern science and
mathematics rest upon hypotheses that are basically identical to
those of the ancient Pythagoreans. The particular numbers and
geometry that are held to be significant in the construction of
the universe are, for the most part, different from those held to
be significant in the first century, but a number-geometrical
rationality or logos underlying the apparent chaos of nature is
still hypothesized by the modern natural philosopher. The seeker
will also discover that ancient symbolism, long assumed to have
no relevancy to modern man, may still exist in the collective
unconscious and manifest itself in dreams, art-forms, and modern
religious practices.*_/1 *Numbers refer to notes at
the end of each chapter.
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One point needs to be emphasized. The Revelation to John belongs
to a former Era. Its significance to the Baha'i Era is that it
accurately prophesies historical events between the first century
and modern times. The culmination of the prophecy has been the
Advent of Baha'u'llah and the beginning of a new cycle of human
events. It is, therefore, a further proof of the validity of
Baha'u'llah as the Messenger of God in this Day. The principal
value of this bok, if it has any, will be as a teaching aid.
Hopefully, it will help to correct certain fallacious notions
held by some modern theologians concerning the nature of the
Second Coming of Christ and the events that are to attend the
Coming. These fallacious notions have been serious impediments
to a truly constructive and realistic understanding of
progressive revelation and the roles played by the many
Messengers of God throughout history.
THE ALLEGORICAL METHOD
The prophet who has had a vision of the future course of events
cannot reveal the vision undisguised. To reveal it in direct and
unambiguous language would automatically preclude the prophecy
from coming true. For if past experience proved that a prophet's
predictions were unambiguous and perfectly reliable, would not
man seek to avoid the dire consequences of some future
catastrophe by avoiding the events leading up to it? For
example, if a man knows for certain that he will die by an
airplane accident, surely he can thwart fate by the simple ploy
of traveling by train or ship.
But there is another reason for using symbol and allegory._/2
The prophecy becomes a test of one's spiritual acuity. To the
skeptic who denies the existence of anything beyond that which
can be touched or meassured, the prophecy is nothing but
meaningless, even laughable, nonsense. To the gullible and the
superstitious, the prophecy is to be taken literally, regardless
of how absurd such an interpretation may be. Neither of these
attitudes will lead to understanding. The skeptic avoids the
necessity of understanding by denying the existence of the
spirit. The super-
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stitious avoids the necessity of understanding by playing it safe
and denying nothing.
The true road to understanding lies somewhere between these
extremes. The true seeker must admit the reality of things
spiritual but must not accept a theological assertion that does
not seem reasonable and in agreement with common sense. The
bridge to salvation is as fine as a thread and as narrow as a
blade. But the bridge must be crossed and the risks of disaster
must be accepted.
'Abdu'l-Baha explained the need for allegory in these words, "...
the revelations of the prophets can never be adequately
translated owing to the poverty and imperfection of our language.
Their thought is so lofty that human minds do not grasp it.
Hence the use of allegories. Parables make men ponder and pray
for enlightenment that they may understand the hidden meaning.
Search for truth deepens man's capacity, clarifies his vision
without engendering intellectual pride."_/3
To the modern intellectual, conditioned by a world of scientific
exactitude, the allegorical method is frustratingly inexact. A
symbol is somewhat like a variable in a mathematical equation--it
may assume any one of several values depending upon the context.
But there are bounds beyond which the symbol cannot vary, and
when found, the correct value has the ring of truth. More than
that, an incorrect interpretation in one section of the prophecy
has a way of refusing to fit somewhere else. To use a modern
analogy, the Book of Revelation is something like a gigantic
crossword puzzle: although a word with the correct number of
letters may be found that seems to approximate the intended
meaning, it may later prove to be the wrong word when the rest of
the blocks are filled in. It is for similar reasons that, when
correctly interpreted, the entire prophecy will hang together and
become a convincing whole.
Symbolism, by virtue of its flexibility and its inexactneess,
allows the prophet to extend the meaning of a prophecy to include
more than one event. Thus a passage of prophecy may refer to
several events, some immanent, some in the distant
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future. Consequently, the use of symbolism permits the prophet
to reveal some universal principle whose validity is independant
of time and place. It is for this reason that numerous
interpretations have been found for various passages in the
Apocalypse and more will be found in the future. The pursuit of
the "beast whose number is 666" has occupied biblical hunters for
centuries with many unpopular candiddates being caught in the
net.
The prophet was able to find symbols everywhere, in nature, in
historical and contemporary events, and even in everyday mundane
experience.
Arising in the morning, the glorious sunrise reminded him of the
dawning of a new Day of God, a new Dispensation whose Lord was
the Manifestation of God for that Day. The dawning place of that
sun had a zodiacal sign, and the slow Precession of the Equinoxes
reminded him of the long duration of a Day of God compared to a
day of man. Almost certainly, the early Christians must have
noticed that their symbol for Jesus, the Fish, coincided with the
zodiacal sign of their age--Pisces. They may also have noticed
that the preceding zodiacal ages of Aries the Ram and Taurus the
Bull had been dominated by priesthoods characterized by those
symbols. And perhaps even earlier under the age of Gemini the
Twins, there may have been a priesthood memorialized by the Cain
and Abel story.*_/4 *See below,
_Astrological Symbolism_.
To the prophet, the warmth and life-giving power of the sun_/5
suggested the spiritual light and life-giving power of God.
Sometimes the light was direct. Sometimes it was reflected off
of man-made structures. In this way, the mirror became like the
Prophet Who reflects the attributes of God clearly and without
distortion. Reflected off other objects, it became the earthly
church, imperfect and corruptable.
The night was watched over by the moon that reflected the light
of heaven onto the earth. Here the moon in its various phases
also resembled the Prophet, or some other great religious
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leader of the Church. The star became other members of the
hierarchy. The morning star became the Herald of a new Day of
God. Other stars were fallen stars and thus fallen from heavenly
grace. Still others were brilliant and constant; in this way
they also symbolized important spiritual leaders, prophets, or
Revelators from God.
Besides the days and nights, there were the seasons. The seasons
suggested the birth, growth, flowering and decay of a religion or
a society. Sometimes there were clouds that obscured man's
vision of the sun and were like veils between man and God. At
other times they were clouds of glory, or became sources of
rain--heavenly bounty that caused the living things of the earth
to offer praise and gratitude to the Creator. Rain was sometimes
destructive too, especially when accompanied by high winds and
lightning-fire from heaven At other times the winds became
gentle breezes wafting the Word of God over mankind.
Destructive rains were sometimes followed by a rainbow. Its
multicolored iridescence reminded the prophet that God speaks to
man in many ways. The arc of the rainbow was a bridge between
heaven and earth and was like the Covenant between God and man.
Walking through the forest, the prophet saw the whole world of
man in allegory. Herbs, flowers, and grass were rooted in the
soil, like the great masses of mankind. Towering above the herbs
were the magnificent trees reaching towards heaven like great
leaders of men, sometimes spiritual, sometimes secular. The
fauna of the forest were particularly expressive, some animals
being like vicious men, others being gentle and loving. Birds,
because of their curious shapes and voices, seemed to be like
men's souls that wing their ways to heaven, or to express special
attributes often found in men. Slithering among the herbs and
flowers there was the serpent--kingly in appearance, cunning,
often deadly. Because it shed its skin it also seemed to express
the principle of immortality and healing.
Coming across stones of curious shapes reminded him of the
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solidity of truth* or of the *As if "chiseled in
concepts of God sometimes held by stone!"
men. But when one discovered a
gem, a divine principle might become crystallized, uniquely
combining pure spirit and matter to express some astract thought
in solid form. Larger rocks became places of refuge, especially
when they enclosed caves or places of hiding. And when he saw
mountains and valleys covered with trees, rocks, flora and fauna,
they were like nations and great religions. Some mountains were
towering bulwarks of strength, some seemed to reach towards
heaven, and many mountains were sacred places where man might
make contact with God Himself. Other valleys and mountains had
been places of conflict and ssuffering and attained special
significance of their own.
But what could be more refreshing to the spirit than some clear,
pure spring or brook? Water became something to purify the soul,
spiritual knowledge and insight--the renewal of spiritual life
itself. The springs and running brooks emptied into great
rivers, the mainstreams fo spiritual guidance. From thence the
rivers emptied into the seas of the spirit. Men, like fish,
inhabited the seas, and their numbers were as the sands. The sea
of the spirit was sometimes a turbulent place, and men had to
find refuge on island-churches or by riding ships upon the waves.
If that failed, the seas might turn into death-blood and no
escape was found.
The world built by man had its significance too. There were holy
cities, like Jerusalem, where the Law of God prevailed in
pristine purity. Then there was Babylon, morally corrupt,
materialistic, like the Law of God corrupted by a selfish and
egotistical priesthood. Babylon was populated by whores, evil
purveyors of false doctrine--prostitution of the Word. But
Jerusalem had streets of golden virtues, and had gates that could
be entered only by those with the innocence of pearls. The
garments worn by the inhabitants of the citiess reflected their
white-purity or their oppulent-corruption. And like a holy
temple, the very dimsnsions of the Holy City symbolized its
sacred meaning.
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Besides these sources of symbol, the prophet could draw on other
devices to test the reader's spiritual acuity. A word that
seemed to have a familiar meaning might have a deeper meaning
when its roots were investigated. _Diabolos_ (Devil) became the
"Deceiver." _Apollyon_ became the "Destroyer." This literary
device is familiar enough to modern readers, but another used by
the prophet is almost totally unfamiliar. That device is called
the gematria,_/6 and its importance to understanding the
Apocalypse cannot be overstated.
GEMATRIA
[Due to character-set limitations, many letters in this section
are omitted or designated by name.]
Consider the possibility of using the ordinary letters of the
English alphabet to denote numbers. This possibility would not
be too remote if the Arabic system of numerals (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,
9.0) had not been invented. Assuming that we did so, we might
assign the value 1 to the letter A, the value 2 to the letter B,
and so on. Then a curious thing would result--all words would
also have numerical values and some numbers would spell words.
The possibility of giving a second meaning to a word or to a
number would be rather obvious. This is precisely the origin of
gematria.
Since the Greeks did not have a separate number symbology, they
resorted to the use of their alphabet for that purpose. By the
first century A.D., the numerical equivalence of the Greek
alphabet had evolved into the following:
Table I
The Greek Gematria
[Due to character-set limitations,
many letters are omitted or designated by name.]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
A á B á â ë E î Z H é
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
I K ^ M æ N ð O o ã
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
P äås T ç v è í X x psi ê ì
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Certain other symbols* *Usually called stigma,
for 6, 90, and 900, though goppa, and sampi
still used in numerical work, had respectively. Ref. 53,
fallen into literary disuse, pp. 11, 25
and their values were formed
through a combination of modification of other symbols. For
example, the 6 was represented by [symbol shown here]. Other
ancient peoples employed equivalent systems. In Arabic, it was
known as the abjad.
The value of a word or a combination of words was equal to the
sum of its elements. Thus either áì or ìá had the value 801.
The letter-numbers 1 (á) through 9 (é) of the upper row of Table
1 were considered as archetypes, while their decadal successors
in the columns below were considered as representing those same
archetypes raised to higher degrees. Thus the archetype of 800
(ì) was 8 (H).
The archetype of a large number was obtained by successive
addition of its elements until the archetype was discovered. To
discover the archetype of 832 (ì^á) for example, we first add the
archetypal values of its elements 8+3+2 to obtain 13. Next, we
add the resulting elements, 1+3 to obtain 4. Hence the archetype
of 832 is 4 (ë).
The process of obtaining the archetype of a letter-number is
sometimes called cabalistic
contraction or reduction.Å In this ÅThe archetype of a number
book the archetype of a letter- is called the digital root
number will be called its in the parlance of modern
archetypal value in contrast to its mathematics.
literal value. For example, the
literal value of 'IHåoçs Jesus is 888. The archetypal value is
six._/7
Returning to the main course of the argument, the prophet was
able to enlarge the meaning of a word or a phrase by giving it a
value by gematria equal to another word or phrase. This second
word or phrase might have a meaning that would give a profound
implication to the first. The power of this literary device will
become apparent as the reader enters the Apocalypse._/8
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 13--
In a similar way, the literal value of a word or number can be
given a further profound meaning with its archetypal value is
investigated. To understand the import of the archetypal value,
one must be familiar with some of the rudiments of ancient number
symbolism.
NUMBER SYMBOLISM
There is no doubt, certain numbers
such as ã (3.114159...)* *not to be confused with
are important building blocks of ã = 80 of the gematria
pure mathematics. In the realm of
physics, man may have discovered many imoprtant fundamental
constants. One of these is the ratio of subatomic particle
action to radiation action. The ratio has the value 137. Then
there are the so-called "magic numbers" (2, 8, 20, 50, 82, 126)
of nuclear physics that define the number of neutrons in the
closed shells of staable atomic nuclei.
The imagination is excited by the meanings that might lie hidden
in these discoveries. Thee ancient natural philosophers, whose
scientific resources were probably less developed than our own,
found simmilar excitement in the possible meanings that lay
hidden behind special numbers._/9 Certain of these numbers, such
as ã (3.114159...) and the Golden Number è (1.61803...) are still
considered important to an understanding of the universe._/10
Other numerological speculations of the ancient philosophers are
out of vogue, at least for the present, but we must investigate
some of the meanings that the first century philosophers may have
ascribed to the special numbers of the Apocalypse in order to
obtain a fuller understanding of the author's intent.
The literature of ancient numerology is extensive, and the
concepts underlying the subject have been confused by centuries
of speculation, especially during the Middle Ages. Nevertheless,
it is possible to reconstruct the probable meanings originally
intended by ancient philosophers and theologians as understood in
the first century._/11
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 14--
The numbers that have the greatest significance in the Apocalypse
are 2, 3, 4, 7, 9 and 12. The significance of other numbers will
be explained in the main text. To the list above we might
include 22, the number of chapters in the Apocalypse. This is
also the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and the 22
chapters means that the book is complete and finished.
The significance of the remaining numbers is arrived at in the
following way:
The concept of God as being One leads to His symbol the Monad 1.
In this form God may also be represented by a Pillar_/12 or
Sacred Pole. but in this form He is alone and without His
creation. Consequently, He formed the Dyad 2, the principle of
opposition or duality._/12 At this stage one can think of the
equivalent Chinese concept of Yang and Yin (figure 1), the
dualistic principle of male and famale, positive and negative,
the container and the contained, thesis and antithesis, life and
death, etcl. It was through the principle of duality that matter
was created._/13
The next phase is the reconciliation of duality to form the Triad
3, containing an ordering or unifying principle connecting the
two opposites. At this level God is conceptualized as abstract
Divinity, the Creator. In the words of Plato,_/14 "First, out of
the Indivisible (the Same) and the Divisible (the Other), God
made Essence. He then took the three elements of the Same, the
Other and the Essence, and mingled them into one form,
compressing by force the reluctant and unsociable nature of the
Same and of the Other. When He had mingled them with the Essence
and out of the three made one, He again divided this whole into
as many portions as was fitting, each portion being a compound of
the Same, the Other, and the Essence."
The geometric symbol for the Triad is the triangle since it is
formed from three points. The ancient triangular Hindu symbol
for the all-seeing Eye of Brahma (figure 1) persists on the Great
Seal of the United States and is printed on the reverse side of
the one dollar bill. The Star of David is composed of two
triangles; the Baha'i Star is composed of three.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 15--
....
.x.^ .
.x. .
xx. xx
.xxx. xx .
xxxxx.
.xxxxxxx . .
xxxxxxxxxxx ..
.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . .
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
.xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx. .
xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx.
.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. .
.xxxxxxxxxx. .
xxxx
THE T'AI-CHI, OR YANG-YIN SYMBOL OF CHINA
\ . /
\ / \ /
\ / \ /
\ / \ /
\ / \ /
\ \ / _____________ \ / /
\ / / \ \ /
\ / ___________ \ /
/ / | @@@ | \ \
/ / \ @@@ / \ \
/ \ \__ / / \
/ \___________/ \
/______________________________________________\
| | |
| | |
| | |
THE ALL-SEEING EYE OF BRAHMA
Figure 1
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 16--
Some examples of the use of the Triad 3 among the ancients to
symbolize abstract divinity are:
Memphian Ptah, Sekhet, Nefer-Tem
Theban Amon-Ra, Maut, Khonsu
Abdyan Osiris, Isis, Horus
Sumerian Enki, Emlil, An
Orphic Phanes, Uranus, Chronos
Zoroastric Ormand, Mithras, Ahriman
Hindu Brahma, Vishnu, Siva
Taoist T'ien-pao, Ling-pao, Shen-pao
Cabric Axercos, Axiokersa, Axiokersos
Phonecian Ashtraroth, Milcom, Chemosh
Tyrian Belus, Venus, Thammuz
Grecian Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter
Roman Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto
Eleusinian Iacchus, Persephone, Demeter
Platonic Tagathon, Nous, Psyche
Celtic Hu, Ceridwen, Creirwy
Teutonic Fenris, Midgard, Hela
Gothic Woden, Friga, Thor
Scandinavian Odin, Vile, Ve
Mexican Vitzliputzle, Kaloc, Tescalipuca
Gilbert and Ellice
Islands Nareau, Nikikitea, Nareau Te Rabakau
Buddhist Personality, Church, Law
Judaean He Who was, Who is, Who always will be;
Three Heads of the Holy Ancient
Christian_/15 Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Gnostic Divine triads (various)
Muslim Essence, Creator, Creatures
'Abdu'l-Baha explains the correct meaning of the Trinity in _Some
Answered Questions_ (p. 129) as the One God, His Holy Spirit, and
His Manifestation.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 17--
The next development is the Tetrad 4. It is the "crossing" or
product 2 x 2 and represents the formation of the world of man
from combinations of the Dyad._/16 One geometric symbol of the
Tetrad is the square since it is formed by 4 points. Another
symbol of the Tetrad is the cross. 4 also symbolizes solidity or
volume, since 4 points are the minimum number required to define
a volume, that is, a tetrahedron or triangular-based pyramid.
Baha'u'llah employed the Tetrad in His Tablet, _The Four
Valleys_, in which He describes the 4 types of mystical
wayfarers.
The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 were combined in the Tetraktys of
Pythagoras, a sacred symbol of certain ancient mystery cults
.
. .
. . .
. . . .
THE SACRED TETRAKTYS OF PYTHAGORAS
Figure 2
(figure 2). This symbol was treated as the key to understanding
the whole of life. Theou of Smyrna (first century AD) enumerated
ten sets of four things that the Tetraktys was held to
symbolize._/17
Numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4
Magnitudes: point, line, surface, solid
Elements: fire, air, earth, water
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 18--
Simple bodies: pyramid, cube, octahedron, icosahedron
Living things: seed, growth in length, growth in breadth, growth
in thickness
Societies: man, village, city, nation
Faculties: sensation, opinion, knowledge, reason
Seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter
Ages: infancy, youth, manhood, old age
Human being: body, mind, soul, spirit
The next development is the 7. Being the sum of 3 and 4, it can
represent the union of heaven and earth. 7 was the number of the
known planets. Among the ancients, 7 was also the number of
opportunity, "because in nature the times of fulfillment with
respect to birth and maturity go in sevens. Take man, for
example. He can be born in 7 months, cuts his teeth after
another 7, reaches puberty about the end of his second period of
7 years, and grows a beard at the third."--Aristotle_/18
On the other hand, 7 was the symbol of expansion and sacrifice
among the Babylonians and ancient Hebrews. For example, animals
entered Noah's ark by sevens (Genesis 7:2-3); Jacob spent 7 years
in servitude for Leah and 7 years more for Rachel (Genesis 29); 7
years was the legal limit of slavery under Mosaic law. 7 was
also the number of trial and punishment. The Ark of the Covenant
was in the land of the Philistines for 7 months (I Samuel 6:1),
and the Israelites were in bondage for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11,
29:10).
The repeated use of 7 in the Apocalypse can mean all of these
things. The book represents a prophecy of 7 progressive
Revelations (training) and 7 punishments of mankind through
various tests and plagues. But man is also given the opportunity
(7) to recognize the Christ Returned, Baha'u'llah, symbolized by
9, through Whom heaven and earth will be united (7).
Other examples of the use of the 7 symbol among the ancients
are:_/19
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 19--
Chinese: 7 days of creation
Persian: 7 steps of progress toward heaven
Hindu: 7 mansions, abodes of created spirits
Judean: 7 days of fasting, sacrifice, and prayer
Roman: 7 planets (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Saturn,
Jupiter, Venus)
Gnostic: 7 Greek vowels arranged in cabalistic manner to
signify the Creator
Japanese 7 household gods
Baha'u'llah used the 7 in His Tablet, _The Seven Valleys_,
describing 7 stages of spiritual development.
The use of the 9 in the Apocalypse is indirect and hidden, which
may be considered remarkable in itself, since 9 was considered
supremely sacred, being the Perfected Triad or the Trinity of
Trinities, that is, 3-times-3. Its complete absence as a literal
number in the Apocalypse is another clue to the seeker as to its
importance. However, 9 appears with high frequency in the
archetypal values of various numbers and phrases as will become
clear in the text. The significance of 9 is that it is the
number of Baha,_/20 the Greatest Name of God, and was used as a
seal by Baha'u'llah, His Manifestation. The numerical value of
Baha is derived from the Arabic equivalent of the gematria, the
abjad.
Since 9 equals 3 x 3, it also symbolizes the union and
reconciliation of all mankind's concepts of God._/21 Being the
largest number less than the decad, 9 also represents the highest
unity._/22
A second way of combining 3 and 4 is by taking their product 12.
Thus 12 is another symbol of the union of heaven and earth on a
still higher order than 7. The number 12 became a symbol for the
universe, containing both matter and spirit. As the 12 signs of
the zodiac, 12 represents the precession of epochs._/23 It was
the perfect measure since it is divisible by 2, 3, 4 and 6, and
has been handed down to us as the dozen, the 12 months of the
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 20--
year, the 12 hours between sunrise and sunset, and, of course,
the 12 signs of the zodiac. By cabalistic contraction, 12
becomes 3 and is, therefore, a holy number. 12 was also the
original number of significance and completion.
ASTROLOGICAL SYMBOLISM
In _Hamlet's Mill_,* *Reference 58
Professors de Santillana and von
Dechend present an impressive body of evidence that the ancients
were not only vary familiar with the dawning places of the sun at
different seasons of the year, but, more significantly, were well
aware of the phenomenon now called the Precession of the
Equinoxes. In order to appreciate the awesome effect the
knowledge of this phenomenon must have had in antiquity, we must
review the model of the cosmos as conceived by the ancient
cosmologists and astrologers.
According to Professor de Santillana, the model of the cosmos
resembled the system shown in figure 3. The extremity of the
cosmos was regarded as a great crystalline sphere, that is, the
firmament, on which were placed the milky way and the
constellations of fixed stars. A band of stars, called the
zodiac or "circle of beasts," delimited the paths of the sun and
the other moving heavenly bodies, that is, the planets or
"wanderers." The earth was placed at the center of this sphere,
its axis inclined 23 1/2 degrees with respect to the axis of the
celestial sphere. the spinning of the celestial sphere or the
earth on its own axis might account for the days and nights. The
tilt of the earth's axis with respect to the sun's journey of 365
days through the "houses" of the zodiac accounted for the
seasons._/24
Various models were proposed to account for the brilliance and
motions of the stars and planets. One model was that of Ptolemy,
providing seven concentric
crystalline "heavens"Å ÅII Corinthians 12:2
for the seven planets. In popular
myth, the planets were considered
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 21--
....
. O open hole .
. X celestial in Heaven .
. north pole ........ .
........................
..........|...........|...........
. ...\.Capri-..|.Sagitarius|.............. .
........\cornus.|...........|..Scorpio..../....
.........+-\------|-----------|----------+./.......
. ...........|..\.....|...........|..........|........... .
.\...........|...\....|...........|........./|.............
...\Aquarius..|... axis\ ../.|...Libra../...
.....\........ | \::. |........./.....
::.....\... | :::::: | ...../....:::
:::::.....\ | THE ::THE::: | ./...:::::
:Pisces.. |SQUARE :ROUND:: | ..:Virgo:
::::::::. | EARTH ::EARTH: | .:::::::::
:::::::/ | ~::\ | ::\:::::::
::::::/:::::. | \ | . :::::\::::::
::::/:::::::::| . . :|:::::::::\::::
::/::Aries:::|:/::: ........ :::\:|:::Leo::::\::
.::::::::::::|/::::::|::::::::::::|:::::::::\|::::::::::::.
::::::::::|:::::::|::::::::::::|:::::::::\|::::::::::
::::::/+-------|------------|----------+:::::::
. :::/::Tarus::|::::::::::::|:::Cancer:\:::: .
:::::::::::|::::Gemini::|:::::::::::\:
::::::|::::::::::::|:::::::::
. | :::::::: | .
. .
. x Canopus .
....
THE ANCIENT COSMOS
The oval zodiacal ring is the earth's equatorial plane.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 22--
to be shining gods, or perhaps lamps carried across the fimament
by gods or angels.
Regardless of the model, the regularity of planetary movements
and the spectacular panorama of the skies led men to consider the
hand of the zodial to be the "true earth." The stars and
planets, the inhabitants of the true earth, became the true lords
of time and the originators of history, with man at the heavy
earthbound center of the system taking on the role of mere
spectator to "earthshaking" cosmic events over which he had
little or no control
Thus was born the royal science, astrology, and it became a
matter of great importance for men to know when the stars showed
good or bad aspects. The band of the zodiac was divided into
twelve principal constellations, and various names and attributes
were assigned to them for the purposes of divination. Because
the stellar constellations occupied unequal spaces along the
celestial sphere, astrologers eventually found it convenient to
separate the zodiacal band into twelve "signs" of equal length as
an aid to astrological computations. The signs and
constellations of the zodiac within recent millenia have been
called by the following names:
Zodiacal Precession Sign or English
Order Order Constellation Name
1 1 Aries Ram
2 12 Tarus Bull
3 11 Gemini Twins
4 10 Cancer Crab
5 9 Leo Lion
6 8 Virgo Virgin
7 7 Libra Scales
8 6 Scorpio Scorpion
9 5 Sagittarius Archer
10 4 Capricornus Goat
11 3 Aquarius Water Bearer
12 2 Pisces Fishes
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 23--
The zodiacal order corresponds to the dawning time of the sign
during the solar year commencing with the Vernal equinox. The
Precession order is reversed from the zodiacal order since the
sun appears to slowly retrogress through the zodiacal houses.
There is a considerable disagreement among modern astrologers
concerning the starting point of the age of Aquarius and, indeed,
of any of the zodiacal ages. The disagreements stem from such
questions as the historical origin of the zodiac, whether certain
specific stars, the sign or the constellation is to be used as a
reference, and when the signs were exactly aligned with the
constellations. The least trenchant view is that there are no
clear starting points, and the ages, like the earthly seasons,
are gradually transformed into one another.
Returning to the celestial sphere of figure 3, it was recognized
that the earth's axis, being tilted with respect to the celestial
system, was directed at a northern point that was not coincident
with the true axis of the celestial sphere. It was common to
consider the clestial sphere as having an open hole or "door" at
the northern end of the celestial axis, while the star Canopus
marked the terminus of the southern axis. The great circle (not
shown in figure 3) tracing the center of the zodiacal band is
called the celestial equator. The "dry earth" was the ideal
plane passing through the celestial equator. The plane of the
earth's equator extended to the celestial sphere also had
significance. The earth's equatorial plane divided the zodiac
into "dry land" and the "waters below." "Fire" (not shown in
figure 3) was the name of a great circle passing through the
north and south poles of the celestial sphere.
We are now in a position to understand the "square earth" and the
Precession of the Equinoxes. The equinoxes are the two days
during the calendar year when the days and nights are of equal
twelve hour duration. The solstices, also important to
astrological symbolism, are the two days of the year
corresponding to the longest and shortest days. The approximate
dates of these four events are
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 24--
21 March, Spring or Vernal equinox, equal day and night.
21 June, Summer solstice, longest day [northern hemisphere].
21 March, Autumnalor Fall equinox, equal day and night.
21 December, Winter solstice, shortest day [southern hemisphere].
Originally among the pastoral peoples of the Middle East, the sun
rising in the triangular-shaped constellation of Aries the Ram
marked the Spring equinox. That is why, to this day, it is said
that the Spring season always appears under the sign of Aries.
But it was discovered over a long period of observation that the
_constellation_ of Aries gradually began to lag behind the true
beginning of the Spring season. Thus the Spring season is
usually ushered in by a constellation other than Aries. Indeed,
the constellation that ushers in the Spring will be different
from "age to age," and it is customary to name the "age" of
historical man to agree with the zodiacal constellation at the
Spring equinox.
The gradual shifting of the constellations, which we now know is
caused by a gyroscopic precession of the earth's axis, is called
the Precession of the Equinoxes. The Precession of the Equinoxes
is extremely slow, requiring 72 years to precess only one degree
along the clestial sphere, requiring 25,920 years to complete a
full cycle in which the sun returns to its original "house" in
Aries at springtime. The 25,920 year cycle is called a "Great
hear" or a "Platonic year." One twelfth of the Platonic year, a
period of 2160 years, is called a "Platonic month." Some idea of
the slowness and the majesty of this phenominon can be understood
by referring to fugure 4. The figure shows the appearance of the
zodiac as it is seen today and as it appeared 4500 years ago.
During all those millenia the zodiac has shifted a mere 60
degrees!
The Precession of the Equinoxes is accompanied by another
phenomenon, the dislocation of the north pole or Precession of
the Poles. The north celestial pole, located near the star beta
Ursae Minoris at the beginning of the Christian Era, now lies
near alpha Ursae Minoris. In another twelve thousand years the
north polar star will be Vega.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 25--
Aquarius
Capricornus Pisces
winter
Sagitarius
.
Scorpio . Capricornus
Sagitarius . Aries
.
.. .
Libra . 60ø. Aquarius
. . .
a . . s
u Earth . . p
t o . . r
Scorpio u Virgo O Pisces i Taurus
m Sun n
n g
Leo Aries
[inner circle]
Libra Gemini
Cancer Taurus
Gemini
Virgo Cancer
summer
Leo
[outer circle]
Inner circle: The zodiac as it is seen today.
Outer circle: The position of the zodiac 4500 years ago.
THE PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES
Figure 4
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 26--
In ancient times, the constellations in which the sun rises at the
equinoxes and solstices were conceived of as four "pillars" or
"corners" of the "true earth." Connecting the four "corners"
with straight lines generates the "rectangular" or "square
earth." In figure 3 are shown the four corners corresponding to
the age of Aquarius, the zodiacal age into which we are now
entering. These four corners were Pisces, Sagittarius, Virgo and
Gemini.
Thus we see that the Precession causes a major reorientation of
the ancient cosmic system on an average of once every 2160
years; the shifting of the rising points of the sun in the houses
of the zodiac, the dislocation of the north polar star, the
"shaking of the corners of the earth," a "twilight of the gods."
Since the astrological theiroes of antiquity correlated stellar
phenomena "above" with worldly historical events "below," the
Precession took on a profound significance. The appearance of a
new constellation at the Spring equinox portended a "new heaven
and a new earth," a new Message from God, and world-wide
cataclysmic physical and historical events. Old religions and
governments could be expeccted to topple, flood and fire
(symbolically) might be counted on to destroy the gods and
records of the dying civilization. But God "shall live as long
as the sun endures, long as the moon, age after age."--Psalm
72:5.
It is clear from a careful reading of the Holy Books that
astrological symbolism was a common literary device in antiquity.
For example, consider the correlation of the twelve sons of Jacob
with the signs of the zodiac. A hint that the twelve sons might
be correlated with astrological influences is given in Genesis
37:9 where Joseph has a dream of "the sun, moon and eleven stars
bowing down to him." The dream turns out to be a prophecy that
Joseph's family, including his eleven brothers, will later bow
down to him in Egypt (42:8). The correlation becomes even more
interesting when it is discovered that it is possible to
correlate all thirteen children of Jacob, including his daughter
Dinah, with the astrological signs. For later, in Genesis 49, we
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 27--
find the famous blessings of Jacob on his sons which are highly
sugestive of the signs of the zodiac.
Reuben, "boiling over with water," is Aquarius the Water Bearer.
Simeon and Levi, "the brethren," are Gemini the Twins.
Judah, "the Lion's whelp," is Leo the Lion.
Zebulon, who "shall dwell at the breach of the sea," is Pisces
the Fishes.
Issachar, "a strong ass crouching down between the sheep folds,"
is Tarus the Bull.
Dan, "a serpent in the way," is Scorpio the Scorpion.
Gad, "a troup shall press upon him, but he shall press upon their
heel," is Aries the Ram, leader of the flock. (Aries, being the
first sign of the zodiac, "presses on their heel," in the
circular zodiac.)
Asher, the weigher of bread, is Libra the Scales.
Nephtali, "a hind let loose," is Capricornus the Goat.
Joseph, whose "bow abides in strength," is Sagittarius the
Archer.
The remaining signs of the zodiac are not so readily identified.
One argument goes that Benjamin, Jacob's youngest son,
corresponds to Cancer the Crab, since it is a "young"
constellation formed many years after the other eleven.
Presumably the Crab is as "ravining as a wolf, devouring his prey
by morning, dividing the spoil at night." Dinah, the only
daughter, is assigned to Virgo.
Be that as it may, the Twelve Trives were required to carry
standards or family signs (Numbers 2). The four chief tribes and
their zodiacal signs were: Judah--a lion, Reuben--a man
(Aquarius), Ephrriam--a bull, and Dan--a scorpion, the sign
formerly called the Eagle in very ancient times. These
particular four signs will prove to be very interesting in the
fourth and fifth Chapters of the Apocalypse and are also found in
Ezekiel.
In Ezekiel's vision, Chapters one and ten, we find a remarkable
description of the cosmic
mechanism* resembling the *These verses are often
quoted by UFO buffs as
evidence of flying saucer
sightings in ancient times
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 28--
mechanical models proposed by the ancient Greek Ionian and
Milesian philosophers such as Anaximander. Ezekiel's zodiac
(1:10-19) emphasizes the same four zodiacal signs corresponding
to the four chief tribes--man, lion, ox, and eagle. The zodiac
has "rims high and dreadful" and the four chief signs have "their
rims full of eyes (start) round about. And when the living
creatures (zodiacal beasts) went, the wheels went beside them,
and when the living creatures were lifted up (dawned) from the
earth, the wheels were lifted up." It will become obvious in
Revelations 4 and 5 that Ezekiel's vision parallels that of John,
and that the "glory of the Lord" sitting on the throne in Ezekiel
1:24-28 is Baha'u'llah.
GEOMETRIC SYMBOLISM
Certain geometric symbols or mandalas must be explained before we
enter the Apocalypse. We have already noted that the Tetrad 4
symbolizing the world of man can be represented by a square or
cross. Extending the square into a volume results in a cube,
another symbol for the world of man.
One symbol for heaven, the realm of the spirit (and hence
heavenly virtues) is the circle. The circle is the perfect
figure, having neither beginning nor end; thus it can represent
eternity and infinity. A source of ambiguity enters here. Since
the perimeter of a circle is roughly 3 times its diameter, 3 can
sometimes represent the realm of heaven, heavenly virtues, and so
on, in addition to representing the Holy Triad. Spinning the
circle about its diameter generates the sphere, another symbol
for heaven. In analogy to the addition of 3 and 4 to obtain 7,
circles, crosses, spheres and cubes can be combined in various
ways to symbolize the union of heaven and earth. The squared
circle maandala is called the quadratura circuli, examples of
which are shown in figure 5. The quadratura circuli has appeared
in many forms such as oriental mandalas, the swastika, and the
Latin cross with the circle of eternity. It is still a powerful
determinent in our unconscious life. By comparing figures 3 and
5, it can be seen that the quadratura circuli is latent in the
ancient cosmological model._/25
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 29--
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EXAMPLES OF THE QUADRATURA CIRCULI
Figure 5
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 30--
The best known of all geometric symbols is the Great Pyramid of
Giza. It apparently represents a squared circle since the
perimeter of its square base equals the altitude of the pyramid
multiplied by 2-times the circular ã. The sum of the diagonals
of the base of the Great Pyramid is 25,827 pyramid inches, a very
close approximation to the number of years in the Great year of
the Precession.
By inference, the Great Pyramid can be considered as another
model of the cosmos and a symbol of the union of heaven and
earth. However, there is a considerable controversy concerning
the purpose of the pyramids._/26
FURTHER LITERARY DEVICES
Another literary device used by the prophet that must be
understood is the reiterated prophecy. It is a further method of
disguising the prophecy and testing the seeker's spiritual
acuity. In this style, the same prophecy is repeated two or more
times using different allegorical or literal expressions to
amplify its meaning in different ways. To the reader who assumes
that the account must follow a lineal sequence of events, the
account will be confusing and impossible to reconcile. A related
technique is to tax the reader's memory by scattering crucial but
related bits of information throughout the prophecy.
Nor is every event in the Apocalypse to be taken allegorically.
The test of acuity goes both ways. The events are occasionally
accurate in a literal sense and act as guideposts to the seeker
to assure him that he is on the right path. A general rule to
follow is first to decide whether the passage is reasonable when
taken literally. If not, look for an allegorical meaning that is
in accord with reason and common sense. That failing, the
passage may be assumed to have a transcendental meaning.
THE TIME AND SPACE OF THE APOCALYPSE
From the outset the Apocalypse has staggering dimensions. The
Revelators and peoples of seven Faiths are specifically
addressed, and these are the Divinely revealed Faiths of the
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region called Asia* as understood *The region of Asia
by the first century reader. But extended from the
the major portions of the Hellespont to Africa in
Apocalypse are more limited, being the south and the Bay of
primarily directed to the early Bengal in the east. It
Christians and to the peoples of included India but did not
the future Faith of Islam. In the include modern asiatic
closing chapters the prophecy Russia and the Far East.
describes world-wide events and a (See frontspiece.) The
message is given to the whole of Roman Province of Asia
mankind warning of the Advent of (129 BC) as distinguished
the Return of Christ, Baha'u'llah. from the region of Asia,
Who wlil come to reap the harvest corresponded roughly to
of mankind at the end of the Age of modern Turkey or Asia
Prophecy. Minor. The name of the
Province of Asia became
The time span covered by the "Asia" in much thee same
prophecy is also impressive, way that the United States
covering the period from about 100 of America has become
AD until the present time and at "America."
least a thousand years into the
future. Here, however, the major portions of the prophecy end
with the events that are happening in our own century.
It is important to understand the shifting emphasis that occurs
throughout the Apocalypse. For instance, the "whole world" may
mean the Middle East at one time but may mean the twentieth
century world at another. The changes in the dimensions of the
prophecy roughly correspond to the level of the intended reader's
awareness of a humanly populated world, that is, an _oikumene_,
as the Greeks called it.
FUTURE SCHOLARSHIP
Some promising fields for future research appear to be in the
realms of music and psychology. Professor McClain's recent book
_The Myth of Invariance_ (Reference 56) develops the close
relationship between ancient musical scales, cosmology and
numerology, with prime emphasis on the Rig Veda. Since much of
the ancient number symbolism was common to the whole Eurasian
continent, Egypt, and possibly Middle America, it is
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obvious that the Apocalypse is a fertile field to explore for
further correlations. In Chapter 15, Note 9 will be found a
reference to ancient musical scales that tie in with certain
"tones" of the "new song" of the Apocalypse. One wonders whether
the remaining tones of the scales have meaningful correlates
hidden by gematria.
The student of psychology will be struck by the many archetypal
symbols of Jungian psychology that are found throughout the
Apocalypse. Examples of these symbols and some of their
psychological interpretations are listed below:
Rock (Stone)--the life force, completion, invariance, the
Eternal, God.
Precious gems--the union of opposites, the fusion of matter and
spirit, the ordering principle.
The Philosopher's Stone, the Pearl of Great Price (the White
Stone)--God in matter, the Eternal.
The helpful animal (good beast)--the instinctual basis for the
Self.
Quadrangular mandala--conscious realization of inner wholeness.
Circular mandala--the inner wholeness itself.
Temple--logic, reason.
Miraculous child--the Redeemer.
Priestess (Bride)--the anima, the female element in the male
psyche.
Harlot--the negative anima.
Gate--hope.
Shepherd's hook--authority.
Horse--uncontrollable instictive drive erupting from the
unconscious.
Sea--the unconscious.
Cloak, robe--outer mask or persona.
City--completion of the Self.
Bird--transcendence, intuition.
The perennial appeal of the Apocalypse can, no
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doubt, be ascribed to the use of such archetypal symbols. One
might wonder whether the archetypes of the collective unconscious
may not, in turn, have been forrmulated to some extent by the
Apocalypse itself. The investigation of these and related
questions is beyond the scope of this book.
The work of presenting a detailed and thoroughly satisfactory
explanation of the Apocalypse has only begun. The achievements
contained herein are feeble compared to that which remains to be
done. We must remember that the source of this revelation is
Jesus Christ Himself, and the subtleties and levels of meaning
that are contained in the book permit man to have but a hint of
the power and sovreignty of God's Manifestation. Without the
corporal assistance of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the work will be slow and
prone to error.
It is for that reason that the writer has chosen to include in
the same volume the unmodified King James Version (KJV) of
Revelations for direct comparison with the interpretation. Since
it is an interpretation, it is not a substitute, and it would be
sacrilege to present the interpretation without giving the reader
the opportunity to challenge and to disagree. In this way the
writer hopes to avoid the accusation that he has, himself, become
guilty of the very thing the Apocalypse condemns, that is, of
ccorrupting the Word of God. (See Chapter 22, verses 18, 19.)
The use of the King James Version as the baseline was based upon
the following considerations: It is by far the most familiar
version in the English speaking world and at the same time is
considered to be one of the most accurate translations. However,
the Revised Standard Version (RSV) was used to resolve
obscurities in the text of the King James Version. The careful
reader will find it instructive to compare several translations
of the Sacred Texts. Sometimes differences will arise from
nuances of the individual translators; at other times from
variations in the original sources.
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THE NOTES
After thousands of years of neglect and purposeful suppression,
we can only discern a small portion of the elaborate
letter-number symbolism that pervaded the ancient mystical texts.
Letter-number symbolism lends itself to endless speculation, and
it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to deduce all of the
correctly intended meanings that may lie hidden in a number or a
phrase. The writer has avoided the temptation to introduce
improbable speculations, no matter how attractive, unless these
speculations open up possibilities for research by future
scholars. It is in this spirit that many of the conjectures in
the Notes have been proffered, and it is hoped that their
improbabale nature will not prejudice the reader against the more
certain inferences in the main text.
Notes to Part One
1. See References 1, 2, 64.
2. The allegorical method was used by the Greek philosophers,
especially the stoics, to reconcile the ancient pagan religious
beliefs with enlightened philosophy. The method was also used by
Jewish, Gnostic and Christian writers and was very popular during
the first century. See Ref. 3, p. 91. Also see, e.g., I
Corinthians 2:13-14, 4:20, 10:1-4, 14:15-20; Galatians 4:21-26;
Mark 4:10-12, 34; II Corinthians 4:18; Matthew 13:10-23, 36-43,
15:8-20, 16:11-12, 17:11-13, 22:29-32, 26:26-28.
Jewish mystics used four methods of interpreting Scripture:
literally (_Peshat_), allusively (_Remez_), allegorically
(_Derush_), and mystically (_Sod_). See Reference 4, pp. 49-50.
3. See _The Hidden Words_, p. iv.
4. The importance of the Twin symbol in the history of
civilization is explained by Otto Rank in Reference 7.
5. Solar worship originating in Syria had become almost a state
religion under the Roman Caesars. The cult was characterized by
a hierarchy of the sun, moon, and stars in descending order if
eminence. See Reference 3, p. 255.
6. Gematria, once widely used, was one of several kinds of
letter-mysticism practiced by ancient mystical writers. Two
others less
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frequently used were notarikon and temurah. In notarikon, new
words were made up of the first and last letters of other words.
In temurah, a new wordd was created by transposing the letters of
the original word. See Reference 4, p. 49.
7. Cabalistic contraction is still practiced by serious cabalists
and by modern numerologists in "fourtune telling." In the view
of ancient mysticism, the letter-numbers 1 to 9 were considered
as archetypes of abstract principles. Their higher decadal
successors, e.g. ;:10:100 or 2:20:200, etc., represented those
archetypes raised to higher spheres of emanation, roughly
equivalent to the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees
of comparison in the English language.
The number symbolism described herein was largely Hellenistic. A
mystical Jewish interpretation can be found in Reference 8.
Cabalistic contraction can be a useful tool in simple arithmetic
problems. Consider a problem in addition:
Numbers Archetypal values
213 6
427 4
+619 +7
------ ----
Sum 1,259 17=8
A quick check will show that the archetypal value of 1,259 is
also 8, since 1+2+5+9 = 17, and 1+7 = 8. Analogous procedures
can be used to verify the results of problems in subtraction,
multiplication, and division. This procedure is sometimes called
"casting out of nines" because the same answer will be obtained
if the nines are excluded from the calculation.
8. Entertaining and provacative discussions of gematria can be
found in References 9 and 46. A scholarly treatment can be found
in Reference 4 that also contains a good bibliography. See also
Reference 47, 48, 49, 50.
9. The ancients believed that the numbers had formative powers.
See Reference 4, p. 47. Pythagoras is reputed to have declared
"Number rules the universe." Plato said, "God ever geometrizes."
The modern mathematician Jacoi expressed his own belief with "God
ever arithmetizes." See Reference 10, pp. xix, xxi.
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10. See References 6, 44, 61.
11. The concepts elucidated here are based principally upon
Plato's _Timaeus_ and upon those of Nichomachus of Gerasa (c. 100
AD) as reported by Martianus Capella (fl. 410-429 AD) in his book
_De Naptius_. The reader is also referred to References 11 and
12.
12. God as the Monad may be the subject of Genesis 28:18. The
pillars of cloud and fire representing the Lord in Exodus
13:21-22 may symbolize God as the Dyad.
13. Indeed, modern physicists have discovered that the principle
of duality is a fundamental property of matter, e.g.,
electron-positron, neutrino-antineutrino, etc.. Duality is also
inherent in biological heredity, i.e., dominant-recessive
characteristics. Yin historical activity appears to be related
to the left cerebral hemishphere while Yang is related to the
right. See Reference 13, p. 8ff.
Capra gives an intriguing treatment of yang-yin in the _Tao of
Physics_, Ref. 54. Arguelles in _The Transformative Vision_,
Ref. 13, appears to have adopted a special definition of yang-yin
in order to give Western culture an "evil" aspect.
14. Plato, _Timaeus_, Ref 29 Three-ism was intimately connected
with Greek and Roman theology. For examples, there was a triple
succession of supreme deities--Uranus, Chronos and Zeus; there
were three Hecatoncheries--Cottus, Gyges and Briareus; there were
three points on the divine Trident, the hound Cerberus had three
heads, etc..
15. The theory of the Sacred Triad was probably based upon
ancient numerological speculation. The Trinitarian doctrine,
appropriately modified, appears to have been introduced into
Christian theology by Tertullian of Carthage. (c. 155-222 AD; Ref
14, p. 78.) This same Tertullian, who later became a leader of
the heretical Montanist sect (c. 220 AD), possibly based his
ideas upon the theory of the Sacred Triad that was current in
Gnostic creeds. It was a practice of later Christian cabalists
and missionary writers to refer to the fundamentally different
"Trinity" of the Hebrew _Zohar_ (Father-Creator, Upper-Lower
Mother, Creation) in support of their own doctrine. (Ref. 4, p.
118, n 28 and Ch. IX) The doctrine was hotly disputed by the
leaaders of the early Church and is still a matter of contention
among Christian theologians. An infamous episode in the history
of the Church was the Theodosian Code of 438 AD which inflicted
the death penalty on those who denied the
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Trinity. (Ref. 14, p. 103; Ref. 11, p. 37. Compare KJV and RSV
versions of I John 5:7,8. Also see Chapter 2, Note 16.)
The Hebrew mystical concept of God as "He Who was, Who is, Who
always will be" may rest upon concept of the Three as the first
"complete" number, having a beginning (1, was), a middle (2, is),
and an end (3, will be). The
phrase signifies the timelessness
of God <1:4#3>* *Numbers in angle brackets
<> refer to References in
16. The Tetraktys is an example of Appendix G.
another type of number-mysticism
that will be called the "triangular expansion" of a number. The
triangular value of a number is the sum of its components. Thus
the triangular value of 4 is [4? or] 1+2+3+4 or 10. In general,
the triangular value of a number N is given by (N+1)N/2.
The number 5, the literal value of the Bab, has a triangular
value of 15. The number 9, the value of Baha, has a triangular
value of 45.
Both 15 and 45 were sacred numbers to the ancients, 15 being the
literal value of "Eve" (Hçá) and 45 being the literal value of
"Adam" (Aëæ) in many oriental languages. (See Reference 15 and
Appendix D.) Five, the number of the Bab, is also the number of
Man, i.e., the four elements plus ether. See Ecclesiasticus
17:5. The geometric symbol for Five is a pentacle (5-pointed
star), a symbol sometimes used by the Bab in His Tablets.
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18. Reference 16. It is believed by many modern biologists that
the human body replaces its cells once every 7 years.
19. Reference 17. Essene writings were especially emphatic of
the 7, e.g., the 7 angels of Mother Earth, the 7 angels of the
Heavenly Father, etc..
20. The spelling of Baha (Glory) in Arabic and the abjad
equivalent is as follows:
Beh 2
ha' 5
alif 1
hamza* 1 *The hamza is a glottal
--- stop.
Total 9
The spelling of Baha'u'llah (Glory of God) is as follows:
Beh 2
ha' 5
alif 1
hamzaÅ 1 ÅThe hamza is a glottal
alif 1 stop.
lam 30
lam 30 In phonetic usage, the
ha 5 second alif disappears and
---- the spelling becomes
75 Bha'llh as in Chapter 1
below.
Mystical references to "Baha'" can be found in Jewish, Hindu,
Buddhist, and Muslim writings. E.g., see References 15 and 18;
Isaiah 60:1-2, Hebrews 2:14.
21. Among the ancients 9 was also the number of finality,
judgement, and the fulfillment of prophecy. (Reference 9, p. 34)
22. The question arises as to whether or not the decad is simply
an arbitrary radix (base for counting) of the numbering system.
An argument that it may have fundamental significance to all life
as we know it is that the DNA molecule, the primary code-carrying
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unit of the genetic heritage, requires 10 nucleotide groups
(building blocks to form one complete turn of its double helix.
See Reference 19.
23. Twelve was also the number of Olympian deities, the Titans,
etc.. Belief in astrology was typical during the early Christian
centuries. Among the Greek philosophers the order of the cosmos
was reflected in the world of man, and the concept of stellar
influences on historical events was conssidered awesome and
inspirational. Among the Gnostics, on the other hand, such
influences were antipathetic to man's quest for freedom. The
Gnostics claimed to offer salvation from the 7 (order of the
planets) and the 12 (cycle of epochs or "generations"). See
Reference 3, pp. 66, 254ff. That the Christians also claimed to
free man from cosmic imprisonment is evidenced by Colossians 2:8
(RSV) and Galations 4:3ff. The Son of God is sent to free man
from the "elements" (physical order) and bondage to the "lat,"
the religious result of mechanistic cosmic influences. See
Reference 20, p. 190 and commentary on "sin," Rev. 1:6.
24 See Ref. 53, Appendix I. It is remarkable that many modern
cosmologists again hold the view that the universe is round,
except that it is now considered to be a hypershpere with four
dimensions. The ancient cosmologists know that the earth is
spherical, and at least one, Eratosthenes, had made some
reasonably accurate estimates of its circumference (Ref. 6).
Plato in his _Timaeus_ ascribed a cubical shape to the "element
earth." The medieval notion that the earth is flat and
rectangular can be traced to early Church Fathers such as Saint
Lactantius. The sixth century monk Cosmas in his _Topographia
Christiana_ likened the earth to the Hebrew Tabernacle of the
Wilderness (Exodus 26, 27) except on a greatly enlarged scale.
The earth corresponded to the floor of the Tabernacle, the sky to
its walls and ceiling. Belief in a spherical earth was not
reestablished among the western intelligensia until about 1000
AD, largely through the progressive leadership of Sylvester II,
the "magician Pope."
25. Thw swastika was once used as a symbol by the early Christian
Church. It should not be confused with the Nazi emblem that had
a counterclockwise orientation, symbolic of the intent of the
Nazi leadership to draw upon "negative occult powers" in
opposition to Christian or "positive occult powers." In early
Christian art, round
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halos were usually reserved for the dead while square halos were
given to the living (Figure 29B, Reference 14).
26. Besides the Great Pyramid, number and geometric symbolism
appears to have been incorporated in the dimensions of temples
and other sacred structures in ancient times. For discussion of
the quadratus circuli, see References 1, 2, and 9. Regarding
ancient temples and the Great Pyraamid, see References 6, 9, 46,
65, 66, and 67.