Apocalypse Unsealed: chapter 1
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 41--
PART TWO
THE REVELATION OF SAINT JOHN
THE DIVINE
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 43--
Chapter One
THE GREATEST NAME
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave
unto him, to shew unto his servants things which
must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified
it by his angel unto his servant John:
2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the
testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he
saw.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the
words of this prophecy, and keep those things which
are written therein: for the time is at hand.
God gave this Revelation to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is giving
the Revelation to His servant John through an angel. The
Revelation is of things that must shortly come to pass. John is
recording the Revelation, the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of
the things John saw.
The angel is a celestial messenger, a purified soul_/1 who is
sent from heaven. Shortly come to pass means that the events
will soon commence. The duration of time may seem long to man
but is short to God.
The person is blessed who reads the words with spiritual eyes and
ears and remembers the words and lives according to their true
meaning.
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace be unto you and peace, from him which is, and
which was, and which is to come, and from the seven
Spirits which are before his throne;
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 44--
John is to give the Revelation to the seven Divinely revealed
Churches, that is, the Seven Faiths of the region known as Asia
in the first century. These churches are those of the Prophetic
Cycle begun by the Prophet Adam that will have living followers
at the time of the Advent of Baha'u'llah. 'Abdu'l-Baha explains
that the church or temple is a collective center, a symbol of
thee real Divine Temple, the Manifestation of God._/2
The Seven Sprits before the throne will be met aagain in Chapter
4. They represent the Most Great
Name--Husayn-'Ali, Baha'u'llah.
<1:4 #1, 2>* Both of these Names *Numbers in angle brackets
have seven letters in Arabic and <> refer to References in
Persian.Å Baha'u'llah was the Appendix G.
title conferred upon Husayn-'Ali
by the Bab. The name Baha'u'llah ÅSee Figure 6.
translates into English as "The
Glory of God." The name Husayn-'Ali means literally "The Good,
the Exalted."
The expression "Him which is, which was, and which is to come"
derives from ancient Hebrew mysticism. It is a name for the Lord
God <1:4 #3>. The expression may also refer to God as His
recurring Manifestations.
In _The Book of Certitude_ Baha'u'llah explains that God educates
mankind in phases. Each phase is approximately a thousand years
long and is ushered in by a Revelator Who holds undisputed sway
during the Age or Era._/3
Before 1844 AD there were seven revealed monotheistic Faiths in
the region known as Asia in the
first century.Å They were: ÅSee Part One, _The Time
and Space of the
Apocalypse_.
FAITH REVELATOR
Sabean Unknown
Jewish Moses
Hindu Krishna Lord Krishna is
considered the Eighth
Avatar of Vishnu by the
Hindus and was the last
Manifestation to appear in
India prior to Lord
Buddha.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 45--
Zoroastrian Zoroaster (Zarathustra)
Buddhist Gautama Buddha
Christian Jesus Christ
Muslim Muhammad
If one includes the Babi and Baha'i Faiths revealed after 1844 AD
the list has nine members. Revelation is addressed to the Seven
Churches and reveals the Advents of the Bab and Baha'u'llah.
Since the Apocalypse is addressed to the Seven Churches of the
region of Asia, the list leaves out the religions, that may or
may not have been Divinely
revealed, of the Far East, Europe,
Africa, and the Americas.* The *We note the possibility
list also excludes Sikhism and of a Manifestation in the
Jainism, which are off-shoots of Far East, e.g., Lao Tzu
the Hindu Faith. One can also (Taoism) and Confucius in
leave out several monotheistic China. In the Americas we
Faiths that may have been Divinely note Topiltzin-Quetzacoatl
revealed but which are now extinct. in Mexico, and Vircocha in
Peru. The Succession of
The Seven Churches may possibly be Manifestations is without
represented by the seven end. See _Some Answered
candlesticks of the ancient Jewish Questions_, Chapter XLI,
Menorah: Peace, Benevolence, etc..
Justice, Light, Truth, Brotherly
Love, and Harmony.
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful
witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the
prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and
his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever
and ever. Amen.
Jesus Christ is a faithful witness that these things will come to
pass. Jesus was the first to be raised from spiritual death
during His Ministry. He is the spiritual Prince of the kings and
rulers of the earth. By sacrificing His blood (His spiritual
life-force) Jesus raised the early Christians from spiritual
death.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 46--
In the symbolism of the Bible, death means to be devoid of
spiritual awareness and to be without belief in God; sleep means
the slumber of heedlessness, to be temporarily devoid of
spiritual awareness; life means to have entered the paradise of
the love of God._/4
In one sense, sin is disobeying of God's Laws as revealed by His
Manifestation. In another sense, sin is enslavement to animal
passions and motivations. In yet another sense, sin is
attachment to the contingent world of attributes and duality._/5
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall
see him, and they also which pierced him: and all
kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.
Even so, Amen.
With the spirit of Christ is remanifested He will come with
troubles and as One hidden by a veil. Eventually, all those with
spiritual eyes from every nation and religion shall know that the
Christ has been remanifested, even the Jews who pierce Jesus.
There will be a world-wide sorrow because He was not recognized
at first.
Clouds means troubles or a veil between man and heaven._/6
Because the Prophet comes in a human body with human limitations,
such things cast doubts in men's minds and act as veils._/7
Clouds can also symbolize Divine Mercy,_/8 annulment of laws,
abrogation of former Dispensations and the repeals of rituals and
customs. "I have come in the shadows of the clouds of glory, and
am invested by God with invincible sovereignty."--Baha'u'llah._/9
Jesus sometimes referred to those who have eyes and yet do not
see._/10 Baha'u'llah explains that the sincere seeker will be
rewarded with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new
mind._/11
The fact that there will be a delay between His appearance on
earth and His eventual acceptance by the peoples of the existing
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 47--
(spiritual) generation_/12 is made clear in Luke 17:22-25 and
Isaiah 60:1-3.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and
which is to come, the Almighty.
The expression Alpha and Omega has several meanings. <1:8 #1, 2,
3, 4> Alpha and Omega is the Eternal, the lord God; it is the
Word of God, the Perfect Man, His Manifestation. Jesus Christ
bears the title as does Baha'u'llah. Alpha and Omega are the
first and last letters of the Greek alphabet,_/13 and the
expression has as one of its meanings the "First and the Last."
Isaiah 44:6 explains that both God and His Redeemer, the Lord of
Hosts, are the First and the Last. Other Old Testament passages
_/14 identify the Latter Day Redeemer or Ransomer as the Lord of
Hosts, the Holy One of Israel, and the King of Glory (Baha).
Baha'u'llah explains that He is both the Beginning and the End,
and both Stillness and Motion: "Behold how, in this Day, the
Beginning is reflected in the End, how out of Stillness Motion
hath been engendered."_/15 As the Beginning and the End, the
Manifestation is the Beginning of a new Age and the End of a
former Age. Elsewhere, Baha'u'llah explains that every Divine
Revelator manifests the Beginning and the End, the First and the
Last, the Seen and the Hidden._/16 Although the name of the
Revelator changes from Age to Age, the Holy Spirit manifested
through Him remains the same.
His Holiness Baha'u'llah bears many titles. Some of them have
been given Him by other Manifestations and prophets and are
ascribed to Baha'u'llah by those Baha'is who have entered by
another faith. Examples of these titles are:
Jewish--Lord of Hosts, King of Glory, the Holy One of
Israel
Kindu--Tenth Avatar, Immaculate Manifestation of Krishna,
Kalki, Vishnu Yasha
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 48--
Buddhist--Fifth Buddha, Buddha Maitreye
Christian--Spirit of Truth, Return of Christ
Zoroastrian--Shah Bahram
Muslim--The Great Announcement, Return of Christ, Return
of Imam Husayn
Babi--Essence of Being, Remnant of God, Omnipotent
Master, Crimson all-encompassing Light
In addition to these titles, there are many that Baha'u'llah
ascribed to Himself in order to explain His Mission to mankind.
Among these are: the Ancient of Days, Voice From the Burning
Bush, Well Spring of Revelation, Day Star of Divine Revelation,
Sun of Truth, Bird of the Throne, and many others that will be
presented when appropriate.
In the _Tablet of all Food_, Baha'u'llah reveals that the
spiritual worlds are of different degrees. In one of these
several worlds, the world of Jabarut (the All-Highest Dominion),
the dwellers therein, God's Chosen Ones, are closely identified
with God, manifesting His attributes, speaking His voice, and are
identified with Him. "The essence of belief in Divine unity
consisteth in regarding Him Who is the Manifestation of God and
Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the unknowable
Essence as one and the same."_/17 In another spiritual work,
Lahut (the plane of Divinity, the Heavenly Court), the
Manifestations are as utter nothingness compared to God._/18
The letters Alpha (A) and Omega (ê) have the literal value of 801
by gematria. The archetypal value is 9, the Perfected Triad._/19
The number 9 is the value of Baha by the Arabic gematria (abjad)
and was used as a seal by Baha'u'llah.
Verse 8 identifies the Alpha and
Omega, Baha, as the Almighty; that
is, The Pantocrator.* *The Pantocrator, 'O
ãANTOKPATêP, one of the
appellations of God, means
literally The Almighty.
The appellation is highly
favored by the Greek
Orthodox Church.
9 I John who also am your brother, and companion in
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 49--
tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of
Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,
for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard
behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the
last: and, What thou seest write in a book, and
send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia;
unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos,
and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto
Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
The names of the Seven Churches of Asia represent seven Divinely
revealed Faiths. While the prejudiced reader of first century
Rome might be tempted to restrict the term "Asia" to include only
the Roman Province of Asia (Asia Minor), in the unprejudiced
view, the entire region of Asia extending through Palestinee,
Arabia, Persia, and India must be
included.*_/20 *See Part One, _The Time
and Space of the
Apocalypse_.
The root meanings of the names of the Seven Churches are
indicative of their characteristics. While it is true that all
the Faiths, when sincerely practiced, partake of all the implied
characteristics to some extent, one can make a reasonable
correlation between their present-day names and their names in
the Apocalypse:
Revelation Root Meaning Symbolism Faith
Ephesus Family Hearth Peace Sabean
Smyrna Murrh_/21 Benevolence Jewish
Pergamos Parchment Law, Justice Hindu
Thyatira Cypress TreeÅ_/22 Light Zoroastrian
Sardis Stone_/23 Truth Buddhist
Philadelphia Brotherly Love Brotherly love Christian
Laodicea Just People Harmony Muslim
ÅProbable.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 50--
The Sabeans are mentioned three times in the Qur'an (2:62, 5:69,
22:17) together with Jews, Christians and Muslims as "People of
the Book." Considerable confusion and controversy have
surrounded the ancient Sabaean religion. Baha'u'llah spoke of
two types of Sabaeans (Sabi'in). The first includes those people
who were followers of John the Baptist but who refused to accept
the Prophethood of Jesus Christ. Today this group, called
Mandaeans,_/24 is centered in southern 'Iraq. The second type of
Sabaeans is the remnants of an ancient, independant, Divinely
revealed Faith. It is the Divinely revealed Sabaean Faith that
was prevalent in Ur of Chaldea during the time of Abraham, and it
is probable that Abraham was originally a follower of the true
Sabaean Faith. The name of the Revelator of the ancient Sabaean
Faith is unknown to us, but the remnants of the Faith are the
idolators of Africa._/25
The Jewish Faith was probably the first in history to emphasize
the benevolence of God. In contrast with the gods of their
neighbors, Yahweh was the God of righteousness and loving
kindness. God lifted the Jews from slavery through the Prophet
Moses. In Ezekiels's vision, God assists the Jewish exiles in
Babylon.
The Hindu Faith places emphasis upon the lawful processes
prevailing in the world through the law of karma, roughly
equivalent to a moral law of cause and effect. By this law,
justice is held to be certain and automatic. But this noble
tenet has been misused to achieve a negative result. The
brahmans of ancient India compiled an elaborate set of manuals of
ceremonial and everyday behavior. Among them were the "laws of
Manu," composed near the beginning of the Christian Era.
Although intended to set standards of justice and duty, these
rules of conduct eventually degenerated, with the consolation of
karma, into the modern caste system in which justice has been
sublimated into a static and largely unjust social structure.
Although monotheistic in theory, it may be said that the modern
Hindu Faith as practiced has many of the attributes of idolatry
and polytheism.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 51--
A distinguishing feature of the Zoroastrian Faith is its concept
of the struggle between the forces of Light (enlightenment, good)
and Darkness (ignorance, evil). Their Deity of goodness is
Ormazd (Ahura Mazda), Who is light and fragrant, dwells in light,
and is the Creator of light. The monotheistic Zoroastrian Faith
degenerated into a form of polytheism shortly after the Prophet's
death. Another contamination was the introduction of worship of
the Eternal Flame, a fire kept burning in Zoroastrian places of
worship.
Lord Buddha was the Revealer of the Four Noble Truths. These are
roughly:_/26
One--The world is in a state of dislocation or
disharmony.
Two--Selfish craving is the cause of the world's
dislocation.
Three--The remedy of the world's dislocation is the
overcoming of selfish craving.
Four--The method of overcoming selfish craving is through
the Eightfold Path: right knowledge, right aspiration, right
speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right absorption.
While many scholars claim that Buddhism is a Faith that has no
God, or more correctly, that Buddhism needs no God, other modern
scholars maintain that, in fact, Lord Buddha taught the existence
of God._/27
The Christian Faith is unquestionably the Faith of Brotherly
Love. The bulk of the teachings of Jesus, His parables and
beatitudes, emphasized two important facts: God loves mankind,
and man must reflect God's love toward his fellow man.
Islam, the Faith of Muhammad, is the Faith of Harmony. the very
word "Islam" means peaceful surrender to the Will of God. But
beyond the internal harmony of the spirit, Islam brought social
harmony to the sincere practitioners among the warlike tribes of
the Arabian peninsula and a vast array of peoples spread from
Spain to India.
According to tradition, John wrote the Apocalypse while in exile
on the island of Patmos during an early persecution of the
Christians. His reference to the Lord's day (uncapitalized)
refers
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 52--
to the sacred week day of the early Christians, the first day of
the week on which Jesus was reputed to have arisen from the
dead._/28
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me.
And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one
like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment
down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a
golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as
white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of
filre;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they
burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of
many waters.
Candlestick symbolizes a Faith._/29 Garment to the foot
symbolizes heavenly attributes. The One like unto the Son of
Man_/30 is Baha'u'llah. "The voice of the Son of Man is calling
aloud from the sacred vale: 'Here am I, here am I, O God my
God!--Baha'u'llah_/31
Golden girdle symbolizes a new Faith_/32 and spiritual power.
His hair like wool indentifies the Manifestation as the Head of
Days, that is, the Ancient of Days. White also symbolizes
purity. Because of His great tribulations, the hair of
Baha'u'llah had literally become
snow white.* "The Pen of Holiness *As was the custom in that
... hath writ upon my snow-white region, Baha'u'llah dyed
brow..."--Baha'u'llah_/33 His eyes His hair and beard a
have been described as flames of jet-black.
fire. In the Apocalypse, flaming
eyes symbolizes vengeance.
Brass or bronce, because it is a strong blended metal, symbolizes
strength, understanding, and guidance for the blending and
unification of mankind. "As if they burned in a furnace"
suggests His title, the Voice From the Burning Bush. Water means
spiritual grace, knowledge, and understanding. The sound of many
waters means great spiritual knowledge and describes Baha'u'llah
as the Well Spring of Revelation.
Baha'u'llah, the Glory of God, the Ancient of Days, the First
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 53--
and the Last, and the Day Star of Divine Revelation, is seen
standing with brass-like feet among the seven candlesticks, that
is, the seven Faiths.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and
out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and
his countenance was as the sun shineth in his
strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.
And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me,
Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I
am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of
hell and of death.
The seven stars are the seven Revelators of Sprits of the Seven
Churches and also represent the Greatest Name, Baha'u'llah <1:4
#2>. Since the seven stars or Spirits spell a single Word, they
are actually the Manifestation of a single Spirit, the Spirit of
Baha.
The likening of the seven Spirits to seven stars is an allusion
to the seven planets, which, according to the theories of the
ancient astrologers, were the true governors of the world of man,
the executives of the Divine Will._/34
The right hand is the hand of might and power. As the Spirit of
Truth, Baha'u'llah speaks with the Sword of Truth. It is
two-edged because it separates the true from the false and the
good from the evil. "Aid ye your Lord with thw sword of wisdom
and utterance."--Baha'u'llah_/35
Sun symbolizes variously the Divinity, His Manifestations, or His
Faith. "From Him all the Suns (Manifestations) have been
generated, and unto Him they will all return."--Baha'u'llah_/36
His sun-like countenance describes Baha'u'llah as the Sun of
Truth. Many witnesses have testified that it was extremely
difficult to gaze upon the dazzling countenance of Baha'u'llah.
The Holy Spirit as evidenced through Jesus Christ and Muhammad
seemed to be dead before the Advents of the Bab
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 54--
and Baha'u'llah. But God lives forever and has the power to
resurrect man from the death of unbelief and to return man from
the hell of remoteness from Him. Baha'u'llah proclaims,
"Paradise is on your right hand, and hath been brought nigh unto
you, while Hell hath been made to blaze."_/37 "Followers of the
Gospel, behold the gates of heaven are flung open."_/38 "No man
can obtain everlasting life, unless he embraceth the truth of
this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation."_/39
In verses 17 and 18, God is speaking through His Manifestation,
Baha'u'llah.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the
things which are, and the things which shall be
hereafter;
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest
in my right hand, and the seven golden caldlesticks.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ GOD ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
B H A ' L L H
7 S P I R I T S
* * * * * * *
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ 7 STARS, ANGELS (REVELATORS) ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
H S Y N 'A L Y
. . . . . . .
º º º º º º º
º º º º º º º
V V V V V V V
º º º º º º º
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ 7 GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS, ³
³ CHURCHES, FAITHS ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
HIERARCHY OF REVELATIONS
Figure 6
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 55--
The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou
sawest are the seven churches.
These verses reveal that the seven stars of Governors of the
Seven Churches are the angels; that is, the Divine Revelators Who
manifest the Spirit of Baha.
The relationship between God, the Seven Spirits, the seven stars,
and the seven golden candlesticks is best shown by a diagram,
fighre 6. Since the seven Spirits actually manifest the single
spirit of Baha, they can, in one sense, be represented by a
single ray. The similarity of the Hierarchy of Revelations to
the Greatest Name Emblem of Baha'u'llah now becomes clear.
However, the seven stars are now replaced by only two,
representing the Bab and Baha'u'llah, Whose missions are to unify
the Seven Churches through the single Spirit of Baha. One
possible meaning of the Greatest Name Emblem is shown in figure
7. The numerous meanings in the Emblem have been the subject of
many studies._/40
Notes to Chapter One
1. See _The Book of Certitude_ [aka _The Kitab-i-Iqan_], pp.
79-80.
2. "... Therefore it is evident that the church is a collective
center for mankind. For this reason there have been churches and
temples in all the divine religions; but the real Collective
Centers are the Manifestations of God, of Whom the church or
temple is a symbol and expression. That is to say, the
Manifestation of God is the real divine temple and Collective
Center of which the outer church is but a symbol."--'Abdu'l-Baha,
_The Promulgation of Universal Peace_, p. 158.
3. The concept of progressive revelation was also known to the
ancient Hebrew mystics. (Ref 9, p. 62 and Ref. 4, p. 79ff, 108.)
In their phraseology, each phase was called a Day of Creation, a
Lord's Day, an Era, or a world. That the early Christians also
believed in progressive revelation is strongly indicated in the
Book of Hebrews, e.g., Hebrews 4:14, 6:20, 7:12, 9:15-28 (cf. I
Timothy 2:5; II Corinthians 3:7-11). Jesus refers to future Ages
in Matthew 12:32, 24:3, 28:20. (RSV) Also see I Corinthians
10:11; Psalm 72:5; Matthew 26:29. (All in RSV.)
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 56--
BHA
__
/
--|-- | --|-- THE
| | | | | | | WORLD
--|-- | --|-- OF GOD
\___________________|___________________/
. | .
. . | . .
..... ..... | ..... .....
. . | . . THE WORLD
. . . | | | . . . OF THE
. . . . \_____|_____/ . . . . MANIFESTATIONS
. . | . .
|
--|-- | --|-- THE
| | | | | | | WORLD
--|-- | --|-- OF MAN
\___________________|___________________/
|
|
\__
THE GREATEST NAME
Figure 7
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 57--
Jesus prophesies His own Successor (remanifestation) in numerous
passages in the New Testament, e.g., Matthew 16:27 (see Note 12
below), 19:28, 24:3, 30, 44; Mark 13:26; Luke 9:26 (see Note 12
below), 17:24, 26, 30, 18:8; John 14:16, 17, 26, 15:26, 16:7, 8,
13. It is clear from Matthew 17:10-13 and Revelations [2:17 and]
3:12 that the new Manifestation will have a new name.
Jesus relates His own Revelation to that of Moses in John 5:46
and to that of Abraham in John 8:58. Moses prophesies a
Successor in Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.
A very interesting prophecy of Moses in Deuteronomy 33:2 reads as
follows: "The Lord came from Siani, and rose up from Seir unto
them; he shined forth from Paran, and he came with ten thousands
of saints; and from his right hand went a fiery law unto them."
One interpretation of the prophecy is as follows: Moses and
Jesus came from Siani; Muhammad and the the Bab rose up from Seir
and shined forth from Paran; the Advent of the Bab was attended
by 10,000 martyrs to His Cause. (cf Jude 14) Baha'u'llah is He
from Whose right hand went forth a fiery law in the letters in
which He addressed the crowned heads of the earth. Also see
Galatians 4:24-25.
4. See _The Book of Certitude_, pp. 118-19. See also Matthew
8:21-22, 10:28; Ezekiel 18:21-23; I Timothy 5:6; John 11: 25,
17:3.
5. See _Some Answered Questions_, Ch. XXIX, XXX; Genesis 2:16-17.
6. E.g., Psalm 97:2; Zephaniah 1:14-15; Isaiah 44:22, 50:3;
Ezeklel 32:7-8, 30:1-3.
7. See _The Book of Certitude_, pp. 71-2.
8. Ibid., pp. 216-17.
9. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 101.
10. E.g., John 9:39; Matthew 13:14-19, 24:15; Acts 28:26-27;
Isaiah 6:9-10. We still use the verb "see" in our own day to
mean "understand." An unambiguous usage of "see" in this sense
of the word can be found in Romans 1:20. See also Revelations
2:7, 11, 17, etc., 3:18, 4:8 etc., 5:6. Compare Matthew
17:10-13; II Kings 2:11; Malachi 4:5.
11. _The Book of Certitude_, pp. 192-6.
12 The term "generation" âîNîá as used in Luke 17:22-25 and
elsewhere has as some of its meanings: a period of time, race,
family, offspring, historic age, class, kind, nation. It is
clear from the context that Jesus uses the word in its
allegorical sense to mean the spiritual Age initiated by His
Advent. The allegorical usage of the word was not confined to
Christendom. See, e.g., Reference 3, pp. 54, 54 and fn, 85 fn,
87, 90. In allegorical usage, a generation is
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 58--
similar to a Day of Creation of a Lord's Day as described in Note
3 above. The word may be modeled after the Hebrew word _olam_,
meaning an "infinity" or a "world." Also see áIêNOä, Chapter 2,
Note 17; Isaiah 41:4; Luke 21:7-33; Matthew 24:3-35; Mark
13:4-31.
Matthew 16:28 and Luke 9:27 imply that the remanifestation of the
Son of Man should have occurred within a few decades of the
Cricifixion. Obviously this did not happen. Furthermore these
verses seem to preclude the long span of history that must
precede the remanifestation as prescribed by Jesus in other
prophecies, notably Matthew 24:3-44; Mark 13:4-37; Luke 21:7-36.
There are at least two pssible explanations for this seeming
contradiction. One might assume that in these verses Jesus was
explaining that some of those present would be rewarded with
eternal life and, therefore, would "not taste of death" before
they saw the son of Man coming in His kingdom. Another
explanation is that the reporter quoted in Matthew 16:28 and Luke
9:27 may not have understood the allegorical meaning of the word
"generation" as used by Jesus. Early Christians derived solace
from the widely held millenniarist belief that the Christ would
soon return in the flesh to establish the Kingdom of God during
their own lifetimes. It would be understandably human that
anticipation would bias the believer towards a more optimistic
interpretation of the word "generation." (See Reference 51,
Chapter 1.)
It seems possible that several other seeming contradictions in
the New Testament might also be explained by the failure of
listeners to understnad the allegorical meanings of the words of
Jesus in spite of His many warnings such as in Matthew 13:10-17.
consider, for example, His claim that He would destroy the Temple
of God and rebuild it in three days (Matthew 26:61, 27:40; John
2;19). Literal interpretations of this statement are absurd,
since the physical temple was neither destroyed nor rebuilt in
three days.
Consider also the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 27:62 that He
would rise again after three days. Does this contradict His
reassurance to the criminal, His companion of the cross in Luke
23:43: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in
Paradise?" Also, if Jesus died on Friday (Mark 15:42) and was
bodily resurrected on the following Sunday morning (Matthew
28:1), does this span of time accomodate the three days of
Matthew 27:62?
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 59--
Literal interpretations of these and many other statements of
Jesus cannot fail to generate technical difficulties. However,
if we assume that by the word "day" Jesus meant a "Day of God,"
the difficulties disappear. The "three days" then correspond to
three Dispensations: that of Jesus Himself, of Muhamamd, and of
the Bab. The Resurrection prophesied by Jesus to occur "after
the third day" then becomes realized through the Advent of
Baha'u'llah.
It is interesting, but perhaps not significant, that if we take 1
AD, the traditional origin of the Christian calendar, and 622 AD,
the traditional date of the origin of the Muslim calendar, the
first "Day" had a duration of 621 years. "Three days" then
becomes 3 x 621 or 1863, the date of Baha'u'llah's Declaration in
the Garden of Ridvan.
In _Some Answered Questions_, Chapter XXIII, 'Abdu'l-Baha
explains that the Resurrection was viewed in the eyes of the
original disciples of Jesus to be the revival of the Reality of
Jesus--that is, His teachings, bounties, perfections and
spiritual power--after three days of apparent disappearance and
concealment.
The method by which the present twenty-seven books of the New
Testament were chosen as canonical is not fully understood. One
of the oldest collections of the New Testament is the Codex
Sinaiticus which was discovered on Mount Siani in 1844.
13. The peculiar use of "Alpha and Omega" in the Apocalypse is
highly suggestive that its gematrical value is intended to convey
an important meaning.
14. See Isaiah 41:4, 14, 44:6, 47:4, 48:12, 59:19-21; Psalm
24:7-10; Job 19:25; Jeremiah 23:5-8. See also _God Passes By_,
pp. 93-99.
15. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 168.
16. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 54.
17. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 167.
18. Ref. 21, p. 58.
19. In at least one early Greek version of the Apocalypse, "A" is
spelled out (á^áíá). The literal value of á^áíá is 1332. The
archetypal value remains 9. The number 1332 is twice 666.
20. There ahve been numerous atempts to explain why Jesus Christ
chose these particular Churches as the addresses for such a
weighty Book as the Apocalypse. Christian commentators have
suggested, for example: (1) that the 7 Churches were those
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 60--
founded by Paul, or (2) that these particular 7 Churches were
most important to the spread of early Christianity, or (3) that
the 7 Churches correspond to successive evolutionary phases of
the Christian Church. However, other Christian commentators
contend that none of these explanations have adequate evidential
support. But one explanation may deserve serious
consideration--that the geographical arrangement of the 7
Churches may have symbolic significance. If we connect the
Churches by straight lines as in figure 8, we discover a figure,
not only resembling an Arabic numeral 7, but also resembling a
sickle. The sickle may also symbolize Baha'u'llah as the Divine
Reaper of Chapter 14, verse 14. Incidentally, the successive
exiles of Baha'u'llah form a sickle-shaped pattern enclosing the
sickle of figure 8 with the two blades touching at Smyrna.
The sickle has been a sign of the harvest and reaping since
ancient times. Chronos, the Greek god of time and the harvest,
is usually portrayed carrying a sickle. Chronos has had a
remarkable longevity, reappearing every New Year's Eve as Old
Father Time, the Grim Reaper.
21. Smyrna < äævPNá < ævp (myrrh). The ordering of the Churches
in verse 11 corresponds to one possible chronological order of
their Advents and to the stages of the progressive spiritual
education of man from family unity to national unity.
22. The word "thyine" is used in the original Greek version of
Revelations 18:12 as an epithet for a tree and its wood. The
etymology of the word is as follows:
"Thyine < thia, thya (Sandarac tree) < thyon (a tree burned for
perfume). The Sandarac is a relative of the cypress tree. Among
the ancient Zoroastrians, the candle flame shaped cypress was the
emblem of Ormazd and Zoroaster.
In antiquity the tree was used variously as a symbol of life,
death, immortality, god, knowledge of good and evil, etc.
(Reference 12, p. 37ff). Its symbolism probably derived from its
great age, awesome span, beauty, majestic height, and its
life-giving fruits. As a bearer of olives, it was also a source
of olive oil used in lamps, and hence was a source of light.
Baha'u'llah uses the tree as a symbol of the Manifestation. The
Manifestation has an analogy in the Sadratu'l-Muntaha [Divine
Lote Tree], the name of a tree planted at the end of a road to
serve as a guide. See also Genesis 2:9, 21;33.
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 61--
x Constantinople
[The surrounding map
of western Turkey and
Pergamos ø the eastern Mediterranean
ø Thystira Sea has been omitted.
Patmos is an island off
Smyrna ø ø Sardis the coast of Turkey.]
ø Philadelphia
Ephesus ø
ø Laodicea
x Patmos
THE SICKLE FORMED BY THE SEVEN CHURCHES
Figure 8
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 62--
23. Compare Psalm 118:22; Genesis 28:10-22, 35:13-14; Isaiah
28:16; Daniel 2:29-45; Job 38:4-7; Matthew 16:18. ("Peter" means
rock or stone.)
24. The word "Mandaean" means "Gnostic." See Reference 3, pp.
39, 48ff.
25. See Genesis 10:7, 25:3; Ref. 12, p.l 190ff.
26. Reference 23, p. 109ff.
27. See, e.g., References 24 and 25.
28. The name "Sunday" for the first day of the week was
introduced by Constantine. The survival of this name among the
Nordic peoples is a curious remnant of the ancient solar cult.
See Reference 14, pp. 46, 94, 199.
29. The symbol of the lampstand is also used in Zechariah 4:2.
30 The enigmatic title Son of Man was based upon the concept of a
divine prototype or primordial Man. According to this belief the
true home of man is in heaven. At each Advent, God sends a
Messenger, a Son of Man, to redeem mortal man from his prison of
worldliness and to renew humanity. The Son of Man also calls
Himself the Shepherd, the Truth, the Light, and so forth. The
concept of Man was important in Hebrew and Gnostic theology and
was even incorporated in the _Fourth Eclogue_ of Virgil. The
figures of the Messiah and Man were coalesced in the Synoptic
Gospels. See References 4, p. 100; 20, pp. 86, 163, 164; 52,
Part Two, Chapter 3; and 14, pp. 25, 42. The modifying phrase
"one like unto" in verse 13 suggests that John realized that the
concept of the Son of Man would be largely unintelligible in the
Age of the Manifestation of the Latter Day Redeemer, Baha'u'llah.
31. _The World Order of Baha'u'llah_, p. 104.
32. This symbol is probably borrowed from the Zoroastrian Faith.
See Reference 26, p. 21.
33. _The World Order of Baha'u'llah_, p. 194; _God Passes By_, p.
169. See also Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, Ref. 52, Part Two, Ch. 3.
34. In the ancient star cult, stars were considered to be living
creatures, world rulers, the lords of time. See References 4, p.
18; 20, p. 146ff, 153. also see Job 38:7; Isaiah 14:12; Jude
1:12-13; Daniel 12:194; Numbers 14:17; Hebrews 4:14. According
to the _Zohar_, during the "last struggles" preceding the
ultimate Kingdom of Peace, one star will swallow seven others.
See Reference 4, p. 116. In referring to the time of the
redemption of the Jews, Isaiah 30:26 says, "Moreover the light of
the moon shall be as the light of the sun,
-----------------------------------------------Start of page 63--
and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of
seven days..." In this prophecy, the light of the Bab (the Moon)
will shine as brightly as that of Baha'u'llah (the Sun). The
light of the Sun of Baha'u'llah will be as bright as the seven
Suns (Manifestations) of the seven previous Dispensations (Days).
35. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 296.
36. Ibid, p. 104. See also Malachi 4:2.
37. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 45.
38. _The World Order of Baha'u'llah_, p. 104.
39. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 183.
40. See Reference 15.