Apocalypse Unsealed: chapter 7
----------------------------------------------Start of page 115--
Chapter Seven
[Footnotes are numbered as in the original book.]
GOD'S SERVANTS ARE SEALED
1 And after these things I saw four angels standing
on the four corners of the earth, holding the four
winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on
the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east,
having the seal of the living God: and he cried
with a loud voice to the four angels, to whim it was
given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, not
the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our
God in their foreheads.
These verses portend the holding back for a period of time the
Breath of God from the world of man. Wind symbolizes the holy
Breath of God that is wafted over
the worlds of matter and spirit._/1
"Out of thee* hath gone the Breath *Baghdad House, the scene
of the All-Glorious, a breath that of many of Baha'u'llah's
hath breathed over all created Revelations.
things, and filled with joy the
breasts of the devout that dwell in the mansions of
Paradise."--Baha'u'llah_/2
Earth or soil is the world of man. ... the clouds of truth will
continue to the end that hath no end to rain on the soil of human
capacity, reality and personality their favors and bounties..."
--Baha'u'llah_/3
The Tetrad of four angels are those who will control the corners
of the square earth during the Dispensation of Jesus Christ._/4
They correspond to the four trumpets in Chapter 8.
----------------------------------------------Start of page 116--
The angel of the East is Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, not
yet manifested in the first century, Who, as we shall see in
Chapter 9, will command His followers not to hurt the righteous.
Here the sea symbolizes the spiritual existence of man and the
sources of inspiration._/5 "The seas of Divine wisdom and divine
utterance have risen under the breath of the breeze of the
All-Merciful."--Baha'u'llah_/6
A tree represents a source of spiritual guidance. A tree can
also represent a nation._/7 "Advance, O people, with snow-white
faces and radiant hearts, unto the blest and crimson Spot,
wherein the Sadratu'l-Muntaha (Tree of Guidance [Divine
Lote-Tree]) is calling: "Verily there is none other God beside
Me, the Omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting." ... "Ye are
the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch."
--Baha'u'llah_/8
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed:
and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four
thousand of all the tribes of the children of
Israel.
"Israel" means literally "he that strives with God." In the
context of this and the next four verses, Israel is a symbol, a
microcosm of humanity._/9 Israel's history of spiritual struggle
is representative of all mankind. In astrological works, the 12
parts of the human organism were correlated with the 12 signs of
the zodiac. In a similar way, the 12 tribes of Israel were
considered to be mystically correlated with the zodiac and the
stellar influences over the world of man. Thus the 12 loaves of
the shewbread and the 12 precious stones of the breastplate of
the High Priest were representative of both the 12 signs of the
zodiac and the 12 Tribes.
According to the Hebrew theory of the "Chosen People," the
redemption of humanity depended upon the attainment by Israel of
perfect obedience to the Will of God. The Theocracy of Israel,
once achieved, would set the example for a World
----------------------------------------------Start of page 117--
Theocracy, thereby leading to the Universal Brotherhood of Man
under the One True God, the Father of all men. Some advocates of
the theory were more realistic, believing that the same end would
be achieved if a "remnant of Israel" were to reach the required
state of righteousness._/9 The prophecy of verses 4-9 asserts
the ultimate redemption of a symbolic "remnant of Israel" and
hence the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The number of the sealed, "144 XI^Iáëîs," can be translated as
either 144 thousand or 144 groups of 1000. 144 is twice-72. In
past Dispensations, 72 represented the number of specially
endowed and confirmed souls who formed the "working arms," that
is, the primal points or "mustard seeds" that were cast over the
soil of mankind to generate the Heavenly Garden. for example,
Noah had 72 followers, there were 72 elders under Moses endowed
with prophetic ecstasy, some versions of Luke 10:1 give 72 as the
number of disciples of Jesus, and, by the Pledge of 'Aqabah, 72
heroes of Medina fought for Muhammad._/10
The mustard seed in the parable of Jesus _/11 is the primal point
of creation whose attributes as a seed are sacrificed to the
attributes of the tree. It is only through the sacrifice of the
self and submission to the Covenant that the Divine civilization
can be brought into existence. The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah
requires twice-72 of these primal mustard seeds, just as it
required twice-12 elders in the invisible zodiac. (Rev 4:4)
Each of these 144 sanctified souls is to be the "gate" through
which a "thousand," that is, a "large number,"_/21 of souls will
enter the Kingdom.
The number 144,000 had an archetypal value of 9, that is
1+4+4+0+0+0 = 9. Verse 4 also explains that those who have the
seal of Baha (9) on their foreheads will be blessed and saved.
"These are they who are blessed by the Concourse on high, who are
glorified by the denizens of the everlasting Cities, and beyond
them by those on whose foreheads Thy most exalted pen hath
written, 'These! The people of Baha.' Through
----------------------------------------------Start of page 118--
them* have been shed the spendors *The Baha'i Universal
of the light of guidance." "... House of Justice
Seek thou the shore of the Most
Great Ocean, and enter, then, the
Crimson Ark which God hath ordained
in the Quayyum-i-AsmaÅ for the Å[_The Book of Names_,
people of Baha..."--Baha'u'llah the] explanation of the
"Surih of Joseph," the
first work written by the
Bab.
The followers of
Baha'u'llah.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed
twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed
twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed
twelve thousand.
It will be revealed in verse 21:12 that the gates of the Holy
City, the new Jerusalem, are correlated with the Twelve Tribes of
Israel. These gates correspond to the 12 signs of the zodiac in
the manner defined in Genesis 49 [discussed on page 27]. But,
whereas in former Dispensations there were only 6 "thousand"
entering each gate, there will be twice-6 "thousand" entering
each gate of the new Jerusalem during the Day of God. Amongst
the ancient numerologists, 6 was the symbolic number of
mediation, beauty and harmony._/13
The ordering of the names of the Tribes is suggestive of the
unification of man during the Day of God. Judah and Reuben
correspond to the future age of Leo-Aquarius,_/14 Gad and Asher
----------------------------------------------Start of page 119--
to the past age of Aries-Libra. The remaining names circulate
through the ages, past, present, and future._/14 Thus the Tribes
of verses 5-8 are the spiritual generations of the age to come
(after Pisces-Virgo), the past age (before Pisces-Virgo), and all
ages, future, past, and present. All those who have been sealed
since the foundation of the world are written in the Lamb's book
of Life and will be permitted to enter the Holy city.
Verses 5-8 list "remnants" from all Twelve Tribes. Ten of these
Tribes, all except Judah and Benjamin, had been "lost" since they
had been carried away in captivity by Sargon II in 722 BC. The
fate of the Lost Tribes, numbering about 27 thousand persons, has
been one of the great questions of history.
12,000 has an archetypal value of 3. The number 3, the Sacred
Triad, stands for the Seal of God, regardless of the Name by
which He may be called. The number 3 has stood for holiness and
Divinity since very ancient times._/15
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude,
which no man could number, of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to
our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne,
and about the elders, and the four beasts, and fell
before the throne on their faces, and worshipped
Bod,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom,
and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might,
be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
These verses witness the multitudes of all nations and races who
will advance towards the Kingdom
following in the footsteps of the
firstfruits,* that is, the first *The firstfruits will be
144 "thousand." The introduced again in Rev
14:4.
----------------------------------------------Start of page 120--
fact there is a "great multitude which no man could number, of
all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues ... before the throne"
indicates that the numbers 144,000 and 12,000 are not to be taken
literally but have hidden meaings. Nor do the verses mean
that only the tribes of the children of Israel will be saved.
Palms symbolizes glad tidings and victory.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me,
What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and
whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he
said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and
serve him day and night in his temple: and he that
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes.
In this instance sun and heat symbolize the ubiquitous
tribulation experienced by the martyrs._/16 Here, water
symbolizes spiritual grace and knowledge._/17 "O My servants!
Whoso hath tasted of this Fountain hath attained unto everlasting
Life, and whoso hath refused to drink therefrom is even as the
dead." In another place Baha'u'llah_/18 proclaims, "Say, O ye who
are as dead! The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you the
Water of Life. Hasten and drink your fill. Whoso hath been
reborn in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall
never live."_/19
The symbolism of hunger is made clear in another passage from His
writings: "Glorified be He, Who is the Creator of all
----------------------------------------------Start of page 121--
names and attributes! Cast into the fire the tree that hath rot
and dried up, and abide under the shadow of the green and goodly
Tree, and partake of the fruit thereof."_/20
The great tribulation began with the persecution of the
Christians and ends with the persecution of the Baha'is. The
greater number of the martyrs have been followers of the Bab.
Notes to Chapter Seven
1. See Chapter 6, note 1; Ezekiel 47:9, Psalm 104:3-4.
2. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 113.
3. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 68. See
commentary, Revelations 6:12, "... the earth of human
understanding ..."
4. The four angels may also correspond to the four
elements--earth, air, fire (or sun), and water.
5. E.g., Luke 21:25.
6. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p. 331.
7. Genesis 2:17; Psalm 1:3; Proverbs 3:18; Daniel 4:10, 20-22;
Matthew 3:10, 7:19, 12:33.
8. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, pp. 198, 218.
9. Reference 4, pp. 14, 109f, 118 n13. The pervasive power of
astrologers in ancient times is attested by Isaiah 47:13-15.
Jesus correlates the 12 Apostles with the 12 Tribes in Matthew
19:28. At one time, Christian theologians attempted to replace
the pagan names of the 12 zodiacal signs and some of the older
constellations with the names of the Apostles and other New
Testament Figures. (Ref. 59, p. 277)
Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes were among those movements
dedicated to the objective of attaining perfect obedience to the
Will of God. (Ref. 52, Part One, Chapter 1)
Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, in _The Baha'i Proofs_, 3rd edition, 1929, p.
249, suggests that the "144,000 of all the tribes of Israel" may
have a literal meaning, numbering those Jews who will ultimately
accept Baha'u'llah. In this writer's [Riggs'] opinion, his view
is highly pessimistic and ignores the ancient number symbolism
that obviously permeates the Revelation. Another ancient
literary device is ignored by his theory--the macrocosm:
microcosm analogy.
----------------------------------------------Start of page 122--
10. _The Book of Certitude_, p. 8; Numbers 25:26; Ref. 37, pp.
44, 57, 66. Jewish legend says that 72 angels from heaven chopped
off the Serpent's hands and feet. (Ref. 12, p. 59) According to
the Hadith of Muhammad, there would be 72 sects of Islam. 72 is
the traditional number of Jewish scholars who translated the
Septuagint. The followers of Zoroaster were commanded to wear
girdles made of 72 threads. There are 72 stupas, each containing
a sculptured Buddha, atop the great temple of Siva at Borobudar,
Java. Confucius had 3000 disciples when he died, 72 of whom had
mastered the 6 arts. 72 Muslim companions fell with Imam Husayn
on the Plain of Karbila in 61 AH, and, in fulfillment of a
prophecy, 72 Babi companions fell with Mulla Husayn at Fort
Shaykh Tabarsi about 12 lunar centuries [later] (_The
Dawn-Breakers_, pp. 326, 382). 72 was the number of Baha'is
exiled to Akka. (_The Chosen Highway_, p. 63)
In ancient Hebrew mysticism, there were 72 hidden Names of Yahwah
(YHWH). These Names were derived from the Book of Exodus,
Chapter 14, verses 19, 20 and 21. Each of these verses in Hebrew
has 72 letters. Writing these three verses one above the other,
verse 19 right to left, verse 20 left to right, and verse 21
right to left, generates 72 three-letter Names of God. In
totality they are called the Schemhamphoras or Divided Name.
These 72 Names can be divided into 4 groups of 18 Names, each
under the aegis of one of the letters of the Tetragrammaton,
YHVH.
Another cabalistic derivation of 72 is by the method of "klima,"
an esoteric form of number expansion. (Ref 4, p. 60) Using the
Hebrew gematria (Appendix D), the value 72 is derived in the
following manner:
Y = 10
Y H = 15
Y H W = 21
Y H W H = 26
------------------------
Total = 72
72 appears to be related to the Great or Platonic year, since the
Platonic year consists of 72 "times" and there are 72 solar years
in a Platonic day.
----------------------------------------------Start of page 123--
The remarkable golden triangle, also called the sublime or
pentalpha triangle, has apex angles of 72 degrees, 72 degrees,
and 36 degrees.
[This diagram is an approximation.]
^
è .36ø. è
. .
.72ø 72ø.
---------------
[1]
The golden triangle
Figure 13
Using unity for the base side, the other sides become the Golden
Number è (1.6180...). The golden triangle is a most remarkable
"gnomon." A gnomon is a figure that exhibits repeatable patterns
by addition or subtraction of like figures, thus permitting an
open-ended "harmonic" growth pattern. Figure 14 shows examples
of harmonic figures generated through the repeated use of the
golden triangle. (Further examples can be found in References 44
and 61. See also Chapter 15, Note 9.) The golden triangle is
intimately related to biological growth. For example, each turn
of the DNA helix is composed of twice-5 golden triangles. (Part
One, Note 22)
11. The grain of mustard seed is mentioned in all three symoptic
Gospels, but the reference to the mustard seed in Mark 4:30-34 is
particularly interesting since it seems to imply an esoteric
significance to the term: "And he (Jesus) said, 'Whereunto shall
we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we
compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it
is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the
earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater
than all herbs, and
----------------------------------------------Start of page 124--
[Omitted: too many curves.]
HARMONIC PATTERNS USING
THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE
Figure 14
----------------------------------------------Start of page 125--
shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may
lodge under the shadow of it.' And with many such parables spake
he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without
a parable spake he not unto them; and when they were alone, he
expounded all things to his disciples."
"A grain of mustard seed" KOKKOä äIçáãîêä has a literal value of
1746. 1746 is the sum of the solar 666 (Yang) and the lunar 1080
(Yin), and was consdiered the "number of fusion." Creation was
supposed to issue from the fusion of these two forces.
Each of the numbers 666 and 1080 that comprise the number of
fusion also played major roles in ancient cosmogony. The solar
666 will be discussed in Chapter 13. Among the ancients, it
applied to material activity in analogy to the spiritual. The
number 1080 (3-times-360), on the other hand, symbolized
spiritual activity. There were many remarkable examples of the
use of 1080 in antiquity. For example, there are 108 beads in a
Buddhist rosary, while the Rigveda has 10,800 stanzas of 40
syllables. 108 appears in the dimensions of the temples at
Angkor, in Babylon, in the works of Heraclitus, and in the Norse
Valhalla. (Ref 58, p.l8)
108ø is what the Egyptians called the "Neter" (see Chapter 21,
Note 5), that is, the harmonizing Principle or Platonic Idea that
generates the regular 5-sided figure calle the pentagon.
[These diagrams are approximate.]
. . .
. . . .
. . . / \
.108ø . . .___/___\___.
. . . \ / \ /
. . / /^\ \
. . . / \
Pentagon Dodecahedron Pentagram
Figure 15
The pentagon was held in high esteem by the ancient
numerologists. 12 pentagons generate a regular 12-sided solid
called the
----------------------------------------------Start of page 126--
dodecahedron. Plato in the Timaeus, following Pythagoras (Ref
61, p. 114), chooses the dodecahedron as the sphere of the
Universe, the guiding scheme or Neter underlying the harmony of
the Cosmos. Astrologers considered the 12 pentagons of the
dodecahedron as corresponding to the 12 signs of the zodiac.
The pentagon encloses the 5-pointed star-pentagon or Pentagram,
also called the pentacle or pentalpha, conposed of 3 interwoven
golden triangles. The "holy and mysterious Pentagram" has been
called the "star of the Magians," the sign of the "Word made
flesh," the "blessed Lamb of Ormazd and of Saint John," etc.. It
was employed all over the East as a talisman to resist evil
spirits, and has been associated with various Middle Eastern and
European cults and religions. The Druids wore it on their
sandals as a symbol of the Deity, from whence the Germans called
it the _Drettenfuss_, Druid's Foot, and is still used to this day
among the common people of Germany to ward off witches and elves.
The early Christians considered the Pentagram as representing the
5 wounds of the Savior. The ancient Pythagoreans considered it
to be a talisman of health and a symbol of Man, the microcosm.
The number of Man being the 5 corresponded to its 5 points, etc.,
while the macrocosm or World had the number 10. The "flaming
star" of the Freemasons still retains the sacred attributes of
the Pentagram. "G," the Latin transcription of the Hebrew _Yod_
contained within the symbol, has the value of 10 by the Hebrew
gematria, signifying a unification between Man (5) and the World
(10), that is, the consummation of Man. The Pentagram has been
used as the outline of special Tablets by both the Bab and
Baha'u'llah, and appears twice in the Greatest Name Emblem,
figure 7, where it represents the double Manifestation.
Geometrically, the Pentagram contains the angles 36ø, 72ø, and
108ø, all of which were numbers held in high regard by the
ancient numerologists. Huntley, (Ref 44), has identified no less
than 20 manifestations of the Golden Number implicit within the
Pentagram.
both 666 and 1080 have archetypal values of 9. 1746, the number
of fusion, being the sum of the two, can be considered a symbol
of the Manifestation since He is the unique connection between
the material and spiritual realms. (See Revelations 10:2.)
Ezekiel refers to Baha'u'llah by the name "Glory of God" and
----------------------------------------------Start of page 127--
also by the phrase "The Glory of God of Israel" (Ezekiel 43:1-4).
The Glory of God of Israel 'H oðá çON éîON 'IäPáH^ has the
literal value 1746 and an archetypal value of 9.
12. _Prayers and Meditations_, pp. 83-4; _Epistle to the Son of
the Wolf_, p. 139.
13. In Hebrew mysticism, the Sinth Sephirah (Emanation) is
Tiphereth, i.e., Justice, Balance, etc.. The 6 is symbolized by
the 6-pointed Star of David.
Much ancient cosmology, numerology and music appear to be
mediated by the 6. For example, 6 "mediates" between the 6
"double gates" of the invisible zodiac to produce the 6x12 = 72
primal mustard seeds of spiritual generation. 6 mediates again
to generate 6x72=432, the value of "new name" KáIçoç oçoæá, etc..
6 mediates between the basic Hindu-Greek musical scale and the
Greek Phrygian mode (Chapter 15, Note 9). 6 mediates between
the "time" and the Platonic month, that is, 6x360 = 2160. 6 is
the archetypal value of Cosmos = Order = oäæoä = 600 -> 6.
In geometry, 6 mediates between the radius of a circle and its
circumference, since 6 radii exactly generate the inscribed
hexagon. Many crystalline structures, such as snowflakes, are
6-sided and grow in harmonic relations to the 6. Stable,
balanced 6-based crystalline structures contrast to biological
organisms which are often "pentalphic," that is, 5-based
structures. Indeed, the Golden Number è is exactly (û5 + 1)/2.
(See Ref 44, 61)
14. Leo, corresponding to the Fall equinox, is listed before
Aquarius, emphasizing the dominance of Baha'u'llah's Dispensation
in future ages. The remaining list of the Tribal names has no
discernable order unless this fact is recognized. Using the
Correspondences listed in Part One, _Astrological Symbolism_, the
sequence of figure 16 is discoverable in their listing.
With the recognition that Gemini the Twins, like the Roman Janus,
looks to both the past and the future, the signs occur in their
correct precessional or counter-precessional order. Virgo, as in
Genesis 49, is "veiled" and does not appear explicitly in the
listing.
15. Reference 12, p. 100ff.
16. E.g., Ecclesiastes 3:16, 4:1-16; Isaiah 49:10.
17. E.g., Isaiah 12:3; Jeremiah 2:13, 17:13; Ezekiel 36:25; John
4:11; Zecariah 14:8. In ancient Sumer the god Enki was lord of
both water and knowledge.
----------------------------------------------Start of page 128--
FUTURE PRESENT PAST
------------------> 1 ------------------->
^ |
| v
Capricornus-Cancer Taurus-Scorpio
^ |
| <----------------- 2 <-----------------
| |
<-- ------------ 6 <----------------------
| ^
v |
Sagittarius-Gemini - - - - - - - -> Gemini-Satigarius
| ^
v |
<------------------ 3 <----------------- |
| |
v |
Scorpio-Taurus |
| -----------> 5 -------
v ^
-------> 4 ------> |
| |
Pisces-Virgo
Figure 16
18. _Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah_, p.l 169.
19. Ibid, p. 213.
20. Ibid, p. 189; Amos 8:11-12.
21. See, e.g., Matthew 13. If the numerical progression of
sealed souls follows the mediation number 6, each of the 144
primal seeds will generate 6x6x6x6 = 1296 new "seeds" after 4
"generations." We might expect about 296 of these seeds to fall
on "rocky soil."