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GOD IS PRAISED:
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their
seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We
give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and
art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and
hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come,
and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that
thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to
the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and
shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. -Rev 11:16-18
With the seventh trumpet blast, the Lord of the Age will
assume power in the name of God. The twice-twelve Elders of the
Age of Aquarius-Leo, who are seated around the throne of
Baha'u'llah, prostrate themselves before Him and give thanks to
God, Who is eternal, and never dies, in spite of His seeming
death in times of great personal distress and corruption of the
world of man. Now, the Lord will assume power over the earth, and
reward each man and woman according to that which they truly
deserve. The nations and peoples of the world who oppose
Baha'u'llah will be angry, because God's teachings do not agree
with what they expected through their own idle fancies and vain
imaginings. All who fail to follow His precepts and commands will
be deprived of everlasting bounty, and veiled from the light of
the Sun of Reality. The righteous will be distinguished by
endless bounty, making them shine on the horizon of eternal
honor. The spiritually dead will be deprived, making manifest the
blindness of the blind, and the ignorance of the people of error.
GOD'S SANCTUARY IS OPENED:
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen
in the temple the ark of his testament: and there were
lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and
great hail. -Rev 11:19
[REB: 19 God's sanctuary in heaven was opened, and within his
sanctuary was seen the ark of his covenant. ...]
John sees that the true sanctuary of God is in heaven, not
on the Rock Moriah, and that the spiritual Ark of the Covenant
still resides there, as it always has. When the Temple of God in
heaven is opened, the Divine teachings will be diffused in all
directions. The Book of His Testament and the Epistle of the
Covenant will be reestablished. There will be a great storm of
the spirit. There will flash the lightnings of the anger and
wrath of God. The thunder of the violation of the Covenant will
resound, and an earthquake of doubts will shake the world of man.
A hail of torments will beat upon the violators of the Covenant,
and even those who professed belief will fall into trials and
temptations.
The physical Temple was destroyed by Titus in 70 CE. The
cherished Ark of the Covenant had mysteriously disappeared many
centuries earlier, and its fate is not known to this day. {10}
The Covenant was again violated by the 'archbreaker' Mirza
Muhammad-'Ali, a half-brother of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
CHAPTER 12- THE TRAVAIL OF THE WORD
SYNOPSIS:
This chapter reveals the travail of the Law of God during
the Dispensation of Muhammad. {1}
The constellation Virgo (the Virgin) is seen in the heavens.
Besides representing the parallel cults of Mary and Fatima during
the Age of Pisces-Virgo, she represents the Law of God during the
Dispensation of Muhammad.
John also sees the constellation Draco (the Dragon), blood-
colored to symbolize war. It is identified as the illegitimate
caliphate initiated by the House of Umayyah that conquers 7-
dominions and has 10 un-repeated names, destroys one-third of the
saintly lineage of Muhammad, and keeps a watchful eye to prevent
the rebirth of the true Law of God.
Nevertheless, the Law delivers a child, the Twelfth Imam,
who disappears mysteriously without a trace. The Twelfth Imam is
destined to 're-appear' as the Bab in the year 1260 AH.
In the meantime, the Law will find refuge in the remote
wilderness areas of Arabia where she is to be kept alive and well
until the Advent of the Bab.
John then witnesses a great spiritual 'war' in the heavens,
symbolically represented by astrological constellations such as
Leviathan, Hercules, Leo and Scorpio. Michael, the angel
representing, Baha'u'llah, the Lion of Judah, wins in the
conflict over the evil forces of the Dragon, [who is actually
under the control of Scorpio, the Serpent of Genesis]. Again, the
significance of this triumph is recounted- since it foretells the
Kingdom of God on earth.
The House of Umayyah and their successors in the Muslim
world, seeing that they have lost the spiritual war, persecute
the remaining devotees of the true Law. Scorpio, no longer a
dominant force in the heavens, is replaced by the astrological
sign Flying Eagle. The "great Eagle" 'assists' the Law of God by
'flying her' into the wilderness for her safety during the 1260
'days' until her child, the Twelfth Imam can reenter the world as
the Bab. The influence of the great Eagle is experienced on
earthly plane as Muhammad; his two wings are 'Ali and Fatima.
THE WOMAN IN THE SUN:
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with
the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown
of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in
birth, and pained to be delivered. -Rev 12:1-2
Here we see the constellation Virgo, one of the pillars of
the square earth during the Age of Pisces. In Christendom, Virgo
was manifested as the cult of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In
Islamdom, Virgo was manifested as the cult of Fatima, the
daughter of Muhammad and the wife of 'Ali. In this chapter, Virgo
has yet another meaning- the Law of God. She is clothed in the
sun, a symbol of Persia, and has the moon, a symbol of Turkey,
beneath her feet. The twelve stars are the Twelve Holy Imams of
Islam.
According to Shi'ah belief, the Twelve Imams were the
rightful spiritual leaders of Islamdom, their progenitors being
'Ali and Fatima. The first eleven Imams are known to have been
martyred, but the Twelfth Imam mysteriously disappeared while
still a child in the year 260 AH.
Various prophecies portended that the Twelfth Imam would
'return' in the year 1260 AH (= 1844 CE). In fulfillment of these
prophecies, the youthful Bab appeared in that year, claiming to
be the Return of the Twelfth Imam. Thus, the "child" in verse 2
is both the Twelfth Imam and his 're-appearance' in the human
temple of the Bab.
THE RED DRAGON IN HEAVEN:
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great
red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns
upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of
heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood
before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour
her child as soon as it was born. -Rev 12:3-4
Another stellar constellation, the Dragon (Draco) is
introduced. The Dragon is located near the north celestial pole.
In verse 3, the Dragon has the color of war, and is identifiable
as the House of Umayyah through his descriptors:
A 'head' is that on which a crown is placed, that is, a
dominion. The Umayyah ruled 7 dominions: 1. the Roman-Byzantine
dominion around Damascus (Palestine and part of Syria); 2. the
dominion of Sassanid Persia (Iran, Mesopotamia, and part of
Syria); 3. the dominion of Egypt; 4. the dominion of Africa
(Tunis, Morocco and Algeria); 5. the dominion of Arabia; 6. the
dominion of Andalusia (Spain); and 7. the dominion of
Turkestan-Transoxania (Sogdiana).
A 'horn' is a 'handle,' that is, a name. The Umayyah had 15
commanders and chiefs, but only ten UN-REPEATED names. These
names were 1. Abu-Sufyan, 2. Mu'awiya, 3. Yazid, 4. Marwan, 5.
'Abd al-Malik, 6. al-Walid, 7. Sulayman, 8. Umar (II), 9. Hisham,
and 10. Ibrahim.
The "tail of the dragon" is the last of the Umayyad chiefs,
Marwan II, who destroyed one-third of the 'heavenly stars'
(saintly lineage) of Muhammad. The Umayyah were ever watchful to
prevent the recurrence of the Law of God.
THE BIRTH OF THE MAN CHILD:
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations
with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to
his throne. And the woman fled unto the wilderness, where she
hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a
thousand two hundred and threescore days. -Rev 12:5-6
The Law of God is manifested as the Twelfth Imam, who is
"caught up unto God" beyond the reach of the caliphate. The Bab,
the 'Return of the Twelfth Imam', is destined to have power over
all nations, ruling them with a "rod of iron," just as Muhammad
had done. The Law of God 'flees' into the vast desert wilderness
of Hijaz and the Arabian peninsula, where she will be kept alive
and safe until 1260 AH, the date of the Return.
THE WAR IN HEAVEN:
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought with his angels, 8 and
prevailed not; neither was there place found anymore in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the
Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast
out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. -Rev
12:7-9
[REB: 7-8 ".... The dragon with his angels fought back, but was
too weak, and they lost their place in heaven."]
The 'war in heaven' involves several constellations, among
them: The Water Serpent or Leviathan (Hydra), Hercules (the
Kneeler), and the Man With the Serpent (Ophiucus-Serpens).
Leviathan is adjacent to the Lion (Leo) in the heavens, while
Hercules kneels with his club raised over the head of the Dragon.
Ophiucus is in mortal combat with the Serpent, which is adjacent
to the Scorpion. Verse 7 equates the Dragon, the Serpent, the
Devil and Satan as the same evil force in different guises,
represented by the Scorpion, the "horned snake on the path" {2}.
Michael, the "Great Captain" {3}, commands the righteous forces
in the epic conflict, and is represented by the Lion.
The Precession of the Equinoxes is accompanied by another
phenomenon: the Precession of the Poles. When the Great Pyramid
of Giza was built at the dawn of the Age of Aries, Thuban in the
Dragon was the north star. Now, two astrological Ages later, the
Dragon has lost his eminence in the northern sky to be replaced
by the Little Bear. Also, the Scorpion is to be replaced by the
Flying Eagle in the new heaven.
THE VICTORY OF MICHAEL:
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation,
and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before God day and night. And they overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and
they loved not their lives unto the death. -Rev 12:10-11
With the overthrow of the caliphate, the Anointed One,
Baha'u'llah, will be able to establish the Kingdom of God on
earth. The false accuser of the true Muslims (who are the
spiritual brothers of true Christians), will have been divested
of his title 'The Successor' to Muhammad. This will be made
possible by the Sacrifice of the Lamb Consummate, the Bab. He and
His devotees, numbering in the tens-of-thousands, will be put to
death; but even under the most horrible of tortures, they will
not waver in their testimony to the Cause of God.
"WOE" TO THE EARTH:
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to
the inhabiters of the earth and the sea! for the devil is come
down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he
hath but a short time. -Rev 12:12
Again we see the influence of Pisces in the metaphor of the
inhabitants of the 'sea' of humanity.
PERSECUTION OF THE HEAVENLY WOMAN:
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he
persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And to
the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might
fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished
for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the
serpent. -Rev 12:13-14
[REB: 14 ".... where she was to be looked after for three and a
half years, ...]
With the demise of the Scorpion, the Flying Eagle will
become the pillar of the new Age to come. Meanwhile, on the
earthly plane, the Law of God is given the assistance of 'Ali and
Fatima, the two 'wings' of the "great eagle" Muhammad. After the
diversion of the past several verses, it is again explained that
the Law of God will find a place of refuge in the vast desert
wilderness of Hijaz and Arabia until 3 1/2 'times.' Since a
'time' is 360 lunar years, the date in the Muslim lunar calendar
is 1260 AH.
(The period of 3 1/2 times is also specified in Daniel.{4})
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the
woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth,
and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his
mouth. -Rev 12:15-16
The House of Umayyah attempts to deceive the world with a
flood of false propaganda (tainted water) concerning the
Revelation of Muhammad. But the vast desert and its hardy peoples
prevent the Law of God from being destroyed.
Astrologically, Virgo was on 'dry land' during the Age of
Aries. The Precession threatened to send her to the 'waters
below.' However, she safely became the pillar at the Fall equinox
during the Age of Pisces.
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to war with the
remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ. -Rev 12:17
Failing to destroy the Law of God, the Umayyah attempt to
destroy those who believe in the true Message of the Prophet.
A true Muslim follows God's commandments as revealed in the
Qur'an, and bears witness to the Reality of Jesus Christ. In Sura
5, God says:
And when I taught thee (Jesus) the Scripture, and Wisdom, and the
Law, and the Evangel: .... and thou didst heal the blind and the
leper, by my leave; and when, by my leave, thou didst bring forth
the dead; and when I withheld the children of Israel from thee,
when thou hadst come to them with clear tokens: and such of them
as believed not said, "This is nought but plain sorcery;" And
when I revealed unto the Apostles, "Believe on me and my Sent One
(Jesus)," they said, "We believe; and bear thou witness that we
are Muslims." -Qur'an 5:110-111 [Rodwell translation]
CHAPTER 13- THE RISE OF THE CALIPHATE
SYNOPSIS:
This chapter describes the rise of the illegitimate
caliphate following the murder of 'Ali.
John sees the House of Umayyah as a 'beast,' rising from the
abyss, and now crowned with a 'name of blasphemy.' He also sees
that the empire created by the Umayyah resembles past empires in
the region in various ways.
John learns that the House of Umayyah is destined to be
nearly destroyed, leaving only one dominion, Spain, under their
reign. [Curiously, the Cordoban caliphate, to be re-constituted
under their House in Spain, will also have ten un-repeated names
of chiefs.] The oecumene is amazed at their great military
prowess that seems to come from Satan himself. Their House will
be noted for their ungodliness, but the dynasties they spawn by
their illegitimate usurpation of the caliphate will continue to
have political power for the entire duration of Muhammad's
Dispensation, ending in the year 1260 AH (1844 CE).
All the oecumene, excepting only those people who are truly
righteous, will admire the House of Umayyah.
Nevertheless, the House of Umayyah will be overthrown by yet
another 'beast,' the House of 'Abbas. The new regime will be
every bit as powerful as its predecessor. It will govern the
empire, except for Spain, with such great severity that the
oecumene will prefer the neo-Umayyad dynasty in Spain over the
'Abbasids. The 'Abbasid period will exhibit great technical and
scientific skills.{1} The House of 'Abbas will resemble its
predecessor in many ways, as if it were the mirror image of the
House of Umayyah.
The financial strength of the House of 'Abbas will rest upon
the hypocritical collection of two taxes imposed on non-Muslims,
the poll and business taxes.
The reader is invited to guess the name of blasphemy. If he
succeeds in this pastime, he will discover that the literal value
of the name is 666. The solution to the riddle is 'The Caliph.'
THE FIRST BEAST WITH THE 'NAME OF BLASPHEMY':
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up
out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his
horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. -Rev
13:1
[NIV: 1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea ...]
The Dragon, aka Satan the Deceiver, waits near the sea of
humanity during the Age of Pisces, ready to give his power to the
House of Umayyah, the beast that will control seven dominions and
will have ten un-repeated names. The Umayyah will gain control of
the caliphate and will bear a name of blasphemy, 'The Caliph.'
The name means 'The Successor to Muhammad,' and was a sacred
title. This supreme office combined both the temporal and
spiritual authority in early Islamdom. To assume the title
illegitimately was and is an act of blasphemy.
THE BEAST DESCRIBED:
And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were
as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and
the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
-Rev 13:2
The terms leopard, bear and lion refer to a prophecy in
Daniel.{2} In Daniel's prophecy, the leopard represents the
empire of Alexander the Great; the bear represents the empire of
Media-Persia; the lion represents the empire of Chaldea
(neo-Babylonia.)
The Umayyad empire resembled Alexander's in its extent,
prosperity, and the leopard-like alacrity of its conquests.
However, its true strength lay in its control of Media-Persia,
the reticent bear. In its roaring boasts, it resembled a lion
{3}, and had its capital within the confines of old Chaldea.
THE WOUNDED HEAD THAT HEALED:
And I saw one of its heads as it were wounded to death; and his
deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the
beast. -Rev 13:3
The 'accursed Umayyah' were overthrown by the 'Abbasids in
749 CE. The destruction of the Umayyah seemed total, but one of
the Umayyah, 'Abd Al-Rahman, known as the 'Falcon of the
Quraysh,' managed to escape to Andalusia (Spain), where he set up
a neo-Umayyad dynasty, the Cordoban Caliphate, that lasted for
another three centuries. Thus Andalusia was the wounded head that
healed.
The ten horns were also healed. The Cordoban Caliphate came
to an end in 1031 after it had spawned 18 neo-Umayyad Caliphs.
Yet, again, it had only 10 un-repeated names: 1. Abd Al-Rahman,
2. Hisham, 3. Hakam, 4. Muhammad, 5. Munzir, 6. Abdullah, 7.
Hijib Al-Mansur, 8. 'Abdu'l-Malik, 9. Al-Mahdi, and 10. Sulayman.
THE END DATE OF BEASTLY POWER:
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast: and
they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a
mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given
unto him to continue forty and two months. -Rev 13:4-5
A 'prophetic month' is 30 years. Therefore forty-two
'months' is 1260 years.
The oecumene will admire the caliphate, whose power seems to
rest upon an alliance with the Devil. The military prowess of the
caliphate will be leopard-like, resembling that of Alexander the
Great. Although the office of the caliphate will be occupied by
several dynasties, the fraud initiated by the Umayyah will
continue for the entire Dispensation of Muhammad, until 1260 AH.
The impression made by the caliphate upon the rest of the
world was profound and sometimes baleful. Dark Age Christendom
initiated a series of countermeasures in an attempt to overtake
the technology and military power of Islamdom. In the shadowy
recesses of the council chambers of that era, it is difficult to
see what actually transpired, but the elimination of the 'human
spirit' as a third part of Man has already been alluded to. Some
historians see an abrupt shift away from spirituality in the West
and towards a more materialistic society. Other historians
discern the seeds of material progress in the 9th century that
would flower in the 11th.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme
his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And
it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to
overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and
tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. -Rev 13:6-8
The Umayyah were noted for their hypocrisy, economic and
social injustice, and their luxurious lives dedicated to the
pleasures of the flesh. They suppressed the descendants of
Muhammad and the Holy Imams, and dominated a vast array of
peoples covering most of the oecumene. Their military power was
supreme.
The "Lamb" represents the principle of Sacrifice that has
existed since the beginning of time, necessary for the renewal of
the Ages and the manifestation of a higher reality. Regardless of
which CONSTELLATION appears at the Spring equinox, it is said
that Spring always appears under the SIGN of Aries. Thus,
symbolically, the Lamb has always been 'slain' to permit a new
Age to commence.
In the Baha'i Dispensation, the names in the Book of Life
are written by the Center of the Covenant, 'Abdu'l-Baha, the
'Most Great Branch' from the 'pre-existent root.' {4}
A LAW OF DIVINE RETRIBUTION:
If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10 He that leadeth into
captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword
must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of
the saints. -Rev 13:9-10
[REB: 10 .... This calls for the endurance and faithfulness of
God's people.]
John learns the Law of Divine Retribution that will destroy
the beast. The Umayyah continued to decay in spirituality and
power, eventually experiencing the same fate that they had meted
out to others. Except for 'Abd Al-Rahman, the Umayyah were hunted
down and executed. Even the corpses of their dead Caliphs, except
for the pious Umar II, were exhumed and desecrated.
THE SECOND BEAST:
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had
two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. And he
exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and
causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the
first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. -Rev 13:11-12
The second beast is the House of 'Abbas. It will come to
power on the ruins (earth) of the first beast, and will have two
names (horns) of power: 'The Caliph' and 'The Sultan.' {5} It,
too, will utter preposterous lies and blasphemies. By comparison,
the revived neo-Umayyad dynasty in Spain will seem far less
aggressive and more palatable to Christendom; Western
civilization will gain much from its relations with Muslim Spain.
THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST:
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from
heaven on earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that
dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power
to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on
earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the
wound by the sword, and did live. -Rev 13:13-14
At its apex, the 'Abbasids exercised all the power of the
Umayyah, and revived the dying empire that had been mortally
wounded and yet lived on in Spain. The 'Abbasid period,
commemorated in the fable 'The Arabian Nights,' is noteworthy for
its advanced science and technology. Very early they learned the
use of gunpowder and Greek fire, employing spectacular devices in
warfare such as burning globes and javelins that were propelled
over long distances.
The 'image' which the 'Abbasids created was their imitation
of the Umayyah. Not only did they imitate them in their outward
trappings and lifestyle, their history imitated the Umayyah as
well. Both came to power by deception and fraud. Both occupied
the caliphate for about a century, and both kept in power through
terror and intrigue. Both began their careers enjoying a vast
empire, yet each ended up in control of a single domain.{6}
Curiously, both the neo-Umayyad and 'Abbasid Caliphs
continued the pattern of 10 un-repeated names. From their
usurpation of power in 750 until their loss of power to the Turks
in 861, the 'Abbasid Caliphs bore ten names: 1. As-Saffa, 2.
Al-Mansur, 3. Al-Mahdi, 4. Al-Hadi, 5. Ar-Rashid, 6. Al-Amin, 7.
Al-Ma'mun, 8. Al-Mu'tasim, 9. Al-Wathiq, and 10. Al-Mutawakkil.
Also, the first Turkish dynasty, the Seljuks, who seized
the caliphate from the 'Abbasids in 861, might be said to have
produced a line of potentates with 10 un-repeated names, although
the last years of their sovereignty were confused by pretenders
to the office. The mainstream Seljuk Caliphs bore the following
names: 1. Malik, 2. Toghrul, 3. Alp, 4. Barkiyaroq, 5. Mahommed,
6. Sinjar, 7. Mahmud, 8. Masud, 9. Sulayman, and 10. Arslan.
With the fall of the Seljuks, the pattern of ten horns seems
to have been broken. After the fall of the 'Abbasids and before
the Turks imposed their rule on North Africa, there was a power
vacuum that permitted the independent and brilliant Fatimid
Caliphate to flourish from 909 until 1171. This caliphate,
centered at Cairo, claimed a line of descent from the House of
'Ali through the Sixth Imam. The Fatimids fared better: they
begot 14 Caliphs with 14 un-repeated names. Nor did the final
Turkish dynasty, the Ottoman, exhibit the ten horn pattern. From
1230 until the destruction of the caliphate in 1924, the Ottomans
begot 32 Caliphs, again with 14 un-repeated names.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that
the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as
would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. -Rev
13:15
The second beast, the House of 'Abbas, was able to revive
the image of the first beast, the House of Umayyah, so that it
seemed to be alive again. The 'Abbasids enforced their new regime
with great severity, ruthlessly murdering even those who had
helped them to gain power.
THE TWO STIGMATA:
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and
bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their
foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save that he had
the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. -
Rev 13:16-17
[REB: 17 and no man was allowed to buy or sell unless he bore
this beast's mark, either name or number.]
The 'marks' or stigmata were two taxes imposed on
non-Muslims. The 'kharaj' was a business and land tax imposed on
the working ('right') hand; the 'jizya' was a poll tax imposed on
the 'forehead.' Trading was forbidden by non-Muslims unless they
had paid either the poll tax (assessed by the 'name' of their
Faith) or the business tax (assessed by the 'number' of their
business). Originally, the modest kharaj and jizya were intended
as benign symbols of religious tolerance and as gentle
encouragement to convert to Islam. Under the Umayyad and 'Abbasid
Caliphs, the kharaj and jizya were radically transformed into
sources of great personal wealth and were used as capital for
imperial expansion. Many non-Muslims fled the realm of the beast
to avoid paying these taxes.
A TEST OF INTELLECTUAL SKILL:
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the
number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his
number is Six hundred threescore and six. -Rev 13:18
[REB: 18 (This calls for skill; let anyone who has intelligence
work out the number of the beast, for the number represents a
man's name, and the numerical value of its letters is six hundred
and sixty-six.)
The reader of the Apocalypse is challenged to work out the
gematrical value of the 'name of the beast.' From verse 1, we
understand that it is a title, since it rests upon "seven heads."
Also, the title must be sacred, since its expropriation by the
beast was an act of blasphemy. And, since the text of the
Apocalypse is in Koine Greek, the answer should be in Koine.
From the various clues in this and other chapters of the
Apocalypse, we guess that the solution is probably 'The Caliph.'
We test this conjecture by transliterating the Arabic name into
Koine to determine whether its gematrical value is, indeed, 666.
We must define certain transcriptions for the purpose of
presenting the result in English letters:
[ARABIC] [KOINE] [GEMATRICAL VALUE] [TRANSCRIPTION]
[Al (definite article)] [' + Omicron] [70] ['O]
[Kef] [Kappa (soft)] [20] [K]
[alif] [alpha] [1] [a]
[lam] [double lambda (hard)] [60] [ll]
[ye] [epsilon + iota (diphthong)] [15] [ei]
[fe] [phi] [500] [ph]
Transcribed: The Caliph = 'O Kalleiph
Gematrical value: 70 + 20 + 1 + 60 + 15 + 500 = 666
There are several other concurrences that lend credence to
this solution. A few will be noted here, while some others will
be noted where appropriate.
a. The date of the usurpation of the caliphate by the House
of Umayyah was 661 CE. Most biblical scholars, in agreement with
the Gospel of Matthew, place the Birth of Jesus sometime prior to
the death of Herod the Great who died in the year 4-5 BCE.
Placing the 'true' historical date of His Birth at about 5 BCE,
and accounting for the missing zeroth year in BOTH the Christian
and common calendars, {7} places the origin of the illegitimate
caliphate at about 666 'ANNO DOMINI.'
b. The Arabic equivalent of the Anglo-Saxon name 'God' is
''Allah.' In the Arabic gematria, ''Allah' has the value 66. The
number '6' is deemed to be the 'number of mediation' by
numerologists. Thus '666' has as one of its meanings, 'The
Mediator to 'Allah.' The illegitimate caliphate blasphemously
claimed that role to be their own.
c. In itself, the number '666' suggests 'successorship,'
since 600 is the decadal successor of 60, and 60 is the decadal
successor of 6.
d. Attempts to transliterate the Greek number 666 into
Arabic produce words meaning 'the spy' or 'the sensual.' Both
appellations are descriptive of the Houses of Umayyah and 'Abbas.
Before leaving the subject, there is one more possible clue,
derived from numerology, that might be apparent in the number
666. Besides being the 'number of mediation,' 6 is also called
the 'number of beauty.' The Greek word for 'beauty' is 'kallos.'
Thus, if one makes this connection, the first four letters are
common to the words 'kallos' and 'kalleiph.'
CHAPTER 14- THE WORLD-STAGE IS SET
SYNOPSIS:
Chapter 14 sets the world stage for the Advent of
Baha'u'llah, the World Judge and Savior. But first, those with
the seal of God are introduced.
John then hears the new song, sung by the twice-72
multitudes, the firstfruits from all Ages and nations who are to
be redeemed in the Aquarian Age. To be rescued, they must accept
the redeeming grace of the Sacrificial Hero, regardless of the
Age and the name by which he is called. Another requirement is
that they must not be seduced by a counterfeit of the true Word
of God.
Then John sees a sequence of 3 warning angels, [probably]
representing 3 of the Warners, Manifestations who warned of the
coming of the Divine Reaper and World Redeemer. The first three
may be Krishna, Buddha, and Muhammad.
The Divine Reaper is then introduced, followed by a fourth
angel [Jesus Christ?], who asks Baha'u'llah to reap the harvest
of the Ages. The Divine Reaper is followed by a fifth angel, who
ALSO has the power to reap the harvest of the Ages. This is
clearly the Bab. Finally, a sixth angel, the altar angel
[Zoroaster?] of Rev 8:3, is re-introduced who asks the Bab to
cast in his sickle also.
The chapter ends with a riddle to test the reader's
spiritual insight and intellectual credulity. The solution to
this riddle is 49-lunar years, the duration of Divine Revelation
at the opening of the Aquarian Age.
THE LAMB ON ZION:
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with
him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name
written in their foreheads. -Rev 14:1
The verse recalls Chapter 7 in which twice-72 multitudes of
God's servants, from all Ages, races and nations are to be found
acceptable to God the Father in the new Age of Aquarius.
The word 'Zion' has several meanings. Physically, it was the
site of the royal palace of David and Solomon's Temple. Because
of this association, the word has come to mean the imaginary
'center' of Jewish national life, and even the Jewish people
themselves. On the religious plane, 'Zion' stands for the Jewish
Theocracy of God, the aspiration of the ancient Jewish devotees,
that once established, would set the Model for the establishment
of a World Theocracy.
The Lamb is seen standing on 'Zion,' meaning that the Lamb
is manifested in the physical world and fulfills the ancient
aspirations of the Jewish people to establish a Model Theocracy.
The Apocalypse tells us several things about the Lamb. For
one, it has "seven horns and seven eyes" (5:6) and represents the
"Seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." During the
Age of Aquarius, it stands in the midst of the throne and four
beasts, and has been 'slain ' since the foundation of the world
(13:8). In 13:11 we have learned that a lamb has two 'horns,' and
thus has two names of power. In 5:12 we learn that the Lamb has
been 'slain,' and yet we find the Lamb alive and well in 14:1.
The astrological aspects of the Lamb have already been
discussed. In the heavens, the Lamb is the sign of Aries that has
always been 'sacrificed' to make way for a new Age. Also we have
discussed the necessity of a Sacrifice on the earthly plane to
correspond to the heavenly sacrifice, invariably represented by a
Sacrificial Hero, whose earthly name is discoverable in every
Dispensation.
But what are the two names of power implied by 13:11? They
must be 'The Successor' and the 'The Sovereign,' the very names
blasphemously usurped by the beast of the Apocalypse. 'Ali was
the Sacrificial Hero of the Dispensation of Muhammad. As The
Successor, His rightful role was to have been the Successor to
Muhammad; as The Sovereign, His role was to have been the Center
of the Covenant.
In the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, we have twice-twelve
Elders seated around the throne, and thus there are two members
of every station in the zodiacal wheel. The Bab, after fulfilling
the role of the Lamb during His own Dispensation, has become one
of the Pillars of the new Age- the 'Water Bearer.' Then who are
the two Sacrificial Heroes who will bear the title of 'Lamb'
during the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah? There are two such
Heroes, one has been sacrificed, while the other remains alive
and well to "stand on Zion" in 14:1. The Lamb who was 'slain' was
Mirza Mihdi, the 'Purest Branch.' The Lamb who remains alive and
well is 'Abdu'l-Baha, the 'Most Great Branch.' As 'Ali was
supposed to have done during the Dispensation of Muhammad,
'Abdu'l-Baha bears two titles; he is the Successor to Baha'u'llah
and the Center of the Covenant. -SE {1}
'Abdu'l-Baha is shown alive on Zion with those who have the
seal of his natural and spiritual Father, Baha'u'llah. As
prophesied by the Jewish prophets of old, the Model Theocracy, is
to be established in the Holy Land. "Out of Zion hath gone forth
the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and the land
thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation." -BH {2}
As the Manifestation of the Father, Baha'u'llah is the
spiritual Father of the other Manifestations of the past.
Baha'u'llah reveals, "In this most mighty Revelation, all the
Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their
final consummation." "He it is," referring to Himself, "Who in
the Old Testament hath been named Jehovah, Who in the Gospel hath
been designated as the Spirit of Truth, and in the Qur'an
acclaimed the Great Announcement." "But for Him, no Divine
Messenger would have been invested with the robe of prophethood,
nor would any of the sacred scriptures have been revealed." "Be
fair, ye peoples of the world, is it meet or seemly for you to
question the authority of one Whose presence 'He Who conversed
with God' (Moses) hath longed to attain, the beauty of Whose
countenance 'God's Well-beloved' (Muhammad) had yearned to
behold, through Whose potency the 'Spirit of God' (Jesus)
ascended to heaven, for Whose sake the 'Primal Point' (the Bab)
offered up His life?" -BH {3}
"Concerning the Manifestations that will come down in the
future 'in the shadows of the clouds,' know verily that in so
far as their relation to the source of their inspiration is
concerned, they are under the shadow of the Ancient Beauty
(Baha'u'llah). In their relation, however, to the age in which
they appear, each and every one of them 'doeth whatsoever He
willeth." -AB {4}
THE NEW SONG IS SUNG AGAIN:
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of
harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sang as it were a
new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the
elders: and no man could hear that song but the hundred and forty
four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. -Rev 14:2-3
[REB: 2 I heard a sound from heaven like a mighty torrent or a
great peal of thunder: what I heard was like harpists playing on
their harps. 3 They were singing a new song before the throne and
the four living creatures and the elders, and no man could learn
it except the hundred and forty-four thousand ransomed from the
earth.]
The voices of the twice-72 multitudes from all Ages and
cultures who have been found acceptable to God sing out the
Aquarian message, but only the redeemed can understand or learn
it. {5}
The City of Baha', like 'Zion,' is a MODEL Theocracy. In the
Apocalypse, it is called the New Jerusalem. Only the twice-72
multitudes who are 'redeemed from the earth' will be its
firstfruits. It is NOT, therefore, a 'world government' and has
no secular aspirations.
These are they which are not defiled with women: for they are
virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he
goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits
unto God and the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for
they are without fault before the throne of God. -Rev 14:4-5
Those 'clerics' who sell a counterfeit of the true Word of
God in order to acquire material wealth are likened to harlots.
To become defiled by harlots means to become willingly seduced by
the fraud.
The Sacrificial Hero has had many names and appears in a
different physical body with a new name in each Dispensation. In
one Dispensation, the Lamb is Jesus Christ; in another He is the
Bab, or 'Abdu'l-Baha. The undefiled will follow the Lamb in every
Age and Dispensation. The firstfruits are the first to hear the
new Song and to follow the new Law. Their mouths will not spread
false doctrine.
THE FIRST SUPPORTING ANGEL:
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,
and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying
with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour
of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. -Rev 14:6-7
Once again we are reminded [by Krishna? {6}] that the Good
News is a wellspring of guidance available in every Age; it is
eternal and not limited to any special people or culture. The
Judgement is a two-edged sword: it is a punishment for the
defiled and a salvation for the innocent.
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