An Alternate Interpretation of the Book of Revelation - A Personal Return To God
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Quarantine Day 65. Saturday. This needs to end.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia
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An Alternate Interpretation of the Book of Revelation
Modes of Interpreting
Revelation
Over the centuries the four
(4) accepted methods of interpreting or teaching Revelation have been:
a. The "Past
History" view.
b. The
"Symbolic History" View.
c. The
"Continuous History" View.
d. The
"Future History" View.
It is
accepted to teach Revelation under any of the above methods. The “Future History” suffers from a relatively
modern evangelical interpretation popularized by the publication of Cyrus
Scofield (1843-1921). First published in 1909, who built much of the theory off
John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). This was known
as Dispensationalism, a view made popular in England and America in the early 20th.
Those
“Classic” Interpretations of Revelation are again reviewed here.
a. The "Past History" view.
These previous profiles of current New Testament
scholarship on Revelation show what is the dominant view of how to interpret
the work in its historical context. This approach is sometimes called the
"preterist" (or "past history") view, meaning that the
events described in Revelation all took place in the past and the work must be
read in that ancient historical context. It is almost universally followed in
both New Testament scholarship and by scholars of Christian history. It is also
the view taken within many Christian denominations, although it is often
amended to suggest that all the historical events are past and that Revelation
was describing a situation in the Roman empire, but that the final judgment in
some literal sense is still to come as a future event.
On the other hand, religious interpretations of
Revelation throughout Christian history have not always followed this approach.
We shall here profile some other ways that the book has been read by those who
want to apply it to their own times. In each case, the difference is how the
"historical content" of Revelation is understood.
b. The "Symbolic History" View.
This view holds that while the precise historical
circumstances of Revelation pertained to the Roman world at the end of the Ist
century CE, that it nonetheless has a kind of universal and timeless message
for God's dealing with humanity in all generations. Thus it looks for symbolic
elements that may apply across the ages. This symbolic or allegorical view is
what lay behind St. Augustine's reading of Revelation, in which he argued that
the 1,000-year reign was not a literal number at all but a figurative way of
describing the "age of the church" on earth. This view has been the
dominant one in most mainstream Christian interpretation, especially in
Catholic tradition. It has also been influential in some philosophical
appropriations of Revelation in western thinking.
c. The "Continuous History" View.
While the "symbolic history" view (above 0
was more-or-less the official view of Revelation adopted by the medieval
church, there continued to be literalist readings throughout the Middle Ages.
In general, these views took a literal view of the 1,000 years as being the
current age of the church. As a result this way of looking at Revelation led
some to look to it for ongoing events in the history of Christianity. This mode
of interpretation, which sees later events in Christian history as fulfilling
"predictions" in the Book of Revelation, is known as the
"continuous history" view.
The first major interpreter to develop this view into
a system of reading Revelation with current predictive value was Joachim of
Fiore (1132-1202 CE). Based on the number 42 months (Rev. 11.2), the duration
of the "trampling of the temple," Joachim concluded that this was
period equal to the 42 generations in Matthew's genealogy from Adam to Jesus
(Matt. 1.17). So, he said that these 42 generations (or 1,260 years) marked the
period from the birth of Jesus until the end he saw predicted in Revelation. He
then looked identified particular events and individuals in Christian history
as fulfilling elements in Revelation in a continuum from the days of Jesus
until his own time. So, for example, the beast with seven heads (Rev. 13.1),
which are explicitly identified as seven kings (Rev. 17.10) he identifies as
evil rulers beginning with Herod the Great and continuing to Saladin, the
Turkish leader who had only a few years earlier repulsed the Crusaders from the
Holy Land. Joachim thus saw, a figure of his own day, as predicted in
Revelation's unfolding of history from ancient to contemporary times.
From Joachim's day down to the mid-19th century, this
pattern of calculation became the most common form of literalist interpretation
of the "predictive" capacity of Revelation. It is therefore the most
common mode of interpretation within literalist postmillenial expectation. It
was a prominent feature of many end-time calculations and interpretations
during the Reformation period in Europe. It was also used by Cotton Mather and
others in colonial America and England; they regularly looked for current events
that might be fulfillment of Revelation within this scheme, inevitably looking
for elements that pointed toward the nearness of the end of time.
d. The "Future History" View.
A new mode of interpreting Revelation beginning in the
early 19th century. It grew mostly out of Protestant theology with a strong
reforming element, both in Britain and America. It also drew on the strong
tradition of literalist interpretation of Revelation as predicting contemporary
events that had become popular in these areas through the "continuous
history" view. But this new mode began to look at the past history of
Christianity from the New Testament through the Middle Ages and down to its own
time in a different light. From this perspective, it was hard to compute how
the 1,000 years, if taken literally, could refer to the past history of the
church, since that would place the inauguration of the Millenium within the
timeframe of the medieval Catholic Church. The new view, therefore, began to
argue that none of the events described in the Book of Revelation after
chapters 1-3 (i.e., John's vision and the letters to the seven churches of
Asia) had yet come to pass. All the florid images of Revelation 4-22 were
instead considered to be predictions of future events that would come to pass
in literal terms as the return of Christ and the end approached. Thus, this
view looks at Revelation as prediction of "future history."
Central to this mode of interpretation is the view
that Revelation, along with most of the rest of the Bible constitutes a similar
type of "prophecy" of the future, and it often refers to this overall
scheme of interpretation as "Bible prophecy." Much of the
interpretation that comes from this perspective involved linking various
passages from different parts of the Bible to form a composite that fits
current and future expectations. This mode of interpretation is also directly
connected to the rise of pre-millenialism, the view that the 1,000 year reign
of Christ will be a literal event that will occur only after Christ returns.
Thus, the emphasis on interpreting Revelation, lies in equating its images with
those events surrounding the return. Several different versions or systems have
been proposed for how the actual events will work out.
The most popular has been that of John Nelson Darby
(1800-1882), which is known as Dispensationalism, a view made popular in
England and America in the early 20th century through the publication of Cyrus
Scofield (1843-1921). First published in 1909, it came to be known as The
Scofield Reference Bible. On each page it printed the King James translation of
1611 alongside of Scofield's own copious "notes" on how to read each
passage of the Bible in conjunction with other "prophecies." It thus
provided a chainlink interreferencing system to the Book of Revelation, by
which one could jump from passage to passage to follow the "true"
meaning. The Scofield Bible continued to be popular among certain Protestant
Christian groups. From 1909 to 1967 it sold more than 10 million copies; reprinted
in 1967, it is said to have sold another 2.5 million copies by 1990. More than
any other "future history" interpretation, this one has had the most
impact on current literalist interpretations of Revelation.
A Fifth Interpretation
A Fifth
Possible Interpretation by Edgar Casey.
Before a traditional goes off the rails on the possible review of the “sleeping
prophet” of Kentucky, consider the possibilities.
When
I re-encountered the possible Interpretation by Edgar Casey I was struck by the following
parallels (which could not have been known by John in the 1st
Century).
A
Comparison to of the 7 Churches to the 7 Charkas of the Human Body. Every time I have examined Charkas it has been
in the context of the study of an “Eastern” belief system. As far as I know, I never encountered it in
classical Christianity. However, when
Casey made the leap between the 7 churches on Asia Minor (Western Turkey) and
the human body (the 7 Charkas), I was like:
Well it is at least possible that an or the interpretation of Revelation
is a purely interpersonal one. That is,
it is possible that Revelation is out our own personal awakening or moving
forward from where we are into the Throne Room of God? This
is perhaps blasphemy in relation to the ordinary interpretation, but possible.
Casey
makes a comparison between each of the 7 Charkas and the major interpretation
of each one of the 7 churches. He then makes a comparison of the 12 tribes to
the 12 cranial nerves of the head moving and controlling the brain AND draws
the double comparison of the 24 Elders to the doubling of the 12 Cranial Nerves
across both hemispheres of the brain.
There
was no way, John knew of the 12 cranial nerves in the first century. Yet here are these odd and spooky comparisons
to known physical events. Casey sees
Revelation as a inner battle (with the Christ) of man battling his own demons
and with and through the Christ overcoming them. I know
from my own study of the Torah that the “text” contains thousands (if not an infinite)
of interpretations woven in by God into the text for us to discovery as we
grow. This was such a compelling, if not
weird, interpretation of Revelation (a book that no one agrees on the meaning –
except Christ wins in the End) that it is worth consideration.
Here
then is an overview, as prepared by NDE researcher Kevin Williams, of Edgar
Casey’s interpretation of Revelation.
http://www.heartnsoul.com/revelation_explained.htm
The
Book of Revelation Explained By Edgar Cayce
article by Kevin Williams
The final book of the Bible is called the Book of Revelation.
Written by a man named John (possibly John the Apostle) toward
the end of his life, he records a vision he experiences, probably while
dreaming or meditating. This vision contains a tremendous amount of
symbolism; the same kind of symbolism one would see in a dream, a vision of the
spirit world. In fact, the Book of Revelation contains the same symbolism found
in the symbols in the Prophet Daniel's dream. All Biblical dreams, such as those
of Joseph, Gideon, Daniel, Paul, and Peter, are very symbolic and therefore had
a hidden spiritual meaning rather than a literal interpretation of the symbols.
Such is the case with the Book of Revelation.
Edgar Cayce was
a Sunday School teacher who had many near-death experiences. As a result of
these experiences, he was able to unlock the secrets to the symbolism in the
Book of Revelation. He gave a large amount of information specifically for the
purpose of discovering the book's hidden meaning.
Cayce described the true
nature between humanity and God. Cayce revealed that humans actually have three
different levels of consciousness: the physical consciousness (the
personality), the subconsciousness (the soul) and the
superconsciousness (the spirit). One of our most important goals in
life is to "awaken" our superconscious mind to attain what Cayce
called "at-one-ment" with God. (To learn how to do this click here)
The superconscious mind
is called by many names by many religions in many different cultures. Some of
these names are: Buddha consciousness, Christ consciousness, the
Collective Mind, the Universal Mind, the Collective Unconsciousness, the
Holy Spirit, Brahman, God, the Clear White Light, Allah, Higher Self, the Mind
of Christ, etc.
Cayce's references to
"the Christ", "the Christ consciousness" and "the
"Mind of Christ" has little to do with the personality known as
Jesus. Cayce revealed that Jesus became "the Christ", in that he
attained a full manifestation of the "Christ consciousness" - the
divine nature within humanity. It is God's desire for all of humanity to become
"Christs" (or "Buddhas" if you live in the East).
Such a condition will truly bring the Kingdom of God to the Earth. Cayce
revealed that the Book of Revelation is the symbolic story of how humanity in
general (and a human in particular) attains this manifestation
of the divine.
Cayce's symbolic
interpretation about the Book of Revelation can be contained in a book all by
itself. In fact, a whole book has been written about Cayce's
interpretation of Revelation. It is entitled Edgar Cayce's Commentary on the Revelation. There is also a
video on this subject from the ARE Foundation (the Cayce organization)
What follows is a very
brief (too brief) summary of the information he received.
Chapters 1-3: Letters to the Churches
Literal: John, on the island of Patmos, explains
that he was in the Spirit when Christ appears to him standing in the midst of
seven candlesticks. Christ then tells John to write down what he sees and hears
concerning seven churches.
Interpretation:
While in meditation,
John's conscious mind becomes open to his subconscious mind and
his superconscious mind. The seven "churches" and the
seven "seals" represent the seven "spiritual centers" (or
"chakras") of the body where the physical, mental and
spiritual forces all come together. The superconscious mind within John, tells
him that anyone, who can regain control of these spiritual centers within their
bodies, can access the superconscious mind, and never need to reincarnate
again (Rev. 3:12).
Chapter 4-11: Christ opens the seals of the book
in heaven
Literal: John now appears at the throne of God and
sees four beasts and twenty-four elders around it. On the throne sits God who
has a book with seven seals. John weeps when he learns that no one can open the
seals to the book. One of the elders tells John that Christ is able to open the
seals. Christ then opens the seals, resulting in
many Earth changes. The seventh seal unleashes seven angels who sound
seven trumpets which are sounded one by one.
Interpretation:
John has a mental
awakening when he attains the spiritual level of the superconscious mind,
within the throne of his own body. The "four
beasts" are his four lower spiritual center's animalistic desires and
the "twenty-four elders" are the twenty-four nerves from
his brain leading to his five senses. The superconscious mind, is now in full
control of John's body. The body is symbolized as a "book" with
"seven seals" which "no one has the ability to open on his
own" (Rev. 5:3). Only through the development of the
superconscious mind within a person, can these spiritual centers within the
body be "opened" (i.e., spiritually activated).
As each spiritual center
within the body is activated, different parts of the body are purified and
upheavals of the body occur mentally, physically, and spiritually. The
superconscious mind spiritually activates the seventh spiritual center (the
pituitary, the master gland of the body). As a result of this, it becomes
"quiet in heaven for one half hour" (Rev.
9:1). This is symbolic of the perfect control of the mind for one half
hour through meditation. The following are some of the symbols of Revelation
interpreted by Cayce:
|
Symbol
|
Meaning
|
|
Paradise of God
|
the original
consciousness of humanity before its fall into flesh
|
|
Tree of Life
|
the spiritual centers
of the body, such as the heart and the pituitary, that becomes perfectly
synchronized
|
|
Angel of the Church
|
the intelligent force
governing a spiritual center within the body
|
|
Satan
|
self-centeredness,
self-interest, self-gratification, self-righteousness, self-consciousness,
self-glorification, self-condemnation, self-will, SELF
|
|
Book of Life
|
the collective
unconscious record of all souls (memory)
|
|
Earth
|
the physical body
|
|
New Jerusalem
|
the superconscious mind
awakened
|
|
nakedness
|
the exposure of faults
|
|
seven lamps
|
the wisdom of the seven
spiritual centers within the body
|
Chapter 12-14: A woman, a dragon, two beasts, and
a lamb
Literal: John sees a woman with twelve stars about to
bear a child. Next to the woman is a dragon that is ready to devour the child
she is giving birth to. After the child is born, the child is taken to the
throne of God. Afterward, a war in heaven occurs and the devil and his
angels are cast out of heaven to Earth. John also sees a beast rise out of
the sea which the world worships. John then sees a lamb on
the Earth and angels proclaiming the fall of Babylon.
Interpretation:
John is shown a picture
of the soul of humanity in its development since the days of eternity. The
"woman" symbolizes the soul of humanity crowned with "twelve
stars," the twelve basic patterns of human personality as described in the
zodiac. The "child she bears" is the conscious mind. As the conscious
mind is born, a rival force of the self occurs, which brings about recurring
periods of rebellion in humanity. Through divine intervention, the
conscious mind is protected while the unconscious mind, from which it sprung,
is withdrawn below the conscious level. This is the same story as
symbolized as the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Rebellion from
the physical brings conflict into the soul but the soul can remain above it by
remaining concealed from the forces of self will.
The "beast rising
out of the sea" is the selfish animalistic desires that arise which are
capable of ruling humanity. These desires spring from the self will of the
unspiritual intellect of humanity whom the world worships as a "symbol of
success." The human intellect, lacking spiritual orientation, cuts
itself off from all that is divine. The "lamb" John sees are the
forces of the superconscious mind in the world going into action.
"Babylon", the human desire for Earthly riches and success
in the gratification of the flesh, begins to be "destroyed" as humans
are shown the consequences of their "prostitution" of their higher
faculties.
|
Symbol
|
Meaning
|
|
the number for divinity
|
seven (Spirits
of God, candlesticks), perfection
|
|
the number for man
|
six, imperfection
|
|
the mark of the beast
|
un-evolved animalistic
behavior in humanity
|
|
the mark of the lamb
|
evolved divine behavior
in humanity
|
|
the number of the
beast (666)
|
un-evolved
behavior (symbolized by the number 6), influencing all
aspects of a human being(physical, mental and spiritual), which
is symbolized by the number 666
|
Chapter 15-18: Seven angels, seven vials of seven
plagues, and a great prostitute riding a seven-headed beast.
Literal: John is shown seven angels each of whom
holds a vial containing a plague which they pour upon the Earth one
at a time. John then sees a woman sitting on a seven-headed beast with ten
horns. The woman wears on her forehead the name "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and
Abominations of the Earth." John is told the seven heads symbolize the
seven mountains on which the woman sits and the ten horns symbolize ten kings.
These make war against the lamb and the lamb conquers.
Interpretation:
John is seeing within
the soul of humanity, the collective unconscious, that the souls of individuals
are purified and tested on seven levels of consciousness symbolized by the
"seven plagues" being poured out by the "seven
angels". When all seven levels of consciousness have been "purified",
then, and only then, can a person control the physical, mental, and spiritual
forces within his body.
Physical diseases arise
from the misuse of the forces and self-gratification of the flesh,
"wars" against universal truth. This brings about conflict in the
world against groups and governments. The end of the "seven ordeals"
comes when humanity's social institutions and concepts collapse, leaving
universal truth to be realized.
The "Prostitute of
Babylon" symbolizes humanity's desire lust for riches and gratification of
the flesh. The "beast" it rides on are man-made ideas stemming from
self-gratification. It is explained to John that these forces have taken
control of the seven spiritual centers of the human body, thereby becoming
possessed and ruled. However, as the highest forces of evolving humanity
overcome the forces of self, even the ten basic urges of the body, symbolized
by the "ten horns", will in time fulfill the divine pattern. As the
divine nature in humanity becomes less realized, society is destroyed by its
own hand through self-gratification.
|
Symbol
|
Meaning
|
|
Seven plagues
|
the purification and
tribulation the soul experiences which may overcome the karma of the soul
|
|
Vials of the wrath of
God
|
karma, consequences,
reap what you sow, eye for an eye
|
|
Armageddon
|
spiritual conflict
within a person
|
|
false prophet
|
self-delusion
|
Chapter 19-22: Rejoicing in heaven, the devil
thrown into a bottomless pit, a new heaven and new Earth.
Literal: John now sees much rejoicing in heaven
and the appearance of Christ. An angel casts the devil into a bottomless pit
for one thousand years. John then sees a new heaven and a
new Earth come into being.
Interpretation:
What was the final
salvation of the bodily, mental, and spiritual forces described within John,
now are shown to take place in collective humanity. When humanity recognizes
the divinity within them as the controlling force in the world, and turns away
from their own selfish pattern of living for self alone, the old pattern
disappears and the Christ pattern emerges.
John is told that the
merging of the evolved self with the divine superconscious, which has taken
place in John, must also take place in all humanity (Rev.
19:7). The fulfilled pattern of evolved humanity, the Christ (superconscious
mind), is now shown in a position of power (the "second
coming").
Now the archetype of
humanity's continual rebellions, the self-willed intellect symbolized as the
"devil", is confined for a time in the collective unconscious mind.
During this period of one thousand years (the thousand year "rule
of Christ"), only the evolved souls will be permitted to incarnate
the Earth (Rev.
20:4). At the end of this period, the remaining souls begin to
incarnate, bringing with them their unsatisfied ambitions and desires. This, of
course, brings about the former conditions of imbalance (wars and
plagues). These conditions, all man-made, are now themselves
eliminated and all mental forms and patterns not formed by divine will are
purged (Rev. 20:14).
The "new heaven and
new Earth" John sees is humanity's perfected state of consciousness
and regenerated body. The human mind at this point is now one with the divine
in the perfection of control and is free from outside limitations. The human
conscious mind merges with the superconscious mind.
John states that if
anyone adds or takes away from this book, that person will experience the
plagues in this book. The "book" is the body, which is the vehicle
for human experience in the world. Through it, the lessons of the soul are
learned. There can be no shortcuts or meanderings without dire consequences to
the body.
|
Symbol
|
Meaning
|
|
Marriage of the Lamb
|
the union of the self
with the Christ consciousness
|
|
Word of God
|
the "logos",
the Christ consciousness, the fulfilled evolved pattern of humanity
|
|
Lake of Fire
|
the subconscious mind's
area of repression, the "id"
|
|
First Resurrection
|
the reincarnation of
advanced souls
|
|
Gog and Magog
|
worldly influences
|
|
the dead in judgment
|
reincarnating souls
|
|
Hell
|
remorse,
self-condemnation, guilt and frustration
|
|
Second death
|
the destruction of all
man-made un-evolved conditions
|
|
12 tribes of Israel, 12
gates, 12 angels, 12 foundations, 12 disciples
|
the 12 basic patterns
of human personality, the zodiac
|
|
Temple of God
|
the superconscious
mind, the Christ consciousness
|
|
New Jerusalem
|
the evolved soul that
is one with divinity
|
& & &
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTc9IZH0Ed8
Edgar Cayce's Amazing Interpretation of The Book Of
Revelation
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Edgar Cayce approaches the Revelation most closely to
the traditional symbolic interpretation. But he saw beyond the symbolism of
earthly matters, seeing the text filled with metaphors of mental and spiritual
matters. In fact, Cayce teaches that the whole Bible is more than a historic
record of humanity’s physical journey with God and with one another; it is also
an allegory of metaphysical activities and influences. And as an allegory it
contains hidden teachings, insights, lessons, and instructions concerning the
origin, growth, and destiny of our nonphysical souls. And it is both a
microcosmic view in which the story is very personal to each individual soul,
and a macrocosmic view in which all souls are involved as a soul group.
For example, he taught that the biblical Adam did not
only represent an individual soul but an entire soul group. (EC 900-227) And
that our souls were among that group, a group called in the Book of Job the
“Morning Stars.” Here’s that text: “Then the Lord answered Job out of the
whirlwind, saying, “Where
were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth? Tell me, if you have
understanding. Who laid the cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?’” (Job 38:1-7)
Our souls were alive long before this incarnation and
will live long after it. According to Cayce, the Bible tells the story of our
souls’ journey (individually and as a group) from our creation in the image of
God, through the fall from grace and the loss of the Garden, up through the
struggles to regain that glory that was ours “before the world was.” (EC 1158-9
and John 17:5) The Revelation, according to Cayce, is a very special part of
the great biblical story and should be studied as a kind of roadmap for the
final spiritualization of our bodies and minds to fully reach our intended
purpose for existence: eternal companionship with our Creator.
The psalmist wrote: “I say, “You are gods, sons of the
Most High, all of you.’” (Ps. 82:7) And even Jesus addressed this: “Is it not
written in your law, “I
said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came (and
scripture cannot be broken), do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and
sent into the world, “You
are blaspheming,’ because I said, “I am the Son of God’?”
& & &
I do realize that three is a risk that this slippery slope
leads to Neville Goddard, to “the Law”, to “the Secret” and a non-biblical
interpretation. However, learning is
about considering alternatives. Thus, it
is offered to the reader in that context.
Don’t lose sight of Romans 10:9.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia
& & &
END
"Hugh C. Wood", "Hugh Wood", Book of Revelation, John the Elder, 5th Interpretation of Revelation, Edgar Casey, 7 churches, 7 charkas, 12 cranial nerves, 24 elders, a personal awakening and returning to God
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