Chapter Eight
Beasts, battles, and Being
I'm really not into numbers at all. Oh, when I was very small, four I think, I shocked my parents by announcing that one and one are two, two and two are four. I just understood that. It didn't mean that I am a mathematical genius. Sadly, I'm not. And I have never been drawn to such things as numerology, neither new age nor Jewish mystical. Certainly, it is interesting to know that in the Hebrew alphabet, each letter has a numerical value, but I'm pretty sure that any practical use there is to that fact wouldn't survive translation into English. And, Revelation was written in Greek, anyway.
But anyone who sincerely wants to understand the Revelation to John had better work at figuring out what some of its numbers meant to John. No amount of research into the various number schemes will really help to understand Revelation. Nearly all definitions are in Revelation itself, either explicitly or in puzzle form, and if you pay attention, you'll be amazed at how many definitions are given but not noticed. Sometimes the definition given makes no sense or doesn't seem important, and so, is quickly forgotten. Other definitions are given considerably later than the thing or event concerned, and the relevance of it is missed.
Here is an example: Revelation 19:8 It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Here, nearly at the end of Revelation, is a statement about what the fine linen means. There are a number of instances all throughout Revelation where someone’s robes are mentioned. As we read through them, we get no particular meaning from them. Now that we have a meaning for pure, fine linen, do we go back and review what was said?
One mention of apparel was of the martyrs under the altar in heaven. They were given clean linen to wear and told to wait. I have listened to more than one sermon glorifying those martyrs, little said of why they were in such a strange place, no mention of their unsaintly behavior, impatiently yelling for vengeance, and not wondering why they needed fresh linen or what that even signified. With the definition given in Chapter 19, we know that they have been behaving poorly. Their sins were not even washed away by the blood of the Lamb, as is the case with the numberless multitude who had come through the great tribulation.
The bad news is that they had soiled themselves.
The good news is that even they were given fresh duds, a chance to do it over.
The beast
This is a very roundabout way of getting to the beast and its number, but I have a reason for beating around the bush a little.
Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.
In order to gain the understanding required to calculate the number of the beast, we must be wise and use the tools given us.
1. 666 is the number of a man; not a heavenly or hellish being, but a man. This is supported by the fifth bowl of wrath being poured out on humans, the throne of the beast.
2. The beast is not one person to be identified, vilified and put away. The beast is any of us when we conform to beastliness and become the throne of the beast, the seat of power of the beast. Why do I say this? I can't prove it, but I hope you will seriously consider the possibility that this is the way to understand Revelation. I may deal with this a little more later, but for now, please consider the possibility that all that is described in Revelation is true not only universally, but personally as well. This understanding transforms Revelation from being a chronicle of death and disaster, and how to avoid it, into a guide to reach what we humans are truly capable of.
3. Once you admit this possibility, it will not only change how you read Revelation, but will allow you to make sense of other scripture. I'm not referring to the book of Daniel, which is often linked with Revelation, but to the writings of Paul. I will only give one example of this, since it relates to the point I am trying to make here, but there are many examples of Paul's ideas and images in Revelation once you know to look for them.
Galatians 4:1 But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all; 4:2 but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father. 4:3 So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world.
4:8 However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods. 4:9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again? 4:10 You observe days, months, seasons, and years.
Paul speaks of us in developmental terms often, describing how we pass from one stage to another, but this is the clearest example I have found of how, when spiritual children, we are in bondage to elemental principles. In Revelation they are called living creatures, and not mindless forces.
But Paul, in this letter to the Galatians, also speaks of how we can travel both directions on this range of human development. This, I think, is the key to understanding the number of the beast. I didn't need Paul's words to come to my present understanding, but now having found it, Paul informs and confirms it.
As spiritual children we are knocked around at the mercy of the four elemental principles. Becoming self-aware, we can begin to deal with them. We have moved to the fifth position. Then, letting Christ live in us, taking on Christ, the Lord of creation, we can take on part of that which not only deals with the elemental powers, but can be in control of them to some extent. This is the sixth position. The whole process begins and ends with God, who created the universe and us and the elemental principles. That is 1 through 7 of the series of things in Revelation.
But as we read through the breaking of seals, the sounding of trumpets, and the loosing of wrath, we noticed that the end, the seventh thing, was often missed, and when we did notice each event it seemed anti-climactic. How much more this is true in the living of our lives.
The half hour of silence, the seventh seal, gets filled with noise.
The affirmation that the world is God's domain, which happens at the seventh trumpet, is ascribed to lip service or dramatic dressing.
And at the end of the dispensing of wrath, the seventh bowl, "It is finished!", seems unreal. We come to feel that "it" will never end.
When God, the beginning and the end of our life process, is left out, ignored, then forgotten, there is no longer a 777. We are left with 666. We become the throne of the beast.
Now for the battle!
Revelation 19:19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army. 19:20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 19:21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.
Wow! What a battle! Did you catch all the action? If you didn't, you are not alone. I, at least, don't find any Battle of Armageddon in Revelation, even though it is probably the most famous battle of all time. It is supposed to be the last battle.
For two thousand years Christians have been trying to figure out when that last battle will take place. A couple of things occur to me.
1. There doesn't appear to be a battle at all. The opposing armies are drawn up, ready to do battle. But, seemingly without any fighting at all, the beast and the false prophet are taken. They're just taken! The leaders of the armies opposing "the one sitting on the horse," are no longer on the scene, and what is more, they are thrown into the lake of fire, and we have already noted that we don't really know what that is, but we do know it is a place the beast and the false really don't like.
2. What happens next might be thought of as a battle. "All the rest," were slain by the one sitting on the white horse. Sounds like there might have been a battle, right? The only problem is that they were slain by the sword that came out of his mouth; slain by his word.
That works, doesn't it? Using magic words to wreak destruction upon the enemy? Well, it works only if the one on the horse was a wizard or, maybe a necromancer. That would never be! The identity of the one on the horse is purposely left vague, and is recognizable as both Christ and as “he who overcomes.” Refer to the promises in each of the letters in Chapters Two and Three. The sword coming from “his” mouth is truth, and the sword of truth slays us differently than does a worldly sword.
There is no battle, but one certainly threatens. This, I think, is central to how Revelation is telling us to live our lives here. We seem to always be under threat of attack, and so much of the time we are tempted to seek out some sure thing as a way to survive.
So, let's turn to the subject of being.
Being faithful when all seems lost and hopeless.
Being in the present moment where the beast is not.
Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
God, on the other hand, is not only the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, but also the ruler of NOW.
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
A simple strategy begins suggest itself. When we sense that we are in the lake of fire, we get ourselves into the here-and-now, where God is and the beast is not.
That, of course, is very much like a simple strategy for baseball, which is to get lots of hits and not let the other team get any. The strategy is simple, but the game itself is complex.
The game of living on the earth is very complex, but the simple strategy is valid in that it establishes a goal. In my experience it is a goal that works.
Let’s acknowledge some of the complications involved in moving from the lake of fire to the sea of glass.
1. Recognize that what is being experienced is not normal or necessary.
2. Know what to do about it.
3. Begin the process.
4. Continue the process.
1. Recognize that what is being experienced is not normal or necessary.
What I have been referring to as being in the lake of fire is just a convenient way of meaning what our life experience is like while we are whacked around continually by the elemental forces. And it may very well be that is your normal way to be. If so, then it will almost certainly be very difficult to realize that life can be different. Life can be better. But if you are reading this and wondering if it really is true that life can be better, you are very likely at a very important point in your life. Don't let it pass without at least giving the sea of glass a try.
What I have been referring to as the sea of glass is what our life experience is like when we have some protection from those elemental forces which are part of our experience here on earth. But protection here doesn’t mean toughening our armor, emotional and psychic, so the worst of the worst can’t hurt us.
If you accept the battle as real and necessary, you have probably made one of the following accommodations to it.
Perhaps you choose to be the Lion. “The battle is real, and I will win it.”
Or the lamb. “The battle is real, and I’ll just lose.”
Then there’s the turtle. “The battle is real, but can’t hurt me at all.”
Or maybe the ostrich. “What battle?”
These animals and their life-stances are not my invention. I encountered them at a supervision training course forty years ago, and I have seen them regularly as a counselor for the State of Washington and later as a pastor. Do you recognize yourself as one of them?
Don’t mistake the ostrich for a dweller by the sea of glass. When we are experiencing the sea of glass there truly is no battle. The ostrich dwells within the lake of fire, but has his head stuck so deep in the sand he can, and does, deny the battle.
Let me make this clear. I find no "last battle" in Revelation, but much misery is certainly described there. This is what is called the tribulation. A few have escaped having to go through the tribulation. Remember the 144,000. But the rest of us seem to need to go through it and living through the tribulation is the battle.
I find it increasingly difficult to understand end-timers who dwell upon the tribulation.
We are called upon by the Christ of Revelation to be patient and endure. As we overcome, we sit with Christ on that white horse, at the head of his army, armed with the sword of truth. We are tempted, even at this latter, triumphant stage, to go into battle against the forces of evil. Either fear, anger, pride, the need for "justice," or impatience drives us to really need to "get the bastards!"
If all we had from Revelation was the call for patience and endurance, it would be the equivalent of saying, "Life is tough, deal with it." but Revelation doesn't leave us there.
2. Know what to do about it.
Wrongness in our lives takes a variety of forms. Some are overpowered by anger or fear. Some feel smothered to inaction by myriads of factors in life, or just by a sense of oppressiveness. Our lives might be ruled by our base passions, or by cruel or controlling people. No matter what form it takes, there comes a time when we have had enough. How can we possibly know how to handle all of these different things?
Well, we don't have to know how to solve all of our different problems. If we are in a pasture and a very angry bull is running toward us, what can we possibly do? We can slip outside of the fence! We don’t need to slay or subdue the bull. We just need to remove ourselves from where he can do us harm. Remember the “simple strategy?” That is exactly what we need to do.
A simple strategy begins suggest itself. When we sense that we are in the lake of fire, we get ourselves into the here-and-now, where God is and the beast is not.
You may or may not know that getting ourselves into the here and now is nothing new. It is ancient wisdom, it is true, and it works. Scores of disciplines offer to help us do so, and most of them accomplish well the task of helping us reach the here and now.
We need to talk strategy for a short while.
To many of us leading modern, busy lives, most of the ancient and recently rediscovered disciplines just don't work for us. Some require that we be in a quiet, private place. Others depend upon us ignoring external events and centering our attention within such as our breathing, or on something external, as a candle or a spoken word repeated. But the main problem with almost all of these strategies is that they are of little or no value once we are involved in a destructive behavior or situation.
Once we are angry, for example, we can't just decide not to be angry. We aren't made that way, and chanting “Om” while we are in the middle of righteous rage will simply result in that becoming a cool new expletive for us.
Contemplation, meditation, and discipline are effective and help us be better people if practiced regularly, but I, at least need something that will halt whatever negative process I am involved in and get me to the here and now. I found such a device years ago in P. D. Ouspensky’s The Fourth Way. I have practiced it for years and it has literally saved my life, my sanity, and my career on more than one occasion. This simple process has let me be in the here and now in the midst of the worst, has taken me from the lake of fire and the beast within me, and deposited me right at the edge of the sea of glass where God is at my center and Christ unites me with all of creation.
I could outline it for you, but not as well as he does, He called it “Remembering yourself.”
To remember oneself means the same thing as to be aware of oneself—’ I am’. Sometimes it comes by itself; it is a very strange feeling. It is not a function, not thinking, not feeling; it is a different state of consciousness. By itself it only comes for very short moments, generally in quite new surroundings, and one says to oneself: ‘How strange. I am here’. This is selfremembering; at this moment you remember yourself.
Ouspensky, P. D. The Fourth Way. BookMasters. Kindle Edition.
So now I have suggested what you can do. You don’t know yet if it is truly the thing to do, but you won’t know for certain until you try it. So for now, let’s just say it is something to try. Only by trying it will you get to the point where you...2. Know what to do about it. At the very least, you know what to try out. Will you? Only you can decide that.
In fact, if you haven’t given it a try by now, you probably won’t. A true seeker would have given it a go when the idea was presented by Mr. Ouspensky himself, just to see what it might feel like.
But you have another opportunity now. In fact, you have as many opportunities as you have moments in your lifetime that is left to you.
3. Begin the process.
If you do decide to take this from the realm of intellectual curiosity and make it a real experience, you have most likely already done so. If you haven't, not much of what I will point out or suggest from here on will make any sense at all. I will assume that all who read further will have their own experience to refer to.
Since we aren't sitting together, sharing experiences, I won't know exactly what yours has been, but it probably isn't too different from mine. When we remember ourselves, bells don't clang or lightning flash, at least not too often. What does happen is that we have a sense of being alive, and alive to what is going on around us. This is a characteristic of being in the here and now. We are a little more awake than we usually are. Far from taking us away from our activities and interactions, it makes us more completely a part of them. For the time that we are remembering ourselves, and for a time afterward, we become better drivers, better friends, better humans. We sit at the edge of the sea of glass, bathed in the emerald light surrounding the throne of the one at our center. This is true until we forget ourselves by thinking about what is “going on.”
You have probably already noticed that it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to keep remembering yourself for more than a second or three at a time. It is also just as hard to decide to try it again right away. It isn’t so much that we have decided it is all a waste of time, and we have decided to give it up. No, it’s worse than that. We become so involved in whatever train of thought that derailed us right out of the here and now, that it is simply a long time before we even think about it all. And the more we decide to try it again, and keep at it, and only succeed in moments at a time, the quicker we come to a rather depressing suspicion.
We are in the habit of thinking of ourselves as self aware beings. We have been taught this. It is a basic element of who we think we are. But in remembering ourselves we get glimpses of what awareness, self awareness, truly is; or I should say, glimpses of what self awareness can become.
We begin to doubt that we really are conscious at all.
We are beings who have the capacity to be self aware, but reaching that state, or even getting nearer to it doesn’t happen by itself. It takes dedication and true effort, sustained effort, on our part. And that is where we find ourselves right now. We have to decide whether or not to continue the process.
4. Continue the process.
There are so many reasons not to do this. Most have been mentioned here. It takes real effort. Stacking up failures isn't conducive to continuing to make it work. Frustration has a way of causing us to forget that even our limited success at remembering ourselves almost always results in a very real benefit.
Even a second or two out from under the influence of the beast is immensely beneficial! But we are often blinded by the glimpses of amazing possibilities we have while remembering ourselves, and crushed by the disappointment of not realizing those possibilities right away.
At this point I will suggest an intermediate strategy.
Whatever it is that is going wrong in our lives is probably manifesting as some kind of negative emotion. Whether our anger, fear, jealousy or despair is arising in response to outside forces or internal thought processes, it is the negative emotion that is the immediate cause of our discomfort.
Anger is a good example. Whether our anger is the result of an old injustice, a recent slight (That bastard cut me off!) or a threatening crisis, it seldom serves us well. Most of the time our anger is making our lives a living hell. If we have tried to make it go away, often it intensifies until we are out of control.
Remember yourself.
Decide that your response to anger will be to remember yourself. You will not think to do so right away, but somewhere in the process, it doesn't matter exactly where, you will do it. And you will find that your anger cannot continue in the here and now. It dies from lack of fuel.
Make this your habit. Let your most serious stumbling block become a reminder to be in the here and now. And we don't accomplish this by talking or thinking about it. We do it. We remember ourselves.
Remembering ourselves progresses from being an interesting idea to an intriguing experiment, from a glimpsed possibility to a much desired but seemingly impossible vehicle to enlightenment. But now we make it mundane. We treat it as a coping mechanism. We can't seem to embody enlightenment but we handle mundane quite well, thank you very much.
As you make this your practice in life, you will find that you remember yourself earlier and earlier in the destructive process until what had been a major problem to you has become a stepping stone to a better life.
You may have to choose something else as a reminder to remember yourself. Don't worry. You'll have plenty of things to choose from, but you will be spending less and less time in the lake of fire.
Well, this has been fun, at least for me. These few chapters have been the outline of my current understanding and approach to the study of Revelation, and just a few of my conclusions. As we approach the end of this study, I hope you will let it be the beginning of your own.
I have found the wisdom of Revelation to be deep, real, and so much more than I had thought it would be so many years ago.
I wish for you the peace that passes understanding as you rest on the shore by the sea of glass.
Gordon
Beasts, battles, and Being
I'm really not into numbers at all. Oh, when I was very small, four I think, I shocked my parents by announcing that one and one are two, two and two are four. I just understood that. It didn't mean that I am a mathematical genius. Sadly, I'm not. And I have never been drawn to such things as numerology, neither new age nor Jewish mystical. Certainly, it is interesting to know that in the Hebrew alphabet, each letter has a numerical value, but I'm pretty sure that any practical use there is to that fact wouldn't survive translation into English. And, Revelation was written in Greek, anyway.
But anyone who sincerely wants to understand the Revelation to John had better work at figuring out what some of its numbers meant to John. No amount of research into the various number schemes will really help to understand Revelation. Nearly all definitions are in Revelation itself, either explicitly or in puzzle form, and if you pay attention, you'll be amazed at how many definitions are given but not noticed. Sometimes the definition given makes no sense or doesn't seem important, and so, is quickly forgotten. Other definitions are given considerably later than the thing or event concerned, and the relevance of it is missed.
Here is an example: Revelation 19:8 It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Here, nearly at the end of Revelation, is a statement about what the fine linen means. There are a number of instances all throughout Revelation where someone’s robes are mentioned. As we read through them, we get no particular meaning from them. Now that we have a meaning for pure, fine linen, do we go back and review what was said?
One mention of apparel was of the martyrs under the altar in heaven. They were given clean linen to wear and told to wait. I have listened to more than one sermon glorifying those martyrs, little said of why they were in such a strange place, no mention of their unsaintly behavior, impatiently yelling for vengeance, and not wondering why they needed fresh linen or what that even signified. With the definition given in Chapter 19, we know that they have been behaving poorly. Their sins were not even washed away by the blood of the Lamb, as is the case with the numberless multitude who had come through the great tribulation.
The bad news is that they had soiled themselves.
The good news is that even they were given fresh duds, a chance to do it over.
The beast
This is a very roundabout way of getting to the beast and its number, but I have a reason for beating around the bush a little.
Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.
In order to gain the understanding required to calculate the number of the beast, we must be wise and use the tools given us.
1. 666 is the number of a man; not a heavenly or hellish being, but a man. This is supported by the fifth bowl of wrath being poured out on humans, the throne of the beast.
2. The beast is not one person to be identified, vilified and put away. The beast is any of us when we conform to beastliness and become the throne of the beast, the seat of power of the beast. Why do I say this? I can't prove it, but I hope you will seriously consider the possibility that this is the way to understand Revelation. I may deal with this a little more later, but for now, please consider the possibility that all that is described in Revelation is true not only universally, but personally as well. This understanding transforms Revelation from being a chronicle of death and disaster, and how to avoid it, into a guide to reach what we humans are truly capable of.
3. Once you admit this possibility, it will not only change how you read Revelation, but will allow you to make sense of other scripture. I'm not referring to the book of Daniel, which is often linked with Revelation, but to the writings of Paul. I will only give one example of this, since it relates to the point I am trying to make here, but there are many examples of Paul's ideas and images in Revelation once you know to look for them.
Galatians 4:1 But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all; 4:2 but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father. 4:3 So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world.
4:8 However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods. 4:9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again? 4:10 You observe days, months, seasons, and years.
Paul speaks of us in developmental terms often, describing how we pass from one stage to another, but this is the clearest example I have found of how, when spiritual children, we are in bondage to elemental principles. In Revelation they are called living creatures, and not mindless forces.
But Paul, in this letter to the Galatians, also speaks of how we can travel both directions on this range of human development. This, I think, is the key to understanding the number of the beast. I didn't need Paul's words to come to my present understanding, but now having found it, Paul informs and confirms it.
As spiritual children we are knocked around at the mercy of the four elemental principles. Becoming self-aware, we can begin to deal with them. We have moved to the fifth position. Then, letting Christ live in us, taking on Christ, the Lord of creation, we can take on part of that which not only deals with the elemental powers, but can be in control of them to some extent. This is the sixth position. The whole process begins and ends with God, who created the universe and us and the elemental principles. That is 1 through 7 of the series of things in Revelation.
But as we read through the breaking of seals, the sounding of trumpets, and the loosing of wrath, we noticed that the end, the seventh thing, was often missed, and when we did notice each event it seemed anti-climactic. How much more this is true in the living of our lives.
The half hour of silence, the seventh seal, gets filled with noise.
The affirmation that the world is God's domain, which happens at the seventh trumpet, is ascribed to lip service or dramatic dressing.
And at the end of the dispensing of wrath, the seventh bowl, "It is finished!", seems unreal. We come to feel that "it" will never end.
When God, the beginning and the end of our life process, is left out, ignored, then forgotten, there is no longer a 777. We are left with 666. We become the throne of the beast.
Now for the battle!
Revelation 19:19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army. 19:20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 19:21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.
Wow! What a battle! Did you catch all the action? If you didn't, you are not alone. I, at least, don't find any Battle of Armageddon in Revelation, even though it is probably the most famous battle of all time. It is supposed to be the last battle.
For two thousand years Christians have been trying to figure out when that last battle will take place. A couple of things occur to me.
1. There doesn't appear to be a battle at all. The opposing armies are drawn up, ready to do battle. But, seemingly without any fighting at all, the beast and the false prophet are taken. They're just taken! The leaders of the armies opposing "the one sitting on the horse," are no longer on the scene, and what is more, they are thrown into the lake of fire, and we have already noted that we don't really know what that is, but we do know it is a place the beast and the false really don't like.
2. What happens next might be thought of as a battle. "All the rest," were slain by the one sitting on the white horse. Sounds like there might have been a battle, right? The only problem is that they were slain by the sword that came out of his mouth; slain by his word.
That works, doesn't it? Using magic words to wreak destruction upon the enemy? Well, it works only if the one on the horse was a wizard or, maybe a necromancer. That would never be! The identity of the one on the horse is purposely left vague, and is recognizable as both Christ and as “he who overcomes.” Refer to the promises in each of the letters in Chapters Two and Three. The sword coming from “his” mouth is truth, and the sword of truth slays us differently than does a worldly sword.
There is no battle, but one certainly threatens. This, I think, is central to how Revelation is telling us to live our lives here. We seem to always be under threat of attack, and so much of the time we are tempted to seek out some sure thing as a way to survive.
So, let's turn to the subject of being.
Being faithful when all seems lost and hopeless.
Being in the present moment where the beast is not.
Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
God, on the other hand, is not only the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, but also the ruler of NOW.
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
A simple strategy begins suggest itself. When we sense that we are in the lake of fire, we get ourselves into the here-and-now, where God is and the beast is not.
That, of course, is very much like a simple strategy for baseball, which is to get lots of hits and not let the other team get any. The strategy is simple, but the game itself is complex.
The game of living on the earth is very complex, but the simple strategy is valid in that it establishes a goal. In my experience it is a goal that works.
Let’s acknowledge some of the complications involved in moving from the lake of fire to the sea of glass.
1. Recognize that what is being experienced is not normal or necessary.
2. Know what to do about it.
3. Begin the process.
4. Continue the process.
1. Recognize that what is being experienced is not normal or necessary.
What I have been referring to as being in the lake of fire is just a convenient way of meaning what our life experience is like while we are whacked around continually by the elemental forces. And it may very well be that is your normal way to be. If so, then it will almost certainly be very difficult to realize that life can be different. Life can be better. But if you are reading this and wondering if it really is true that life can be better, you are very likely at a very important point in your life. Don't let it pass without at least giving the sea of glass a try.
What I have been referring to as the sea of glass is what our life experience is like when we have some protection from those elemental forces which are part of our experience here on earth. But protection here doesn’t mean toughening our armor, emotional and psychic, so the worst of the worst can’t hurt us.
If you accept the battle as real and necessary, you have probably made one of the following accommodations to it.
Perhaps you choose to be the Lion. “The battle is real, and I will win it.”
Or the lamb. “The battle is real, and I’ll just lose.”
Then there’s the turtle. “The battle is real, but can’t hurt me at all.”
Or maybe the ostrich. “What battle?”
These animals and their life-stances are not my invention. I encountered them at a supervision training course forty years ago, and I have seen them regularly as a counselor for the State of Washington and later as a pastor. Do you recognize yourself as one of them?
Don’t mistake the ostrich for a dweller by the sea of glass. When we are experiencing the sea of glass there truly is no battle. The ostrich dwells within the lake of fire, but has his head stuck so deep in the sand he can, and does, deny the battle.
Let me make this clear. I find no "last battle" in Revelation, but much misery is certainly described there. This is what is called the tribulation. A few have escaped having to go through the tribulation. Remember the 144,000. But the rest of us seem to need to go through it and living through the tribulation is the battle.
I find it increasingly difficult to understand end-timers who dwell upon the tribulation.
We are called upon by the Christ of Revelation to be patient and endure. As we overcome, we sit with Christ on that white horse, at the head of his army, armed with the sword of truth. We are tempted, even at this latter, triumphant stage, to go into battle against the forces of evil. Either fear, anger, pride, the need for "justice," or impatience drives us to really need to "get the bastards!"
If all we had from Revelation was the call for patience and endurance, it would be the equivalent of saying, "Life is tough, deal with it." but Revelation doesn't leave us there.
2. Know what to do about it.
Wrongness in our lives takes a variety of forms. Some are overpowered by anger or fear. Some feel smothered to inaction by myriads of factors in life, or just by a sense of oppressiveness. Our lives might be ruled by our base passions, or by cruel or controlling people. No matter what form it takes, there comes a time when we have had enough. How can we possibly know how to handle all of these different things?
Well, we don't have to know how to solve all of our different problems. If we are in a pasture and a very angry bull is running toward us, what can we possibly do? We can slip outside of the fence! We don’t need to slay or subdue the bull. We just need to remove ourselves from where he can do us harm. Remember the “simple strategy?” That is exactly what we need to do.
A simple strategy begins suggest itself. When we sense that we are in the lake of fire, we get ourselves into the here-and-now, where God is and the beast is not.
You may or may not know that getting ourselves into the here and now is nothing new. It is ancient wisdom, it is true, and it works. Scores of disciplines offer to help us do so, and most of them accomplish well the task of helping us reach the here and now.
We need to talk strategy for a short while.
To many of us leading modern, busy lives, most of the ancient and recently rediscovered disciplines just don't work for us. Some require that we be in a quiet, private place. Others depend upon us ignoring external events and centering our attention within such as our breathing, or on something external, as a candle or a spoken word repeated. But the main problem with almost all of these strategies is that they are of little or no value once we are involved in a destructive behavior or situation.
Once we are angry, for example, we can't just decide not to be angry. We aren't made that way, and chanting “Om” while we are in the middle of righteous rage will simply result in that becoming a cool new expletive for us.
Contemplation, meditation, and discipline are effective and help us be better people if practiced regularly, but I, at least need something that will halt whatever negative process I am involved in and get me to the here and now. I found such a device years ago in P. D. Ouspensky’s The Fourth Way. I have practiced it for years and it has literally saved my life, my sanity, and my career on more than one occasion. This simple process has let me be in the here and now in the midst of the worst, has taken me from the lake of fire and the beast within me, and deposited me right at the edge of the sea of glass where God is at my center and Christ unites me with all of creation.
I could outline it for you, but not as well as he does, He called it “Remembering yourself.”
To remember oneself means the same thing as to be aware of oneself—’ I am’. Sometimes it comes by itself; it is a very strange feeling. It is not a function, not thinking, not feeling; it is a different state of consciousness. By itself it only comes for very short moments, generally in quite new surroundings, and one says to oneself: ‘How strange. I am here’. This is selfremembering; at this moment you remember yourself.
Ouspensky, P. D. The Fourth Way. BookMasters. Kindle Edition.
So now I have suggested what you can do. You don’t know yet if it is truly the thing to do, but you won’t know for certain until you try it. So for now, let’s just say it is something to try. Only by trying it will you get to the point where you...2. Know what to do about it. At the very least, you know what to try out. Will you? Only you can decide that.
In fact, if you haven’t given it a try by now, you probably won’t. A true seeker would have given it a go when the idea was presented by Mr. Ouspensky himself, just to see what it might feel like.
But you have another opportunity now. In fact, you have as many opportunities as you have moments in your lifetime that is left to you.
3. Begin the process.
If you do decide to take this from the realm of intellectual curiosity and make it a real experience, you have most likely already done so. If you haven't, not much of what I will point out or suggest from here on will make any sense at all. I will assume that all who read further will have their own experience to refer to.
Since we aren't sitting together, sharing experiences, I won't know exactly what yours has been, but it probably isn't too different from mine. When we remember ourselves, bells don't clang or lightning flash, at least not too often. What does happen is that we have a sense of being alive, and alive to what is going on around us. This is a characteristic of being in the here and now. We are a little more awake than we usually are. Far from taking us away from our activities and interactions, it makes us more completely a part of them. For the time that we are remembering ourselves, and for a time afterward, we become better drivers, better friends, better humans. We sit at the edge of the sea of glass, bathed in the emerald light surrounding the throne of the one at our center. This is true until we forget ourselves by thinking about what is “going on.”
You have probably already noticed that it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to keep remembering yourself for more than a second or three at a time. It is also just as hard to decide to try it again right away. It isn’t so much that we have decided it is all a waste of time, and we have decided to give it up. No, it’s worse than that. We become so involved in whatever train of thought that derailed us right out of the here and now, that it is simply a long time before we even think about it all. And the more we decide to try it again, and keep at it, and only succeed in moments at a time, the quicker we come to a rather depressing suspicion.
We are in the habit of thinking of ourselves as self aware beings. We have been taught this. It is a basic element of who we think we are. But in remembering ourselves we get glimpses of what awareness, self awareness, truly is; or I should say, glimpses of what self awareness can become.
We begin to doubt that we really are conscious at all.
We are beings who have the capacity to be self aware, but reaching that state, or even getting nearer to it doesn’t happen by itself. It takes dedication and true effort, sustained effort, on our part. And that is where we find ourselves right now. We have to decide whether or not to continue the process.
4. Continue the process.
There are so many reasons not to do this. Most have been mentioned here. It takes real effort. Stacking up failures isn't conducive to continuing to make it work. Frustration has a way of causing us to forget that even our limited success at remembering ourselves almost always results in a very real benefit.
Even a second or two out from under the influence of the beast is immensely beneficial! But we are often blinded by the glimpses of amazing possibilities we have while remembering ourselves, and crushed by the disappointment of not realizing those possibilities right away.
At this point I will suggest an intermediate strategy.
Whatever it is that is going wrong in our lives is probably manifesting as some kind of negative emotion. Whether our anger, fear, jealousy or despair is arising in response to outside forces or internal thought processes, it is the negative emotion that is the immediate cause of our discomfort.
Anger is a good example. Whether our anger is the result of an old injustice, a recent slight (That bastard cut me off!) or a threatening crisis, it seldom serves us well. Most of the time our anger is making our lives a living hell. If we have tried to make it go away, often it intensifies until we are out of control.
Remember yourself.
Decide that your response to anger will be to remember yourself. You will not think to do so right away, but somewhere in the process, it doesn't matter exactly where, you will do it. And you will find that your anger cannot continue in the here and now. It dies from lack of fuel.
Make this your habit. Let your most serious stumbling block become a reminder to be in the here and now. And we don't accomplish this by talking or thinking about it. We do it. We remember ourselves.
Remembering ourselves progresses from being an interesting idea to an intriguing experiment, from a glimpsed possibility to a much desired but seemingly impossible vehicle to enlightenment. But now we make it mundane. We treat it as a coping mechanism. We can't seem to embody enlightenment but we handle mundane quite well, thank you very much.
As you make this your practice in life, you will find that you remember yourself earlier and earlier in the destructive process until what had been a major problem to you has become a stepping stone to a better life.
You may have to choose something else as a reminder to remember yourself. Don't worry. You'll have plenty of things to choose from, but you will be spending less and less time in the lake of fire.
Well, this has been fun, at least for me. These few chapters have been the outline of my current understanding and approach to the study of Revelation, and just a few of my conclusions. As we approach the end of this study, I hope you will let it be the beginning of your own.
I have found the wisdom of Revelation to be deep, real, and so much more than I had thought it would be so many years ago.
I wish for you the peace that passes understanding as you rest on the shore by the sea of glass.
Gordon