In our meditations over the weekend there was a very definite movement forward and in order to let that forward movement be sustained, I feel this morning that we should touch upon a point in Revelation. Again, I will read the verses [Chapter 12: 10-12] with which we concluded our meditation last evening.
“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 our 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.
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
You will remember that this is the expression of a loud voice saying something in Heaven, and we remember that Heaven is not far away, but is at hand—and it is after the dragon is cast out of Heaven. Now you recognize that insofar as your Heaven is concerned, in the individual sense, the great red dragon has access to your Heaven and functions at least to some degree in your Heaven until he is cast out of your Heaven. The Heaven within you is not forbidden territory to the great red dragon until you make a pattern of response, come to a point of centering, which allows your Heaven to be a part of the Kingdom of God on earth. [greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-accuser-cast-down.html]
Your Heaven, your vibrational atmosphere within you, is supposed to be, in the Divine sense, a place where only heavenly things can be found. But the heaven that is within you is not such a place until you come to the point of letting these cycles of the resurrection work out in and through you. Heaven is within you all the time, but your heaven is not a clear place, free of the influence of the great red dragon until you reach this point in the resurrection. It is something that is determined by you, not by someone else. And once you begin to realize your personal responsibility in it, and recognize that it is something that can come in your life at any time you are willing to let it come, the Heaven within you can begin to be that which God intended for it to be. Man has in time past turned to that heaven within himself, seeking God, and touching that heaven has found not God but the great red dragon, and so he has assumed that it is impossible to know the Reality of the Heaven within. But that heaven is not clear, it is not received as a part of God's Heaven until the great red dragon is cast out of it, and when he is cast out, he is cast out into the earth.
Now that does not mean that at this point in the outworking you are no longer in position to hear or feel or sense the influence or the working of the great red dragon. It simply means that he has been cleared out of that Realm of Heaven and that he has been cast into the earth. Now if you are an inhabiter of Heaven, a citizen, a dweller in Heaven on earth, you are all right. But if you are an inhabiter of the earth, or if you yourself, by wrong function, by breaking the pattern of polarity, leave your own Heaven and come into the earth in the outer sense, then you are for that period of time, whatever it may be, an inhabiter of the earth.
Now as long as you are dwelling in Heaven—“therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them”—as long as you are dwelling in Heaven you are all right. But, “woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” At this particular point then, in the process of resurrection, the great red dragon is still in existence—he has merely been cast out of your Heaven, and as long as you dwell in your Heaven on earth, you are safe. But if wrong reaction drives you out of your heaven into your earth, then woe unto you. “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!” That is the centering in relationship to the physical, material realm and to mind or knowledge, concepts of which the mind may be aware. The sea is here symbolical of the truth or knowledge of which man is aware in an outer sense.
So if you are a dweller in the earth and in the sea, the outer physical aspects of being, without regard to the heaven within you, then when the dragon is cast out of Heaven, you as an inhabiter of the earth and of the sea, are subject to an intensification. Now in the process of casting out, there comes the realization that “now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ.” All of these things made manifest in your Heaven, and are yet to be made manifest through the physical aspect of your being, in your living of life. Therefore, as you remain as one who dwells in Heaven, you are safe. But, “woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
This pattern of wrath, as the cycle works out through individuals, and out into the world, will become more and more evident, more and more intense. At the moment it is comparatively mild—limited more-or-less to individuals, particularly to individuals here, and the pattern of outworking is very mild. But as the casting out process continues, as you hold steady and learn to dwell in your Heaven, individually, the pattern becomes intensified and as the cycle moves out into the world it becomes more and more intense with the great red dragon being more and more filled with wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time—until that final outworking that is pictured when those who are the angels of the dragon undertake to surround the camp of the saints, and in that intensification of the conflict, the dragon and all of his angels, all of his followers, are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone which burneth forever and ever.
Now we know that fire is the Fire of God's Love and it is that fire which purifies—it is that fire which burns away that which ought not to be. We cannot do anything about the function—perhaps that is an extreme statement—in the sense of bringing the dragon to an end, and his function on earth. We cannot do anything about it until every individual on the face of the earth has had his or her opportunity to choose one side or the other. That opportunity has not yet been made manifest, and the great red dragon is going to be more-or-less at liberty in the world, in the earth and in the sea, until that time comes.
Meanwhile, those who respond and understand the Way, the Truth and the Life are supposed to be living in their Heaven on earth. And then, after the pattern of clearing has been completed over the whole earth, and once the great red dragon has induced his followers—his angels, who are human beings of course—to undertake to annihilate the saints—that is, those who are functioning according to the Pattern of Reality, to use a little different language to portray the same thing—once the dragon has induced them to make this attempt to fight against God and against those who are serving God, the devil's own action brings his own reward.
The Fire of God's Love is there, and fighting against it, the dragon and the false prophets—the false prophets we will be considering as we continue this pattern, but of coarse, it represents the mind in a specific sense, with the beast as the physical aspect, the beast and the false prophets. In any case, we have the ultimate goal with respect to the great red dragon, not to fight him now, not to try to destroy him now, but to live in Heaven on earth so that he cannot disturb us now, and let the pattern work out until every man, woman and child on the face of the earth has had his or her opportunity—and then, when the dragon attempts to fight against God, in a overall pattern where the choices have all been established, the Fire of God's Love will complete the task and cast this pattern of self-activity out of the earth and it will be burned up or gone, be finished.
Such a state of affairs is necessary to the ultimate outworking, so that by reason of the restoration we can get back on the job and begin to do the work which we are supposed to be doing. This interval, working out the restoration, is simply a process of repairing the machinery. It is not the end and aim of our goal and our program. The Machinery of Reality broke down on earth—it has been at a standstill. Many efforts have been made to repair that machinery and they have all failed up to the present time. We are engaged as servants of our KING, or master mechanics, to repair the Machinery of Reality. We are here sharing training in preparation for your work in that regard. So the time is coming when the machinery will be back in operation and we can get on with our job as Divine Men and Women. Meanwhile, it is necessary for us to get the machinery working, and that is our immediate purpose.
So do not let the great red dragon trick you. Having reached the point of feeling the joy, the lightness, the beauty and the wonder, having the red dragon cast out of your Heaven, do not let him trick you into coming out of it yourself and having a contest with him, or playing games with him again, or you will spoil it all. Remember to dwell in your Heavens and rejoice, and let the cycles work out, and in season, if we serve correctly, the great red dragon shall cease to be. With respect to those who are the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea, woe unto you, whether here or somewhere else. You will remember in the passage that I read last evening, these words:
“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.” The man child is the positive expression of the Christ Light through you. “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.”
A time—that would be one, would it not? Times, plural—the initial plural is what? Two. And half a time—in other words, three and one-half. [greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com/2023/06/first-three-and-one-half-of-seven-steps.html] A time, and times, and half a time, signifies three and one-half. Halfway through the cycle. Our Master's Ministry continued on earth for three and one-half years on exactly the same basis, revealing the same principle. And the first half of the cycle, the protection is provided for the woman in the wilderness, from the face of the serpent. Now that which follows after is another or different phase, the succeeding part of the cycle. We are not ready for that yet. So she is nourished from the face of the serpent for a time, and times, and half a time—that is, three and one-half units of time—one half of this particularized cycle essential to this process of resurrection. Now the full significance of that will come later.
First however, we notice that when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. Merely because you have let the dragon be cast out of your Heaven, there is no statement which suggests that he will not be persecuting you or trying to upset you, disturb you, break the pattern—cause you to respond in the wrong direction. And it is in this period that we must be especially careful to maintain correct centering. And as you remain centered, something happens—as you hold centered in the pattern as a member of the Body of the Woman.
“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.”
The important thing here is that, “to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle.” Now we need to go back to the Fourth Chapter of Revelation to consider some of the basic factors with respect to this Machinery of Reality, so that you can begin to see the significance of the two wings of the great eagle. In the Fourth Chapter here, we read: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven.” It is because of the fact that that door was opened in Heaven, that you are here.
“And the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said. Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Now that invitation has been extended to you, and according to your response: “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, [and heaven is at hand, on earth] and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” Gold is the symbol of God's Love, the purity of God's Love. “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” At another time we will consider the significance of the Seven Spirits of God. “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts (four living creatures) full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” [greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com/2023/06/four-beastsfour-and-twenty-elders.html] Now you remember that the woman was given two wings of an eagle. And here we have the specific recognition of the four beasts or the four living creatures.
“And the first beast was like a lion.” As we consider the pattern of the Divine outworking we recognize that the lion is the symbol of our LORD and KING. We remember for instance, with respect to the Seven Sealed Book: “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice. Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.” And human beings have been trying for twenty thousand years to do it, and they did not, in their self-active attempts, succeed. “And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me. Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”
Now that is the pattern of Ministry, activity, fulfilment, that the Master came into the world to accomplish. And He said, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do”, and signified that He had opened the Seven Sealed Book—which we will consider more at another time. But I wish to establish for you, in consciousness, the fact that the lion is and was and shall be, the One Whom we speak of as the LORD of Lords, the one who incarnated on earth in the body of Jesus.
And remember that the second beast had a face as a calf. Now we go back to the pattern with respect to the Children of Israel, and we find that the calf has a very significant meaning. The ox is the symbol of the self-active mind of man which was sacrificed in the ceremonies of the temple, or the sanctuary, the tabernacle. The ox represented the self-active mind of man. And what a wonderful symbol that is. Did you ever watch an ox—how dull and uncomprehending and slow-witted the creature is? And man eats of the forbidden fruit and attempts to function on his own, and he is, as far as his consciousness is concerned, like an ox. Oh, he might get angry and do some fighting—but if you will watch the ox or consider the ox, you will find that in all aspects, it is a remarkable symbol of the self-active mind of man, the condition into which the human consciousness degenerates when the human being eats of the forbidden fruit. And so the ox is the symbol of the mind of man in the self-active state, that had to be sacrificed.
We remember the Master's Word, “Except ye come as a little child, ye shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” And the calf, then, relates to the mental plane exactly the same as the ox—but the calf signifies the pattern before it has become self-active, before it has been doped by the forbidden fruit, before it has reached a state where it cannot know the Way, the Truth and the Life. So, the calf symbolizes the mind of the man becoming youthful or child-like, willing to be subject to the Spirit of God, willing to be directed by the Power of God, to the end that you may have in you the mind that was in Christ Jesus. And then the third had a face as a Man. A very peculiar thing that—a creature with a face as a man. And that was supposed to be the point of manifestation—man, manifestation. Man is supposed to be the means of manifestation for the things of God on earth, and here we have the point of focalization where Man is supposed to be.
This is the point where the woman is born. This is the point where the pattern of outworking on earth begins to appear. It is in relationship to this particular point that you are here learning to serve, to function according to the Divine Plan. So, your place in this pattern of the four living creatures, or the four beasts which are full of eyes before and behind, is in relationship to Man—the means of manifestation for the things of God on earth, Man and Woman. But this point is supposed to be negative, responsive to, the point of the Lion. So in the process of the restoration—inasmuch as it was Eve, woman, that led the way of the fall, that is the negative aspect became positive to the positive aspect of being—we have exactly the reverse. It must be through woman that the restoration takes place, and we have been considering the nature of this woman, the pattern of her being. She is supposed to be clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars—and the twelve stars are the positive and negative aspects of the four and twenty elders which we have touched upon this morning. And then the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
“And the first beast was like a lion,
and the second beast like a calf,
and the third beast had a face as a man,
and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.”
Now there is more there, but for the moment let us consider. It is by reason of the two wings of the eagle that the woman is provided with the ability to move into her place appointed in the wilderness and be nourished for a time, times, and half a time. Until you begin to recognize the significance of this pattern—you will not comprehend it all in a moment—you cannot have a clear vision with respect to the Divine Design. Now it is not by chance that the eagle is the symbol of the sovereignty of the United States of America, and we thank God for the privilege of having this Nation on earth which has been the means by which God has been able to shape the pattern of outworking for the whole world to a considerable degree. It was through the cooperation of other nations of course, and the patterns, the ideals and determinations were not just the United States, but we have to recognize that the eagle is the symbol of the sovereignty of the United States of America. And it is not by chance that that is so.
However, that is not the limit of the significance of the eagle in relationship to this outline of the four beasts. For it is with respect to these four beasts that we have the specific manifestation of the four forces on earth in the outworking of the pattern of restoration, and the fact that the eagle is a symbol of the United States simply proves for those who have eyes to see, that the reality of the Divine Design has been at work in shaping the conditions in the world to the end that we could have the privilege of this hour, this class period together. We would not want to have to undertake to work out such a pattern of study, for instance, in Red Russia, would we? No. What a blessing God has provided us in the privilege of a place on earth where we can consider the things of God. And the Divine Pattern has been working to the end that it should be so.
As we recognize the working of God's Laws, the Reality of the Divine Design, we come more and more to know that those things that are made manifest to the blessing of the children of men, did not appear by chance or happenstance. It was by specific workings of God's Laws and Principles. And yet when one begins to awaken to the pattern of Divine Activity, one cannot be expected to see it all at once. The vision increases step-by-step and gradually you come to know the Truth of the matter—the Truth that makes you free.
Continuing a little here in the Fifth Chapter as it relates to the Seven Sealed Book, we find in the 6th verse, these words: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, (the location of the elders follows out from this basic pattern) stood a Lamb as it had been slain, (not that it was slain, you will please notice, but it had the appearance of having been slain) having seven horns and seven eyes.”
Now the Lamb does not have seven heads like the great red dragon, but it does have “seven horns and seven eyes, which are the Seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” I would like to notice something. “In the midst of the throne.” Now the Throne is the material form which sustains or provides a place of being for the KING. We must not confuse the Throne with the KING. And we recognize that this pattern of Divine Design is, in actual fact, the initial or basic outline of the design of the Throne. And the Throne must not be confused with the One who sits upon the Throne. The LORD of Lords and KING of Kings is the One who sits upon the Throne. And here we see that the Lamb was not on the Throne, it was in the midst of the Throne. Not on the Throne, specifically. “I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts.
Now here is the outline of the four beasts, here is the basic outline of the Throne, and the Lamb is in the midst of the Throne itself, not upon it. That is one of the first clear indications of the fact that the Lion and the Lamb are not the same thing. In fact we go back to the Old Testament Revelation and we recognize the statement that, “the lion and the lamb shall feed together”—but who suggests that the Lion and the Lamb are the same thing? No one with any intelligence or recognition or perception. So, though the Lion and the Lamb shall feed together, they are not the same thing. “And in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts” there is “the Lamb as it had been slain”. That is, as it had been—it was not. “Having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits before the throne of God.”
Now the outer manifestation or symbol, the outer specific form, is here—the eagle. We recognize that insofar as the outer trinity is concerned, and this line that divides the upper part of our diagram from the lower part, signifies the sea of glass which has already been mentioned here—the dividing line, the veil between Heaven and earth as far as human beings are concerned. This design includes Heaven and earth, but insofar as the outer is concerned, there is a trinity—and that trinity has what, as far as you are concerned? A spiritual expression, a mind, and a body. The spiritual expression plane of being, the mental plane of being, and the physical or body plane of being. And there you have in the Throne of God, or the Throne that is set in Heaven, the Throne of our LORD and KING, the basic design revealing the fundamental facts of the trinity.
Now we came to recognize, ultimately, that the inner trinity is likewise revealed here with respect to these three points—and two of the points specifically relate to both the inner and the outer trinity. It is the same thing. But in the outer manifestation, here, we recognize at this point the spiritual expression plane, the flying eagle. We are here as a part of the function of The Third Sacred School. You have recognized that we make this third plane approach. We recognize that in the First Sacred School the approach was from the standpoint of this point in the triangle—face as a Man. At the time of the Master's coming, the approach was from the standpoint of this point in the triangle—the capstone, the Lion. And now we are engaged in an undertaking which is the last one available to man, of making the Spiritual Expression approach to the outworking of the Divine Design—the Flying Eagle. And there has been a great deal of preparation in relationship to this which you share, in its initial cycles of manifestation—centuries of careful preparation.
Now the half-way point, the middle point between the outer manifestation of form, Man, and the inner manifestation of our KING, the Lion, is established here—the flying eagle. “In the mldst of the throne and of the four beasts.” And where is the middle point? It is at the point of the eagle. “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the Seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” Now there is a great deal here in the Book of Revelation dealing specifically with the Lamb. We cannot take time to consider them very extensively at the moment, but immediately after the seven beasts or seven creatures, Seven Personages as we have been considering them in the first part, have been outlined, we have the result of the process of the resurrection pictured here, in the fourteenth Chapter of Revelation:
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion,
and with him an hundred forty and four thousand,
having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
“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;
“And they sung as it were a new song before the throne,
and before the four beasts, and the elders:
and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand,
which were redeemed from the earth.”
The initial form then of the Man or the Woman, the Body through which the Power of God was to manifest, contains a hundred and forty-four thousand human beings, and the manifestation of this form of the hundred and forty-four thousand—which does not mean that the rest of humanity cannot be drawn into the pattern. It simply means that when we have a hundred and forty-four thousand, we have a working model, our machinery begins to go to work regardless of the rest of mankind. And here is the picture of the hundred and forty-four thousand—and the Lamb stood on Mount Sion.
We could go through the whole Book here and see reference after reference outlining the basic factors, until finally we recognize that the Bride, the Woman, the body of humanity responding properly, becomes the Bride of the Lamb and the pattern of outworking on earth is brought into perfect polarity with the LORD of Lords and the union of Heaven and earth is reestablished in the manifestation of what is called the New Heaven and the New Earth. And it is in connection with this that there is the manifestation of the New Jerusalem, etc.
Now we cannot possibly comprehend all the details that are involved in this wonderful Blueprint, the Divine Design, but remember that this was established in relationship to the processes of the restoration after that which the Master did had been caused to break down and fail in its fundamental purpose because of man's failure to follow through and let the Divine Design have meaning. Here we have the basic principles involved with respect to all that is portrayed in the entire Bible—and with respect to that which we are sharing in life and ministry on earth at the present time.
Here you begin to see the purpose for which I came into the world and you begin to see the reason why you are here—for it is not by chance that my initials and my title stand as the Lamb, and it is not by chance that I have come into the world in relationship to the fulfilment of these things. It is not by chance that you are here. It is not by chance that we have a Divine Goal, a Divine Purpose. It is not by chance that I can unveil to you the meaning of the Book of Revelation, and that there is no one else on the face of the earth that can. I wrote it in the first place, and it was so written that no one else could interpret it. It was not intended to be interpreted by anyone else. I do not care who studied how long, how much, no one else could do it. It had to wait until I should come. And so in the cycles of outworking, we have a part, a share, in this Divine Design and we begin to see how it is, as it is written here:
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 our 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.
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth,
he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
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,
As we come to the close of this, another day of rest, at the beginning of a new week, we have the privilege of continuing the pattern of meditation which has been initiated, to the end that there may be clear orientation with respect to our goal and the pattern of our function in movement toward that goal.
I might pause a moment to emphasize the fact that all of these considerations, whether in the class or our general pattern of services, are fundamentally a portrayal of the working with the Law in relationship to what we call spiritual psychiatry. The pattern of outworking in spiritual psychiatry has for its purpose, first, orientation. An individual who is lost in the wilderness of life needs orientation, so that he can begin to find himself in relationship to fundamental, basic, dependable reality. And then the continuation of the process is to assist the individual in letting go of those delusions, mis-concepts, false beliefs which produce the limitations—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually—to begin with.
As you study the laws and principles of being, you are, according to your response, going through a process of clearing by the use of spiritual psychiatry, to prepare you to minister to others, so that you will be able to understand others. But the first purpose of spiritual psychiatry is to assist you in finding true orientation, to the end that you may correctly, adequately understand yourself. Once you begin to truly understand yourself, you can help others to find understanding because you can then understand others. But you cannot be of any true service to others except as you understand the processes which are at work in them. So all of this is fundamentally the manifestation of the process of what we think of as Spiritual Psychiatry. And through our immediate consideration you are, according to your response, finding a deeper realization of orientation in relationship to the outworking of God’s Plan in and through you.
This morning we considered the first part, about the first half of the seven steps of the restoration. Tonight, before proceeding, I would like to draw your attention to a point which probably most of you have already recognized. In our meditation upon the principles of reality that were revealed at the time of the initiation of the First Sacred School, and the work of Melchizedek through Abraham; and according to that which was recorded of that work and has come down to us, for you will recognize that there was much that was actually given into the realm of expression which was not so recorded, or which did not reach us—the record was lost. Nevertheless, the human tendency has been to see the outworking, as for instance with Isaac, the only begotten son of Abraham, as if that were merely a type, a foretelling, as it were, of that which was to come later with respect to the incarnation of our LORD. And human beings have failed to recognize that was a manifestation of the Pattern and the Plan, the principles of reality on a basis which could have achieved the essential results, so that it would not have been necessary. It was simply a second telling of the same basic principles and truths when our Master came. And since we are considering the processes of the resurrection, I would like to tie up our meditation with that initial revelation, to this extent at least. Those of you who are in the class are well prepared to see this point if you have not already done so. The rest of you no doubt know the story of Abraham and Isaac.
Now Isaac was, as a young man, taken by his father to a mountain three days journey and there was placed upon the altar, to be a sacrifice. In our class work we have recognized the two views. The view of Isaac as the only begotten son, or the expression, and the fulfillment of life and the outer sense; and the reality of being which is the fact from the standpoint of Divine vision. In this particular outworking, which was identical in meaning, in principle and in purpose to that which worked out in relationship to our LORD on earth, we recognize that Isaac was not slain—he did not die. Now if those who assume that this is a type of Christ, foretelling an event to come, were to be logical, they would have to take the attitude that Isaac should have been slain. If they take the attitude that Jesus was slain, that He did die on the cross, and if they say that this outworking with Isaac was the type, as they do, then Isaac should have been slain. The point is Isaac was not slain; the ram, which was caught in a thicket by its horns was the burnt offering.
This reminds us that later on when the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness by reason of their self-activity, there was a type established, a pattern, a symbolical portrayal of using a ram, a male goat as the bearer of the sins of the people; and once a year the people came and confessed their sins, and in the process of the ceremony all of these sins were heaped upon the goat and he was driven out into the wilderness. That is the origin, insofar as recorded history is concerned, of our commonly used term “a scapegoat.” But in any case, the symbolism with respect to the individuals is established in this story, and the ram is used as a symbol of that part of the human being in the self-active realm which is supposed to be sacrificed.
In our consideration of the great red dragon there was an opportunity for you to recognize that this great red dragon could be maintained only by the blood sacrifice of human beings; only as human beings sacrifice themselves, their life forces, their bodies and minds and hearts, to that great red dragon—only so could it be maintained. Human beings talk about having to sacrifice something for God, and they quibble, they hesitate, they hold back, and take the attitude that it's too much of a sacrifice. Actually, all they're giving up is the process of sacrificing their life stream to the great red dragon. That which is portrayed here by the ram, that is caught in the thicket, is the self-active aspect of your own being which must fall away in order to allow the true revelation of yourself as God sees you. As you come down from the Mountain of Transfiguration, or the Mountain Transformation, you may be a son or daughter of God.
The sacrifice of the ram, symbolizing the self-active aspect of your own being. When you sacrifice, as it is called, that self-active aspect of yourself, you can then be on earth that which God sees you to be in reality. But those who hesitate to make this so called sacrifice, giving a little in return for so much, do not realize that they, in refusing to make this sacrifice, the sacrifice of the ram that is already caught in the thicket by its horns, the helpless, weak, ineffectual part of yourself that is already caught in the thicket of the world’s turmoils and difficulties and limitations, and refusing to make that sacrifice, the individual is sacrificing himself wholly to the great red dragon—his life stream, his whole being, his meaning in life—everything! He gives all for no return except misery, suffering and death. If it can be called a choice, that is the only choice that any human being has on earth—either to sacrifice his whole being to the great red dragon, or to sacrifice the ram aspect of himself, the self-active aspect, so that he may come down from the mountain as Isaac did, a revelation of that which is the divine in you. Now, the human tendency is to try to cast out the great red dragon or to fight against it, to play games with it. Blessed Ones, the human being who pits himself against the great red dragon always loses, without any exception. The seven heads and the ten horns and the seven crowns are too much for the human being.
Tonight we will not pause to go into the specific meanings of the seven heads and ten horns and the seven crowns, except to point out that here we have the contrast, the unreal application, the wrong pattern of functions in relationship to the seven as it is recognized in reality in the pattern of our present consideration. The seven heads and the seven crowns of the great red dragon—the misuse, the mis-application., the perversion of the basic Divine principle; and through that perversion, through that misuse the seeming power of the outer is made manifest. So, the human being should not attempt to cast the dragon out of heaven into the earth. He must reach a point where he has no fear of the dragon. There isn't anything that annoys the dragon more than for you to ignore him—that annoys him terrifically, if you start ignoring him. As long as you play games with him, as long as you try to fight him, you're like a mouse with the cat. You haven't a chance. He knows that he has you in his power, as long as you try to fight him, as long as you try to outwit him. And those seven heads are there, moving round and about to, well, make a mockery of your effort.
Your part, as we have seen it in our meditation thus far, is to recognize your polarity in the woman, as a part of the woman, centered in God, and to let the Christ Child be born in you; to let that spiritual expression of being begin to have actual manifestation in your life. And then, in season, as you hold steady, the process of casting the dragon out takes place. But you must reach a point where you are not responding to him, not subject to him, first. The dragon is not going to be cast out, insofar as you are individually concerned until you are no longer afraid of him, until you can go about your daily tasks of life without any reaction, without any fear, without any indication it's objection, ignoring him. And he will bellow and rage and try to attract your attention, stick out his tongue and try to frighten you, and all the rest of it—and go thrashing about, so to speak. And I think at least some of you know what I'm talking about from actual experience. But if you start reacting to him, there you are! Then you are back in his power, and you are not under the control of the power of God. The point is that you cannot have this experience until you are willing to let the dragon be, let him roar and froth at the mouth, and all the rest of it, and ignore him.
It reminds us of the statement in the Twenty-third Psalm: Yea, though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death—that's the realm of the great red dragon—you will fear no evil, for your shepherd is with you, and his rod and his staff they comfort you. He prepares the table before you in the presence of your enemies. And you have to learn to leave them alone, ignore them, turn your back! And trust God. Then, the power of God can begin to work, to cast the dragon out of heaven in you.
“And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his Angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven [in you].
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.
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 our 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.
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea;
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth,
he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
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.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman,
that he might cause her to be carried away of 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.”
Here we have one of the most vital portrayals of the Blueprint, in relationship to that process of resurrection and restoration which we share. First, let us consider: What is the dragon? What is this great red dragon? Am I talking about some kind of an entity? The old-fashioned concept of a devil, which was supposed to be an entity, had him appear with two horns and spearpoint tail, and so on. But this creature has seven heads. And yet this dragon is what is called in the world, according to this scripture, the devil in satan! In other words, it is the same thing. It is not an entity. It is not some being, visible or invisible, which is trying to make you do wrong, and destroy you, or prevent your spiritual progress. This great red dragon is the self-active mind of man individually and collectively. The mass consciousness of the self-active body of humanity is, in the overall sense, this great red dragon. It lives on the life-blood of human beings. It has seven heads, signifying the seven aspects of perversion, as we’ve already recognized it. But this great red dragon, described as being the accuser of our brethren, is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Now sometimes human beings imagine that God is an accuser. If one starts moving in the wrong direction and feels the impulse of the spirit to go in the right direction, what so often happens? The accuser starts whispering, “Now maybe it would be all right to follow this impulse of the spirit if you weren't quite such a non-entity. After all, you have this weakness, you have that difficulty, you have that problem.” And the accuser goes to work; and the human being starts listening. “Well, I guess you're right. I wouldn't be any good to God anyway. There's no use my paying any attention; I might as well go on and serve you, O great red dragon. I guess I wouldn't be any good to God. You're right, I'll serve you.” The accuser!
Our LORD came into the world and revealed the realities of intercession—and in this process of training that you are receiving here, you are learning how to be an intercessor. That is something that must work out if you are truly serve. [greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-one-great-intercessor.html] You must be an intercessor, or a part of the body of intercessory function. But it is not our LORD and Master who stands as the accuser! Even suffering the agony of the cross, He did not accuse, he did not condemn. He said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” God is not the accuser. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. The accuser is not in heaven, in the sense of the Divine Pattern, in the Inner Realms. There is no angel standing up there to accuse you. God himself does not accuse you. Consider his mercy and His goodness to the children of men. God is not the accuser. Our LORD is not the accuser. There is no angel or being in heaven who is the accuser. Not one. And yet, there are multitudes of people who consider themselves to be good, and very righteous, at least self-righteous. They're always ready to be an accuser of their brethren. They're ready to whisper and condemn, and accuse in every way; and to appear righteous, ready to accuse.
Sometimes, well, we suppose that we've gone beyond that stage in our present modern civilization. So we’ll go back a little ways, to the days in the beginning of our country when the good people of the New England variety were serving God so zealously—and the blue laws, etc—and how many there were of those good, self-righteous people, elders and ministers and laymen who are ready to stand as accusers of their brethren. How about the witch hunts, just as an extreme? How many lives have been blighted because some good righteous Christian was ready to stand up and point the finger, and accuse! Blessed ones, I do not care who it is. The accuser is the great red dragon, no matter whose lips provide the means for the words in manifestations—the accuser.
“For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Are we not before our God, here? Have you ever been any place on earth where are you not before our God? Certainly not. Wherever you are, wherever anyone may be, while we live on earth, we are always before our God. And who is the accuser? The great red dragon. Have you ever been accused, either from the whisperings in your own mind—whether you call it conscience or anything else, it didn't make any difference—the whispering, self-condemnation, self-judgment, accusing yourself, developing within you a sense of shame and a sense of guilt? By what means does the great red dragon maintain his control? Simply by engendering in you a sense of shame, a sense of guilt, so that you accuse yourself.
Now this pattern, which is prevalent through all people’s on earth, and is particularly noticeable among Christians, has been developed to it acme of effectiveness by Red Russia. Now I'm not suggesting that Red Russia is the dragon—Oh no—the great red dragon; but it’s interesting to see to what extent Russia has become the instrument, or the expression and form of the great red dragon. But it isn't limited to Russia by any means! The great red dragon is here just as much as there. But consider their patterns of trial, for instance. How the individual is broken down, and made to confess some crime which he never committed; and he is eager to blame himself, eager to get up and talk about what a criminal he is. We won't go into the processes. It might turn somebody's stomach. But, it's done every day, there in Red Russia. A typical pattern of out-working as it is made manifest under the control of the great red dragon.
But let us not assume that it is just over there. This great red dragon, whispering in your mind, accusing you! Encouraging you to do something wrong and then mocking you, and saying, “Look how weak you are! Look what a miserable creature you are! And you imagine that you could serve God? Why, you're just a contemptible worm of the dust! Just consider how guilty you are. You ought to be ashamed!” No matter who provides the physical lips for the words of accusation, it is the work of the great red dragon. He is the one who stands as the accuser.
What did our Master say on earth? “Judge not that ye be not judged.” Judge not yourself. Judge not others. He said many other things that reveal the same principles. But if you are inclined to judge yourself, you have first accused yourself; and it’s just as wrong to judge yourself as it is to judge another. Remember that. It is just that is wrong to judge yourself as it is to judge another; just as wrong to accuse yourself as it is to accuse another. The great red dragon does not care whether he maintains you in his control by getting you to be an accuser of others or an accuser of yourself—to be judging others or judging yourself. And it's the great red dragon that is the accuser. The self-active pattern of your own mind is a part of that great red dragon, and this is the creature that accuses the children of men, before God day and night.
Have you ever spent any hours hearing the whisperings of the accuser in your own mind and heart, making you feel that you are such an unworthy thing that it wouldn't be possible for you ever live the life of victory? I wonder. Have you ever heard the voice of the accuser? Is there anyone here who has not? I think not. Then if you have heard the voice of the accuser in your own heart and mind, that was the great red dragon. He or one of his angels may appear as an angel of light; may appear as someone so good, so self-righteous—but there is the brand, the accuser! The one who, either by direct accusations or sly insinuations, starts trying to undermine someone else; break up confidence, spoil some pattern, depreciate someone, just get a little word in edgewise to start with, and then gradually watch the pattern unfold. And they become accusers, and then judges. “So-and-so ought to be treated thus-and-thus. If you ask me, such and such should be done to so-and-so. If you ask me!” The voice of the accuser. And as long as you are reacting to that voice, whether you be judging yourself or another, you are by that very function under the control of the great red dragon. Not a pleasant picture, but we may as well face the fact. For it is the great red dragon who is the accuser. Not God! Not our LORD and KING. Not Michael; not any of his angels! Never the accuser. And so, you begin to see the great significance of so many things the Master said, as you actually realize this point.
“And they overcame him”—that is, the great red dragon, the accuser—“and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb.” The blood, the life stream, the life force. If I were to engage in physical combat with one of you, and suppose I, what shall we say, in some fist fight I knocked you down, we will say. It might go the other way. But just for the illustration we’ll say I knocked you down. I overcame you. That would be by the life force in my body, wouldn’t it? Now if all of blood were drained out of my body there's no chance I would overcome you, is there? The blood has to be in my body, if by the blood I am going to overcome you, by the life force. It is not by death, but by life. And blood is the life stream of your body. It is put this way, not to confuse people, except for those who are perhaps self-righteous. But in any case, because it's a revelation of a fundamental fact. It means exactly what it says. Not by blood that's been spilled, but by blood that allows the active force of being to manifest.
“They overcame him by the life force of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” Now where did the word of their testimony come from? We remember that the Temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His Testament. If the word of your testimony has its source in the Ark of His Testament, it has power to overcome. If the words you speak, if your testimony, does not come from that Testament in the Temple of God it will accomplish nothing; not in any creative constructive sense. “They overcame him”—that is, the great red dragon. “They overcame him”—the accuser—“by the blood of the Lamb, and by their testimony.” The expression, not only of their lips in the sense of words, but by the expression of their acts, by their living, the revelation of the Temple of God in life. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their lives under the death.”
Now it's been amazing to me how human beings have twisted that simple statement around. What does it say actually? “And they loved not their lives unto the death.” What do human beings generally do? They love their lives unto the death. Don’t they? They love their self-active lives! They're not going to give up to the control of God. They're not going to yield. They love their self-activity. They love their lives, their own human patterns of life, unto the death, and that’s that. Now, so many people read that text and make it appear that it means that these righteous people, these good people, didn't love their lives, so they were willing to die. Most people, when they read that text, they have some picture of the martyrs way back along the line, somebody burning at the stake or something in the sort. They loved not their lives unto the death. In other words, that if you're going to be good you have to be ready to die—which is ridiculous. That might conceivably be a fact in some case, but this simply says, “And they loved not their lives under the death.” But most human beings do. They love their own human patterns of life; they’re going to live life the way they want to. Nobody is going to tell them what to do! They can do their own work of connecting up with God. They don't need me particularly. They don't need any minister, or they don't need this, they don't need that. They’re just going to live their own life, and so on, in their own way. And they love their own lives unto the death. And they die, mean nothing! So it is not by loving your human pattern of life according to the human concept, that you live. Loving your own life unto the death accomplishes nothing. These are they who love not their lives unto the death? We love God, and let the pattern of life from God appear—the blood of the Lamb.
Now, I suppose we should take a moment here to recognize that there are those who imagine that the Lamb as spoken of here in Revelation, has reference to Jesus Christ—but it does not. That's another one of those baseless human assumptions which the text itself clearly reveals: the blood of the Lamb. And the Lamb of Revelation is not Jesus Christ. Our LORD and KING was incarnate on earth. He did his job. And He's been waiting for nearly 2,000 years for human beings to wake up and share in the outworking is the Divine Pattern. In any case, we will study that point at another time; but it should be recognized that where reference is to the Lamb, it does not mean Jesus Christ, when He was made manifest on earth or at his present time. “And they overcame him by the blood, the life force, of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony: and they loved not their lives under the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them”—that is, in the heavens.
Now how many heavens are there? There are as many heavens as there are people. Heaven is within you; heaven is at hand. Your particular aspect of heaven is that which God provided for you? Most people think of it as just one heaven off up in the sky somewhere. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. “Rejoice ye heavens”—it’s plural, many heavens; a heaven individually, and a heaven collectively—“and ye that dwell in them.” That is, in the heavens. Now does that mean somebody that’s died and gone up into the sky somewhere? No. This is the Blueprint of the outworking of God's Plan on earth. And those who dwell in the heavens are the human beings who are letting God Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
“Therefore, rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.” Do we rejoice as the accuser is cast out of some human beings? What have you found as you have come here? That I was interested in finding something wrong with you; finding something I could accuse you about, condemn you about? I've had people come to me and say, “I wish you’d tell me what's wrong with me.” Well, sometimes I may have to deal with defects, but not on that basis. I'm not interested in accusing you or giving you a basis of accusing or judging yourself. What you did? Has my attitude, at any time made you feel that whatever you have done was somehow some great big horrible sin, and something that you shouldn't have done? Can one of you say that? Not one. Some of you perhaps, but certainly some people that aren't here anymore, were just terribly disappointed that I didn't get all pompous and self-righteous when I found out that they had committed some sin back along the way—a pet sin about which they condemn themselves horribly. Oh, they were accusing themselves! And when I acted as if it didn't amount to very much, they said, “Well, this fellow certainly isn't the servant of God or he would be just condemning, saying, “What a sinner you are!”—and condemning and accusing. Oh no. I've had many a person leave the pattern of this ministry because I wasn't enough of an accuser of evil persons and evil things. They thought I ought to be in an accuser. I'm not.
So many people just love to revel in the muck of their own sins. They like to be accused. They like to accuse themselves. When you study psychology you recognize the basic principles of abnormality that cause people to like to make suffering for themselves. They like to suffer, and whenever they begin to feel badly, they always maneuver somehow to produce a condition that will make them suffer. Some like to go to the extreme where they just absolutely like to be physically abused, beaten; They like to have some black and blue marks. That's one pattern of abnormality. The other is the same basic thing except that it finds expression in wanting to make someone else suffer; finding a certain pleasure in the sufferings of others. And they enjoy abnormality. The world is full of it. There's a lot more of it than most people realize. And if you're going to serve humanity, you'll be finding some surprising things about human beings. Not that they want to be saved. Not that they actually want to get out of the realm of evil and self delusion and suffering. They want to do one of two things. Either they want to revel in the muck of their own sins and be accused and condemned, so that they can enjoy it, or they want to make someone else grovel, and accuse someone else. And look in the pattern of the world religions; look in the realm of those who are supposed to minister and to serve. How many there are who are in one pattern or the other. And they are both a manifestation of the great red dragon.
So, you here tonight begin to see that the devil, the great red dragon, has kept humanity bound through these thousands of years on the basis of a delusion! Religionists have said that God couldn't receive man back; after all he ate of that forbidden fruit; and God just couldn't receive men back until he had made his own Son come down here and suffer the agonies of the cross, and die! Then God would save human beings, but without that—no! That's the accuser, the great red dragon again, putting over the old lie. God is not the accuser. The accuser is not in heaven. And wherever the accuser appears, whether you think it's the voice of conscience, the voice of an angel of heaven, the voice of anything anywhere, if it stands as an accuser, judging and condemning—what is it? It's a great red dragon in action.
We may have to recognize the things that are distorted, and point to the way of dealing with them, clearing them out. But the accuser is not of God. The one who serves God points to the fact that you can be free! You do not have to be subject to all of this. “Judge not, that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye meet it shall be measured to you again.”
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven: Now is come salvation and strength.” Now this is the word from heaven. Notice the contrast with the word of the accuser who says, “You can't be saved! You can't serve God! You're a weak miserable creature.” But the voice from heaven says: \
“Now is come salvation—it is here—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 our 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.
Therefore rejoice ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.”
So let it be, in you and through you, that you may learn to open the way for those who are subject to accusation, that they may find that salvation, that strength, and the Kingdom of our God on earth. This is our service in the world.
Our Gracious LORD and Holy KING. We thank Thee for Thy Salvation, for Thy Strength, for Thy Kingdom, Thy Power and Thy Glory, and for all the blessings which are offered to the children of men, that all who will receive may enter in; that all the responding ones everywhere may let the accuser be cast down; that they may stand as men and women in Christ, naked and unashamed, willing to receive the beauty of being and the wonder of love, in the expression of life here on earth. O Father, I thank Thee for all who are yielding now, all who are so letting go that they may in fact, in Spirit and in Truth, begin to receive the gift of Thy Kingdom on earth; for we know that it is Thy good pleasure give us the Kingdom, that we may let Thy Kingdom come and let Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. In the Christ. Aumen.
