2006-8-27 05:32:00
The next verse reads:
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. Revelation 19:11
This is the climatic point within the book and the life of the disciple as well as his Master. The day finally arrives that the conquering Christ appears to right the wrongs of the world.
Standard interpretation tells us that this is the traditional Second Coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven. One day all mankind will look heavenward and see Jesus and his angels lighting up the sky coming to save the righteous and burn the wicked.
But is this the true meaning?
Not quite.
This coming of Christ is written in symbolic writing and those who try to apply a literal meaning to this and other scriptures in Revelations will be consistently wrong.
What is the meaning then?
Let us take a closer look.
"And I saw heaven opened..."
First, it is important to remember that this appearance of Christ represents the Bridegroom appearing to marry and defend his bride (Israel, the saints, true disciples, purified lower self, etc).
Before the disciple can see the Christ he must do more than to merely look toward a physical sky. The heavens must be open. In other words, the disciple must be elevated in consciousness until he becomes one with God. Jesus spoke of this goal for disciples in these words:
That they (disciples) all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. John 17:21-23
When the disciple realizes that the most important coming of his Lord is within then "the heavens open" and he sees that he and Christ are one. Not only this but he realizes that the Christ and the Father are one which means that he and the Father are one also.
Then the revelation comes:
"...and behold a white horse"
Earlier we interpreted the meaning of the four horses of the Apocalypse as representing intelligence manifesting through the lower self of quaternary.
This white horse is different than the lower white horse of chapter six. The white horse there represented the Christ consciousness manifesting through the intelligence of the lower self. This white horse represents the intelligence of Christ manifesting without the restriction of the lower forces pulling it downward. In other words, the disciple progresses from living in the world, but not of the world to living in the God consciousness and focusing there without being distracted by the pull of the world.
"and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,"
Whereas the white horse represents the knowledge and wisdom of Christ, he who rides the horse is a Master of great wisdom and knowledge.
When the disciple breaks through and becomes one with the Christ consciousness he taps into the Oneness Principle, the minds of the holy ones of the past and the knowledge of all principles becomes available to him. He uses this knowledge skillfully, as does the rider of a fine white horse. This is hinted at in the following scripture:
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Hebrews 12:22-23
There are two important qualities one must have to be one with Christ. He must be "Faithful" and "True."
In other words, to tread the path to be a Master of Wisdom one must be a person who can be trusted and relied upon (Faithful) and his word must be his bond (True). That which he speaks must be true and that which he promises must be fulfilled.
Verse 11 then ends with this curious statement:
"...and in righteousness he doth judge and make war".
Why do I call this curious? Because it presents an idea in total opposition to the preaching of many of the religious people about Christ.
They call him the "Prince of Peace" and proclaim that the Messiah would never support any war. In fact, most of the peace activists say they are attempting to be like Christ in opposing all war.
But here the scripture presents a different Christ than the common notion concerning the gentile Jesus. We are told that Christ will actually "make war." But there is a qualification here. If he does make war, or judge, he will do so "in righteousness."
Most wars in our history have not been fought in righteousness, but there are several upon which there is fairly united agreement that right use (righteousness) was made of war.
The first would be the American Civil War that ended with the freeing of the slaves and the second was World War II with the necessary defeat of Nazism.
Would Christ have supported such wars? According to the scripture, if they were just and right then he would have.
If we look only to physical wars we are missing most of the meaning of this scripture. The Christ in us will in righteousness make other just wars. Here are a few.
Indeed, wherever a dominating good needs a foothold established upon the earth the spirit of Christ will be there fighting in righteousness.
Upon that Road one wanders not alone. There is no rush, no hurry. And yet there is no time to lose. Each pilgrim, knowing this, presses his footsteps forward, and finds himself surrounded by his fellowmen. Some move ahead; he follows after. Some move behind; he sets the pace. He travels not alone. DK
Copyright © 2006 by J J Dewey, All Rights Reserved