Unfortunately, many people who claim to understand Christian prophecy do not understand any of that, and they think and expect that John’s symbolic vision of the angels and the dramatic opening of the seven seals and warring angels are literal events that will actually take place in this world.
In fact, as I mentioned on the page on Bush’s Record, his religious advisors have led him to believe that his war in Iraq is "God's Will" and fulfills the prophecy of the warring "sixth angel" who "poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates..." (Revelation 16:12) They don't realize that even though that was clearly written because John foresaw that there would be much blood shed in Iraq, that chapter in Revelation is mostly symbolic, just as so many things are in the New Testament, and I cannot emphasize enough that there need be no more blood shed.
John’s vision about the fall of Babylon will not be literally manifested. We will not actually see the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, nor will we actually see the actual fall of Babylon. We will see the end of military imperialism and the end of rule by the wealthiest few, but we will not see the end of a nation. Babylon is a symbolic term, just as the Book of Life is a symbolic referral to all the knowledge accumulated by the Over Soul and the ethereal Akashic Record. (See the page titled The Book of Life.)
Similarly, the Tree of Life John referred to in the book of Revelation is not a literal tree but the ancient Qabalistic glyph that diagrammatically symbolizes and represents the one God and man’s relationship to God. (See Chapters 2 and 3 in Getting From Babylon to New Jerusalem.) Also similarly, the "bride" or the "holy city" of "New Jerusalem" are also symbols, for that which "comes down out of heaven," as I explained above and also in the same book.
Perhaps I should clarify why the Tree of Life is not an actual tree, by pointing out some biblical references to it that have been misunderstood.
"Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden..." (Genesis 2:9)
"She [Wisdom] is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her..." (Proverbs 3:18-19)
"To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:7)
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22:1-2)
"Blessed are they that do God’s commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Revelation 22:14)
The symbolic Tree of Life yields God’s Wisdom. The great and wise Solomon wrote about Wisdom in Proverbs 9, saying: "Wisdom has built her house and she calls to all: Come, eat my food and drink my wine and you will live abundant life and walk in the ways of understanding." And Solomon also wrote: She is more precious than rubies: and all the things you can desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retains her. The Lord God by Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding has God established the heavens." (Proverbs 3:5-19)
I should also mention that the "star called Wormwood" which "falls from heaven and makes the waters bitter" (Revelation 8:11) is also symbolic. I bring it up because it is not a huge asteroid that is going to collide with and wreak havoc on the earth, as misguided and false prophets have claimed. It is merely a planetary influence or a sort of consciousness that can tend to effect some people’s imagination and mental states negatively, especially if they are mentally unstable and/or prone to negative thinking. That’s why John referred to "bitter waters," because water is symbolically associated with imagination, intuition, and other mental aspects. He was speaking symbolically of a negative influence that creates bitterness in some people’s thinking and feelings.
But what about the " the beast of Babylon, the "second beast," the "number 666," and the "dragon" referred to in John’s Book of Revelation?
The most common interpretation is that the dragon is the symbol for "Satan," and the beast from the sea is the symbol for the Roman Emperor and empire, incited by the dragon to persecute the early Christians. There is, however, a question about which Caesar Emperor John was referring to.
Some scholars say that the Emperor Domitian ruled during the time John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos when he wrote the book of Revelation. They say that Domitian had forced Christians to choose between the Christ Jesus or the Caesar as Lord, and that Domitian killed or persecuted those that didn't choose the Caesar as Lord.
However, other scholars say that in cabbalistic gematria, numbers are assigned to letters, and 666 is the sum of the numbers of the name Nero Caesar in Hebrew, and some scholars suggest that is also the case in the language John was conversant in. Therefore, that may have been why John wrote that we must "have understanding" of the meaning of the number of the beast, as John put it.
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