Explanations text fragments

In the final fragment 56, no new vision is presented. The Apocalypse is closed with a final text in which several voices sound, such as: the Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bride and John himself.  And he said to me: These words are faithful and true; and God, the...

The great moment has come of the arrival of the new heaven and the new earth. In this seventh and last great vision after the outpouring of the vials of wrath, the Apocalypse comes to its apotheosis. Or, as Schult (p.335) remarks: ‘When the power of evil has driven...

As we noticed before, the number sixth announces an important moment of decision. The sixth great vision of John, after the outpouring of the vials, presents the final judgement of God of all those who were not part of the first resurrection. The Christ logos and...

The fifth great vision of John, after the outpouring of the vials of wrath, refers, together with the next two visions, to the building of the kingdom of the spirit. The mystical secrets are contained in particular in these three last great visions of 1) the period of...

It is not a coincidence that the Christ seated on a white horse is the fourth great vision after the outpouring of the vials of wrath. The fourth vision is the center of the seven visions given to John.  Again Christ is placed in the center of the events leading...

In the third great vision after the outpouring of the seventh vial, we hear four times voices saying: Alleluia!’ The jubilant tone of the third great vision contrast strongly with the downfall of Babylon in the previous one. Schult (p.296) recognizes in this festivity...

Fallen Babylon, Gustav Doré, 1866, woodcutt, Grande Bible de Tours The second great vision after the outpouring of the seventh vial of wrath shows the fall of Babylon and its consequences. I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth...

The first great image after the sounding of the seventh trumpet presented the cosmic Sophia, giving birth to the solar Son-child, which is threatened by the red dragon with seven heads and ten horns. The first great vision after the outpouring of the seventh vial of...

While we enter the Holy of holiest of the heavenly temple, all what rests of the physical Earth collapses with great roar. And the great city was divided in three parts, and the cities of the heathen fell, and Babylon, the great, came in remembrance for God to give...

The  seventh vial is poured out in the air. And there came a great voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying: It is done.  The air represents the higher realm of the mental sphere. In this phase, the difference between the seventh ray and the...

With this text fragment we arrive again at the sixth ray in the spiral. On the sixth ray oppositions are maximized and a decision has to be made. As discussed in the cycle of the trumpets, the culmination of evil forces appears in each successive cycle at a later...

The following three vials do not touch an earth-bound or nature related sphere, similar as was the case for the last three trumpets. The last three vials concern the people themselves and the counter forces active in them: the anti-Christ kingdom, its leaders and its...

The fourth vial is not poured out on one of the elements of the Earth, but on the Sun. The Sun is the center of our solar system and of our inner fire, the I. People are scorched by the heat of the fire, but they do not change their inclination and blaspheme the Name...

The third vial is poured out on the rivers and the fountains and they become blood.   Rivers and fountains symbolize the personal inner life, the human soul, the astral body. The source of life dries up for the people which strive to increase their own fame and...

The second vial is poured out upon the sea. And it became as the blood of a dead. And every living being, that was there in the sea, died.  The sea is a symbol for the life forces, the etheric body of man and earth. Blood is in the human body the carrier of life,...

When the first vial of wrath is poured out on earth … there fell ulcers, painful and malignant, upon men, which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which had to worship his image.  Bock (p.250-278) expected, now that we are approaching God, that events would...

At the 40th text fragment we arrive at the eighth beam (or beam zero) in the spiral, the place of transition to the next higher consciousness level and where the next cycle starts. The glow of God’s glory comes flowing to us. The intuitive world is awaiting us....

The seventh and last great image after the seventh trumpet, gives again a preview of what is going to be unfolded. We see seven angels stepping forward with seven last plagues. The seven trumpets proceeded after the opening of the seven seals. In the same way the...

John sees, in the sixth great image after the seventh trumpet, a figure resembling the Son of man, seated on a white cloud. It reminds us of the first vision with which the Apocalypse started. Here, the Son of man had on his head a golden garland and in his hand a...

The three great images, that follow after the fourth image presenting the Lamb on mount Sion, show the path towards further reconciliation of man and cosmos with God. These developments are also mirrored in man’s evolution, according to Schult (p.235). When the God-I...

Bock (p.222-232) notices a change of tone at the transition from chapter 13 to 14. We get a preview of the land of eternity, which opens up beyond the threshold that is guarded by the demonic forces. We see the Lamb, standing on mount Sion, with the 144,000 sealed....

In text fragment 29, we read how an angel instructed John to eat the little book. The angel stood with one foot on the sea and with the other on land. John was invited to enter the astral world represented by the sea. Now, he is confronted with the dragon, standing on...

The 34th text fragment presents us again an iconic picture that has influenced during two millennia European culture: Michael battling with the dragon. In practically each Roman-catholic church this picture is shown as the symbol of the inner battle each man has to...

At the start of the second halve of the Apocalypse, after the sounding of the seventh trumpet, again a grandiose vision is presented to John which we, as reader, will never forget: the pregnant woman, clothed with the Sun, the Moon under her feet and the twelve star...

After the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the temple is opened for spiritual man and we share in the actions of the twenty four elders around God’s throne. For the first time we are allowed a glimpse at what was hidden in the Holy of holiest, the ark. The ark is for...

While we enter the Holy of holiest of the heavenly temple, all what rests of the physical Earth collapses with great roar. And the great city was divided in three parts, and the cities of the heathen fell, and Babylon, the great, came in remembrance for God to give...

Then, the seventh trumpet sounds. The most important goal of physical Earth is now completed. This is the pouring in of love in our Self, after opening our heart, resulting in the development of Manas in our being. After the sounding of the last trumpet, spiritualized...

In the Seal epoch the sealed book on the lap of God was the central object of concern. In the Trumpet epoch it are the trumpets blown before the altar of God’s temple. But to come closer to the temple and to God himself, evil in ourselves has to be overcome. We are at...

Before the seventh trumpet is blown, a new vision is showed to John and to us. When the seventh trumpet will sound, the physical body will dissolve completely and only the spiritual part of man will live on. This is the Manas, the purified astral forces of our body,...

At the sounding of the sixth trumpet the four angels which are bound at the great river Euphrates … were loosed … for to slay the third part of men.   These four angels were also mentioned in relation to the sixth seal, but then they were ordered not to act. In...

As explained at text fragment 26, a new movement starts after the sounding of the fourth trumpet, that comes forward at the blowing of the fifth trumpet. The eagle as symbol of our higher self, is confronting the underworld to overcome it. The pit of the abyss, hiding...

The last three trumpets, which are at the same time the three woes, are introduced by the vision of the eagle flying in the midst of heaven. We hear three times woe, woe, woe. This has in Greek a different sound than in English: ouaie, ouaie, ouaie. It is a developing...

At the sounding of the fourth trumpet the element of fire withdraws. And we hear no longer of falling objects. The material smartness has become so dominant that the outlook on the super sensuous world, as expressed in Moon, Sun and stars, is shrinking. Now,...

When the third trumpet sounds, a great star falls from heaven, flaming as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the great rivers and the fountains of waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood. The waters become bitter and many men die. Bock (p.130-148)...

With the second trumpet a waving flood of fire, great as a burning mountain, was cast in the sea. Schult (p.146) sees in this falling mountain of flames again the combination of luciferic passion and ahrimanic hardening. The reason why the destruction now concerns the...

The trumpets will sound in a final phase of the present incarnation of our planet. The trumpets have a parallel role to play as the seals. With the opening of the seals man’s thoughts are purified. With the sound of the trumpets our feelings are tested (Van Egmond, 10...

Blog Explanation text fragment 21 (Revelation 8: 1-6) In his part of text, the seventh seal has been opened. We read not of shocking events, on the contrary, heaven is full of silence during half an hour, the period in which creation is inhaled by God. Obviously, we...

After the sealing of the 144,000, they appear before the throne of God and of the Lamb. They have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. This gathering before the throne is, as it seems, the result of the opening of the seventh seal, although the opening...

After the opening of the sixth seal and the start of the dissolution of the material world, text fragment 19 shows the opposite side of the consequences of opening seal six. The representatives of the twelve tribes of the Jewish people, symbolizing men from all...

The opening of the sixth seal shows us how the cultural period of Philadelphia works out in the future in our inner world and in the exterior world, where characteristic features of the well-known mineral surroundings will disappear. The coming of the seventh seal and...

The horse as symbol for human intelligence, can no longer be the theme at the opening of the fifth seal, notes Steiner (24 June 1908). The Christ impulse is given to man in the middle of the Post-Atlantean epoch, and man had to make his choice. Instead of the horse,...

After opening the fourth seal, the keeper of the west appears, Nabu-Mercury, horseman on the pale green horse, with the name Death, and followed by Hades, the underworld with the spirits of the depth (Schult, p.116). Among the four elements, air belongs to the west...

After the third seal is opened, the horseman on the black horse appears with a balance in his hand. The horseman on the black horse is Ninurta-Saturnus, the keeper of the south. The balance is the symbol of Saturn. In the zodiac sign Libra, where summer passes into...

After the second seal is opened, the keeper of the north appears, Nergal-Mars, the horseman on the red horse with his great sword. As god of war, he takes peace from the earth, and he kills with his sword. The sword refers to the earlier Persian culture in which the...

The opening of the seals marks, according to Schult (p.113), the actual start of the Apocalypse, as here God’s plan with the world is revealed. The preceding parts were  preparation. The Lamb opens in chapter 6 the sealed book with its sacrificial force....

The view on the throne opens a new round of events, that is depicted in the breaking of the seals of the book that the One on the throne holds in his right hand. The book shows the way to the highest wisdom (Steiner, GA 8, p.120). The seals reflect the eternal world...

The end of the seventh letter to the community of Laodicea made us aware of the existence of God’s throne. Seeing the throne is only possible with a higher level of consciousness. Text fragment 11 shows beings and actions that are present at this higher consciousness...

The letter to Laodicea closes the series of seven letters, the first circle in the spiral, and specifies the mission of the last cultural period (5700 – 7900) of the Post-Atlantean epoch. It is also named the American cultural period. During this final cultural...

Contrary to the earlier communities, Philadelphia is in John’s time not an old city, but recently founded. The city received its name at its foundation in 169 BC from king Eumenes II (197-160 BC) of Pergamon. He expressed with this name his love for his brother and...

Sardis was located close to modern Salihli, and its name can still be recognized in the small village of Sart. Sardis was the famous and wealthy capital of the Roman province of Lydia and dates back to at least 3,000 BC. Herodotus describes the crucial role of the...

Contrary to Pergamon, where the old Acropolis was located outside modern Bergama,  remnants of old Thyatira and its first Christian community are overgrown by new developments and hard to find. Only in a little square neighborhood in the center, which is...

Pergamon, now called Bergama, is situated north of Smyrna, some 25 kilometers inland from the coast where it nears the island of Lesbos. Also Pergamon is a very important city in the Roman empire. It has a majestic Acropolis, located at the top of the hills,...

The fight between Ormazd and Ahriman, http://www.worldexplorer.be/leer_van_zarathoestra.htm The community of Smyrna, presently the harbor town Izmir, was in John’s time the most important trade and harbor city of Asia Minor. For this reason it is in Turkey still known...

Artemis at Ephesus (1st century, Roman copy of Artemis statue in the Temple of Ephesus. (source: www.flickr.com/photos/22174859@N00/382153782/) Structure of the seven letters The letters to the seven communities are all structured in a similar way. First the letter...

The cave at Patmos where, as it is believed, John received his revelations In text fragment 3, John starts to say that he is one of us and explains where he received his vision: he was on Patmos and it was Sunday, the day of the week devoted to the sun and to its...

Diego Velazquez, Saint John at Patmos, 1609-1610, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/diego-velazquez-saint-john-the-evangelist-on-the-island-of-patmos John writes to the seven communities or churches in Asia Minor, which mark his geographical working area. But these...

Text fragment 1 is the inscription or preface of the Apocalypse, the last book of the Bible. It immediately makes clear that it contains a revelation, a prophecy, passed on to us from God by Jesus, the Messiah, showing his own role as acting divine being in the...