The Apocalypse: An Exegesis by Robert Riggs 1998-12 Table of Contents DISCLAIMER ↩............................................................................................................................2 FOREWORD ↩..............................................................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION ↩......................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 1 - THE GREATEST NAME ↩...................................................................................10 CHAPTER 2 - LETTERS TO ANCIENT FAITHS ↩....................................................................16 CHAPTER 3 - LETTERS TO RECENT FAITHS ↩......................................................................21 CHAPTER 4 - THE INVISIBLE ZODIAC ↩................................................................................25 CHAPTER 5 - THE BOOK OF SEVEN SEALS ↩........................................................................28 CHAPTER 6 - THE BOOK IS OPENED ↩..................................................................................32 CHAPTER 7 - GOD'S SERVANTS ARE SEALED ↩...................................................................35 CHAPTER 8 - THE FATE OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH ↩.....................................42 CHAPTER 9 - THE FALL OF CHRISTENDOM ↩.....................................................................46 CHAPTER 10 - INTERLUDE ↩...................................................................................................50 CHAPTER 11 - THE COURSE OF ISLAMDOM ↩......................................................................52 CHAPTER 12 - THE TRAVAIL OF THE WORD ↩.....................................................................58 CHAPTER 13 - THE RISE OF THE CALIPHATE ↩...................................................................61 CHAPTER 14 - THE WORLD-STAGE IS SET ↩........................................................................66 CHAPTER 15 - HIS NAME REVEALED ↩.................................................................................72 CHAPTER 16 - THE END OF THE AGE ↩.................................................................................74 CHAPTER 17 - MYSTERIES REVEALED ↩...............................................................................80 CHAPTER 18 - THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON ↩............................................................83 CHAPTER 19 - THE TRIUMPH OF BAHA'U'LLAH ↩..............................................................86 CHAPTER 20 - SATAN BOUND ↩..............................................................................................91 CHAPTER 21 - THE HOLY CITY ↩.............................................................................................95 CHAPTER 22 - EPILOGUE ↩...................................................................................................104 APPENDIX A: SOME NUMBER SYMBOLISM ↩....................................................................109 NOTES ↩.....................................................................................................................................111 NOTES TO APPENDIX A ↩.......................................................................................................127 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ↩................................................................................................139 DISCLAIMER ↩ The opinions and interpretations expressed in this book are strictly those of the author, and do not represent official opinions or interpretations of any agency of the Bahá'í Administrative Order. FOREWORD ↩ The original exegesis of the Apocalypse, written by the author, was reviewed by the Bahá'í Universal House of Justice and was approved by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. It was published and copyrighted by Philosophical Library of New York in 1981 under the title THE APOCALYPSE UNSEALED. Since its publication, the publisher has gone out of business and the work is out of print. There have been many requests for copies of THE APOCALYPSE UNSEALED that could not be satisfied. This present work represents an attempt to overcome some of the errors and valid criticisms of the original work and to incorporate new knowledge that the author has acquired over the past fifteen years. It includes several additions and modifications that, in the author's opinion, do not violate the spirit of the original work. However, the present work has not been presented for review to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. The reader is therefore advised to be critical of the opinions and interpretations expressed herein and to reject any that seem at variance with his own beliefs as a Bahá'í. The author has made an attempt to point out all significant divergences between the original work and this new work. Every reasonable attempt has been made to make the new exegesis free of copyright entanglements by alterations in the original wording, by the deletion of major portions of the original work, and by the introduction of new material. As far as the author is concerned, the reader is permitted to make duplicate copies and to distribute them, provided (1) that he/she makes no attempt to obtain a copyright, and (2) that he/she does not realize a monetary profit, and (3) that the ENTIRE work, including this FOREWORD, is reproduced and distributed, and (4) that no alterations and/or additions to the text are to be made without the author's approval. Sections of the text of this work up to 1,000 words in length may be quoted and/or reprinted for the purposes of criticism or commentary without the express permission of the author, provided the source(s) of the quote(s) is/are given. In BAHA'I NEWS, No. 77, September 1933, Shoghi Effendi tells us that only the words of 'Abdu'l- Bahá [regarding biblical exegesis] are truly authoritative, but that if his statements cannot be discovered, we are free to tentatively accept the opinions of scholars. <2017 Re-formatted to PDF document, spell checked, document navigation links added by Ernie Jones.> 2 INTRODUCTION ↩ PREFACE 'Abdu'l-Bahá has told us that there are many meanings to every word of the Apocalypse. {1} It is, therefore, axiomatic that this effort does not reveal all the meanings and nuances latent in this astonishing Book. Nor do I make apologies for my first effort, THE APOCALYPSE UNSEALED, published over fifteen years ago. At that time, it was the best that I could achieve. Since then, hopefully, I have gained some added knowledge and new insights. This new effort may remedy some of the weaknesses of my earlier work. It is my hope and wish, as it was fifteen years ago, that this work will inspire other Bahá'í commentators and scholars to continue the work of exegesis, not only of the Apocalypse, but of other Sacred Writings. The Books are unsealed- it is simply a matter of applying one's mind to uncovering the precious jewels that once lay hidden beneath the dross that millennia of 'idle fancies and vain imaginings' have placed over them. The discussion, for the most part, will be informal. Unless otherwise noted, the King James Version (KJV) will be used, but with occasional references to the REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE (REB), the REVISED STANDARD VERSION (RSV), and the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV). Actually, there are no irreconcilable disagreements between these versions, but certain nuances may affect the interpretation. To avoid cluttering up the text, most biblical and other references will be appended at the end of the book. Notes will be identified by braces around the number; for example {3} means Note number 3. Also I have made an effort, in many cases, to distinguish my own comments with square brackets: [comment]. Hopefully, this will reduce some of the confusion between commentary and text, but the reader is always invited to study the biblical text for himself to see if he agrees. The letters 'BH' will stand for 'Bahá'u'lláh,' the letters 'AB' will stand for ''Abdu'l-Bahá,' the letters 'SE' will stand for 'Shoghi Effendi.' For example, the claim of Bahá'u'lláh that He manifests the 'Beginning and the End...,' etc. will be identified as '-BH: GWB, pp 54, 168', meaning that the words are attributed to Bahá'u'lláh, and can be found in GLEANINGS FROM THE WRITINGS OF BAHA'U'LLAH, pages 54 and 168. AN OPTION FOR THE READER Bahá'ís are neither numerologists nor astrologers; nor do they indulge in any occult practices, unless prayer and meditation be considered 'occult.' However, Bahá'ís do recognize that the Manifestations have employed number and astrological symbolism in the Sacred Writings, sometimes to conceal, at other times to reveal, spiritual realities. Ancient esoterica is not everyone's strong suit. The paragraphs that follow may require some careful study by the uninitiated. Unless one has a penchant for it, I suggest that the reader move on to Chapter 1 and return to this Introduction as he/she deems necessary. ASTROLOGICAL SYMBOLISM This is probably the most difficult subject for the casual reader to understand. The perplexed are invited to read HAMLET'S MILL, a classic exposition of the subject co-authored by the great de Santillana, a professor of philosophy at MIT when I took his course in the forties. Also, if one is fortunate enough to find a copy, I recommend ASTRONOMY by Dr. Arthur M. Harding. This book was 3 the first to open my eyes to the inescapable conclusion that the Bible is adorned with astrological symbolism.