Appendix to the Book of Revelation Chapter Twelve
The Bad Beast in the Book of Revelation Verses

Bible Verses

[7] And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Commentary

V.7 Abdu'l-Baha provides lengthy spiritual teachings regarding these verses and also turns the archetype of "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" to be the Bani-Umayya of the Umayyads.

The entire Islamic thread is quite lengthy for our readers, so we have greatly shortened the material, but anyone wanting to study it more indepth should avail themselves of Abdu'l-Baha's entire presentation in the Baha'i Book, "Some Answered Questions".

An alternative meaning for "the beast from the bottomless pit", and seen in other verses in the Book of Revelation, may have to do with nuclear war during the application of the archetype in "the last days". This observation is somewhat irrelevant to the Islamic thread when reading Chapter Eleven in regard to Islamic history, but it becomes very significant when following a thread on the subject of the "bottomless pit", because later in Rev. 14:15 we find that the one exception (which thus emphasizes its importance) to the 42 cases being in order of reference in the Angel Threads is regarding this Zoroastrian/Parsee/Shiite Islam/Iran connection to the beginning of Armageddon and the nuclear holocaust.

Bible Verses

[1] And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Commentary

V.1 In the traditional sense the beast with seven heads and ten horns is seen to be the arise of the Umayyad dynasty and its Caliphs which took control of Sunni Islam.

In current application this beast had seven heads since it was formed by the Seven Sisters (the oil companies) in the Middle East. The ten horns were the ten countries of the coalition - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates - all Islamic countries, and surprisingly in the day of democracies they were led by crowned heads - and while they often spoke and invoked the name of God, they did not adhere to God's law of loving their fellow man, which therefore makes blasphemous the Islamic invocation of, "Peace, Peace".

[2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

V.2 Both the traditional and contemporary views recognize the parallel to Daniel Chapter 7 (See the appendix to Chapter Four).

Daniel saw four great beasts come up from the sea. The beasts are representative of four powers or countries and their spheres of influence. These four powers are very different from each other and in many ways antagonistic towards one another.

The Four Powers in "the end time" as of the order in this verse are:

1. China (Leopard with four wings)
2. Russia (Bear)
3. The US and UK who act jointly and control the EU. (Lion and Eagle)
4. The Middle East (Dragon with 10 horns)


In Daniel 7:3ff, the same Four Beasts are described, although in a different order and with considerably more detail, such as that the Lion and Eagle act together and that the Leopard has four wings. All of this is in the Afterword to Chapter Four.

In all, this reflects the main international players in the present day, and approximates the make-up of the UN Security Council. Particularly, Daniel points out that the Fourth Beast is different from the rest.

One particular point, and that is these Beasts must be distinguished from the Four Good Beasts as discussed in the Afterword of Chapter Four.

[3] And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

V.3 Again, in the traditional view, might be seen as being right at the outset of Islam. Contemperaneously, there existed for awhile, both the Shiite and the Sunni branches, and for awhile they even merged back together when the Sunnis recognized the Shiite Imman, Ali as being the last (Righteous Caliph) but then His appointed succesor Husayn was martyred, and that looked to be the end of the Shiites, but Shiism continued anyhow. Conversely, it was the following Umayyad Sunni Caliph, that was wounded and miraculously recovered. The differences in interpretation of this type is what separates the Sunnis from the Shiites.

In the modern context the head that recovered was the present predecessor of World Government. It was the US which in effect almost killed the League of nations which formed in San Francisco, but revived it to form the United Nations in New York, and caused the world and its inhabitants to worship the concept of the first Beast - the League of Nations, now a unipolar world controlled by itself.

[4] And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

V.4 The ancient traditional interpretation of the archetype is regarding the Great Division of Islam (between Shiites and Sunnis), which turned it into a dragon, devouring the nations and peoples of the East, extending up into Europe and down into Africa. The division occurred at its outset, and brought destruction from its outset, when the first Umayyad Caliph broke away from Ali, who had been appointed by Muhammad.

Today, the other three Beasts all worship (seek to have influence with) the Dragon (Islam - the Middle East - the World Oil Source). It is the oil/petro dollars which give the power to the Beast (the World Bank / IMF / World Reserve Currency) which is the UN that is controlled by the US which is its main support. None dare make war against the Beast (UN/US) because of all that monetary and military power.

[5] And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

V.5 From the beginning of Islam, and its division at the beginning, which was a great blasphemy, because while Islam taught that there was but One God, it divided into two opposing branches. These two branches had great power over the people for 1260 days. Forty-two months is 1260 days. That is to say 42x30=1260. Or the year 1260 on the Muslim calendar, and the year when Christ returned. This is the last verse to reference this date, and to understand it one must be sure that they understand The Most Clear Proof.

This being the last verse to reference the Most Clear Proof - the following verses sum up what happens to Islam, and to the Christians, following the year 1260 on the Muslim calendar (1844 on the Christian calendar).

[6] And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

V.6 Throughout the centuries that followed, great battles took place between Islam and Christianity, but neither group practiced the Teachings of Jesus and Muhammad to love one another and to even love their enemies.

They both spoke of loving God but they showed hatred towards their fellow man, which was a great blasphemy.

In the current time not only is this hatred expressed world wide, by all sorts of terrible machines and devices of war, but the people of the world have immersed themselves into materialistic and immoral pursuits rather than seeking the spiritual virtues towards which God has directed them.

[7] And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

V.7 The Beast (the UN) was given the power to make war. None other were supposed to have that power. Its power was to be over all people, languages and nations. What we have treated as two concepts - ancient and modern - has now really merged and we see that the power of the Dragon, Satan, the Devil, spread over all the world in that all peoples and nations of the earth turned more and more unto materiality, immorality, greed, and intolerance of one another. This turning away from the laws of God has been increasing from day unto day until it will reach its destructive climax.

[8] And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

V.8 The turning away from God is universal. The evil is so immense that the eyes of most men are veiled from perceiving it. That is good because it is such darkness that it destroys the very soul, except for those who are protected by the Holy Spirit, the light of God.

Naught shall avail you in this Day but God, nor is there any refuge to flee to save Him, the Omniscient, the All-Wise. Whoso hath known Me hath known the Goal of all desire, and whoso hath turned unto Me hath turned unto the Object of all adoration. Thus hath it been set forth in the Book, and thus hath it been decreed by God, the Lord of all worlds.

Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas: Verse 138

[11] And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

V.11 Unless the future holds something different this is a continuation of the beast that we have been talking about. The two horns represent the two stages of the beast at different times. The first stage being that of the League of Nations which was wounded almost unto death, but then recovered to become the United Nations (controlled by the US) and which has since spoken like a dragon unto the world - guiding it into wars and oppressing the nations with its monetary/financial system.

[12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

V.12 The US which in effect almost killed the League of nations which formed in San Francisco, revived it to form the United Nations in New York, and caused the world and its inhabitants to worship the concept of the first Beast - the League of Nations, now a unipolar world controlled by itself.

[13] And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

V.13 The power of this Beast was astonishing to the world. It would have been even more astonishing to the ancient prophets, used to warfare of only swords and arrows, to see in their visions a power that in modern warfare could rain down the shock and awe of fire anywhere upon the earth.

[14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

V.14 The world government that had been the concept of what appeared to be the fatally wounded League of Nations, but which now lived in the second horn of the United Nations, was now spread to the world by the means of miracles/technology such as had never existed before. The Beast was able to communicate by TV, satellite, and Internet that its image should be imposed upon the world.

[15] And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

V.15 The Beast now had the power to present its image as living persons into homes and hearts of all humanity. It could reach them anywhere and at anytime through TV, Satellite, Internet and many other forms to present its propaganda in a manner totally inconceivable to people at the time that the prophets wrote. And by means of this propaganda it created conflicts in which there were killed millions who did not submit to it.

[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

V.16 The power of the Beast, the US/UN was used to create a world finanical/monetary system based upon the world reserve currency of the US/Petrodollars from the Middle East, which all had to use and obtain either through their labor (hands) or some intellectual effort.

[17] And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

V.17 In order to buy or sell, everyone had to have the mark (like the German Mark or the US Dollar). One could either have the mark itself or its name. "Will that be cash or credit card?" Or the number of his name, "Insert your ATM card here."

[18] Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

V.18 For years, people have pondered this verse trying to figure out who this person could be. The concept of name is very often a cloud to people trying to understand these verses. Literal letters and sounds are not what is important because these change in language from culture to culture and from age to age. What is important are "qualities" as designated by names.

Here is a first approach applying this archetype to the Islamic Faith. In the year 666 Mu'aviyyih, the first Caliph to take over the lead of the Islamic Faith after the passing of Muhammad, ordered the sacking of Medina - the City of the Prophet and the burial place of Muhammad. Mu'aviyyih tried to make Damascus the center of the Islamic Faith, but the people would not let this happen. It is the significance of that date

And here is another approach: Since Herod died in 4 B.C. when Christ was born (and given that there is no year zero in the Christian calendar - this would add five years to the calendar) then Mu'aviyyih who rose to power in 661 A.H., (with five years added to the date) that would have actually been year 666 A.H.

Whichever, and whatever, in the Afterword to this chapter Thirteen, and from an appendix linked from there, there are discussed further concepts about 666.

Bible Verses

[9] And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Commentary

V.9 The third angel is identified with the Hindu religion. The prophecies and descriptions about each of the religions is so amazing when one reads about each of them in order. Without this key to understanding the scriptures there have been all sorts of strange speculations about the nature of the "mark of the beast".

If you look about all the religions with an open eye you will see that there is only one, and it is this one in the order of the religions, that predominately places a mark on its forehead, and while the mark itself is not the "mark of the beast", but rather a symbol of "the inner eye" actually located above the pineal gland, we can see here, and in all the religions of the world, that conformance to worldly systems often becomes predominant, and that is the mark of the beast.

In these days the people have debarred themselves from the effusions of divine grace by following in the footsteps of every ignorant one that hath gone astray. They have cast the Ocean of divine knowledge behind their backs and fixed their eyes upon such foolish men as claim to be well versed in learning without being supported by any evidence from God, the Lord of mankind.

Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah p. 252

[11] And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

V.11 Once again, as stated in the long quote (second below) this applies to "all the peoples of the world" who have turned away from spirituality to materiality and "recognized standards" of decency, which is a meaning of taking the mark in their hand.

Still, there may be specifics for this particular people, the two factions of which have both developed nuclear weapons, "the smoke of their torment ascending up" being a very visual description of a nuclear mushroom cloud and "the torment lasting for ever and ever" an apt one about the long term effects of radiation.

"On the day when the heaven shall give out a palpable smoke, which shall enshroud mankind: this will be an afflictive torment."

1 Qur'an (Koran) 44:10.

The symbolic term "smoke" denotes grave dissensions, the abrogation and demolition of recognized standards, and the utter destruction of their narrow-minded exponents. What smoke more dense and overpowering than the one which hath now enshrouded all the peoples of the world, which hath become a torment unto them, and from which they hopelessly fail to deliver themselves, however much they strive? So fierce is this fire of self burning within them, that at every moment they seem to be afflicted with fresh torments...

Ere long, thine eyes will behold the standards of divine power unfurled throughout all regions, and the signs of His triumphant might and sovereignty manifest in every land. As most of the divines have failed to apprehend the meaning of these verses, and have not grasped the significance of the Day of Resurrection, they therefore have foolishly interpreted these verses according to their idle and faulty conception.

Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 76

Bible Verses

[2] And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Commentary

V.2 This marvelous sign appeared to John as 'a sea of clear transparent glass mingled with fire'. This was a fire of sacrifice, as many found the new message. With harps they sang their praises, with clear wisdom and understanding and without being clouded by the "mark" and the "name" as explained in previous chapters.

A Prayer: O God, my God! Thou hast lighted the lamp of Thy Cause with the oil of wisdom; protect it from contrary winds. The lamp is Thine, and the glass is Thine, and all things in the heavens and on earth are in the grasp of Thy power. Bestow justice upon the rulers, and fairness upon the divines.

Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 104

Bible Verses

[2] And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Commentary

V.2 We identify the First Angel with the Sabean Faith and Native religions throughout the world, the first of the Seven Religions, so this is the beginning of the fifth thread in which each of the religions will be discussed in turn.

The first vial poured upon the earth is the influence of the tyrannical sociopathic leaders that hold sway over humankind. All those who seek the materialism and immorality of the present day, are grievously affected regarding the happiness and contentment of their souls.

"The first angel is a power who will give forth wonderful signs. The first vial really means influence. Through that influence some who were apparently good, but inwardly bad, were destroyed; they were deprived of the light. These people in their characters were really like animals; the 'mark' here signifies character."

[10] And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

V.10

"In the tenth verse, the 'seat of the beast' means the king of Persia, seated on his throne, upon whom the cup of the fifth angel was poured."

The Fifth Angel is associated with the Buddhist Faith and the Far East. 'Abdu'l-Baha says the seat of the beast is in Persia - now Iran (once the Zoroastrian country). We certainly see the area in darkness and pain, but most significant is the Islamic/Zoroastrian relationship discussed in Rev.14:15.

[13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

V.13 This is a very significant verse upon which it would be possible to write a book in regards to there coming from the Red Dragon the seemingly marvelous technology of the False Prophet (Science disconnected from religion) that in accordance with the next verse Rev.16:14 leads the world leaders and all the peoples of the world into the Last Great Battle of Armageddon. The False Prophet is mentioned again in: Rev. 19:20 and Rev. 20:10.

Spiritual and realistic meanings such as this should have much more meaning to people than their speculations and imaginings about a False Prophet anti-Christ (not even mentioned in the Book of Revelation).

Bible Verses

[3] So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Commentary

V.3 This beast with the seven heads (the Seven Sisters Oil Companies) and the ten horns (the Ten country Sunni Coalition Rev.13:1) did carry the woman (the Great Whore, Babylon the Great, the United States) into the wilderness and anarchy of the Middle East by providing the oil and energy, and selling it exclusively for American dollars, that permitted The Great Whore to extend her Financial/Military Empire to most of the world.

[7] And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

V.7 The archetype can be viewed in many ways. First there is its relationship to the historical period of the Umayyad/Abbasid dynasty that came to control most of Islam and which confronted the Bab.

Secondly there is the 'end of days' application mentioned in V.3.

Thirdly, there are the seven world cultures/religions upon which sits the Whore of Babylon, the profaned world culture and world religion.

It is the power of revelation and the archetypes that all these meanings can coexist simultaneously.

[8] The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

V.8 There are many archetypes involved in this verse and it is completely meaningless/confusing to those whose names are "not written in the book of life". The Book of Life is the guidance of the Holy Spirit given by each of the Manifestations of God, "from the foundation of the world." Those who recognize God and worship Him, their names are written in The Book of Life.

The beginnings of all great religions were pure; but priests, taking possession of the minds of the people, filled them with dogmas and superstitions, so that religion became gradually corrupt.

'Abdu'l-Baha, 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 125

Those who do not recognize and listen to the Holy Spirit stand in wonder and confusion at the illusion of this world that seems real "and is not".

This "beast" that was, and is not, and yet is. is really the False Prophet, Science without Religion, that has brought forth from the "bottomless pit" nuclear science and weapons, the Abomination of Desolation that destroyeth the world. The reference to the 'beast that was, and is not, and yet is', parallels the 'abomination of desolation' that shall have its effect in Last Great Battle of Armageddon (was Rev.9:2,18:10-19), but shall be chained for a thousand years (is not Rev.20:22), to be released briefly at the end of the thousand years (and yet is Rev.20:23).

[9] And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

V.9 In one view of the archetype the seven heads are the seven world religions. The 'seven mountains' are a symbol of each man made degenerated institution of each of these seven religions.

[10] And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

V.10 The timing of these kings is from the perspective of John who recorded the Book of Revelation. At his time, the five religions whose clear and correct spiritual influence had passed were those of Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster and Buddha. The one that was current was Christianity, and one that was to come and continue for a short space - Islam.

[11] And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

V.11 There seems to be much confusion between the seven heads, the seven mountains, the seven kings, besides the beast who is the eighth, and ten horns who are also kings with the beast.

We do live in very confusing times. The seven kings are the Revealers of the pure religions that have been now perverted by the seven mountains, the worldly institutions that we identify with those religions.

The seventh religion - Islam was actually split into two, Shia and Sunni the eighth which grew out of the Seventh.

[12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

V.12 The ten horns, which did not exist at the time when John was writing, have briefly received power 'in the last hour (not a literal hour) of the end of days' as explained in Rev.13:1)

[13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

V.13 The intent of the ten Petro Powers (ten horn/kings) is to strengthen perverted Islam, and while there are many divisions between them, they are of one mind about regarding The Bab and Baha'u'llah

[14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

V.14 While the power of the Beast may seem very great today, the destiny of all this is the Message of the Book of Revelation, and those who work to spread the Message and implement God's Plan are called, and chosen, and faithful.

The Bab is called the Lamb, because He, like Jesus knew His life would be sacrificed. He thus fulfilled His purpose. He truly can be called Lord of lords, and King of kings.

[15] And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

V.15 Who today cannot see that the whore, Babylon the Great, the U.S., sitteth upon great numbers of waters, peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

[16] And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

V.16 Is it not apparent to all that the ten horns, the ten oil kingdoms, hate the whore. Most of those who attacked her central towers and fortress at 9/11 came from Saudi Arabia, supposedly her foremost supporter in the Petro Dollar, and when they take that away it shall indeed eat her flesh and she shall burn with fire.

The ten rulers (horns) are symbolic of the Islamic countries who actually hate the wrong doing of religion and politics, (the 'whore') of other countries, although they, like political leaders in the rest of the world, give lip service regarding the love of their religion and social standards. Their attack, actually the attack of government upon religion, is deadly to the other religions. While the spirit of religion has already been consumed, they now consume also its outer forms.

"The Pen of the Divine Expounder exhorteth, at this moment, the manifestations of authority and the sources of power, namely the kings and rulers of the earth -- may God assist them -- and enjoineth them to uphold the cause of religion, and to cleave unto it. Religion is, verily, the chief instrument for the establishment of order in the world, and of tranquillity amongst its peoples. The weakening of the pillars of religion hath strengthened the foolish, and emboldened them, and made them more arrogant. Verily I say: The greater the decline of religion, the more grievous the waywardness of the ungodly. This cannot but lead in the end to chaos and confusion. Hear Me, O men of insight, and be warned, ye who are endued with discernment!"

Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 28

[17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

V.17 All the enemies of the True Faith, think themselves to be the chosen of God. Their peoples think that they go upon holy war (Jihad) for the benefit of God. No matter what evil motivates the rulers of world, in the end their actions will result in the fulfillment of God's Plan.

God permitted the world to go forward in its folly, without chastisement, until the Faith of Baha'u'llah had been proclaimed, and established, and all will eventually be seen to have worked towards the fulfillment of God's will.

...investigate independently, free from the restrictions of dogmatic beliefs, blind imitations of ancestral forms, and the influence of mere human opinion; for as we enter this question we will find some who declare that religion is a cause of uplift and betterment in the world, while others assert just as positively that it is a detriment and a source of degradation to mankind. We must give these questions thorough and impartial consideration so that no doubt or uncertainty may linger in our minds regarding them.

'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 270

[18] And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

V.18 Although the woman, the whore, Babylon the Great, the U.S.; of which NYC is the epitome, sits upon the beast, the beast shall eventually devour her.

Bible Verses

[19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

Commentary

V.19 The worldly powers, and all those who support and follow them (followers of the Beast) always arise up against the Manifestation of God (the One Who sits on the white horse) in every New Age, when they should properly submit unto Him and be obedient to His Teachings, which are the Teachings that the world needs for that Age.

Ye are but vassals, O kings of the earth! He Who is the King of Kings hath appeared, arrayed in His most wondrous glory, and is summoning you unto Himself, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Take heed lest pride deter you from recognizing the Source of Revelation, lest the things of this world shut you out as by a veil from Him Who is the Creator of heaven... By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men

Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 211

[20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

V.20 The Beast, the powers of falsity and evil, materialism and immorality, selfishness and hatred, that wreaked havoc on the world finally reach their peak of self-destruction. Their False Prophet (science without religion) whom they had greatly honored, but who deceived them into a false faith that money, the mark of the Beast, was in control, had proven itself as much the source of evil as good, so now they became embroiled in their own machinations that were a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Erelong they will perceive the consequences of what their hands have wrought in the Day of God." "This is the Day," He again has written, "whereon the earth shall tell out her tidings. The workers of iniquity are her burdens... The Crier hath cried out, and men have been torn away, so great hath been the fury of His wrath.

Baha'u'llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 194

Bible Verses

[2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Commentary

V.2 What binds the dragon is that after nuclear WW3 (The Last Great Battle of Armageddon) the leaders of the world finally form a world government as they previously tried with WW1 (The League of Nations) and WW2 (The United Nations) but that this time actually controls the sovereignty of nations so that nuclear weapons are controlled.

"... the kings of the earth -- may God aid them through His strengthening grace -- to establish the Lesser Peace. This, indeed, is the greatest means for insuring the tranquillity of the nations. It is incumbent upon the Sovereigns of the world -- may God assist them -- unitedly to hold fast unto this Peace, which is the chief instrument for the protection of all mankind. It is Our hope that they will arise to achieve what will be conducive to the well-being of man. It is their duty to convene an all-inclusive assembly, which either they themselves or their ministers will attend, and to enforce whatever measures are required to establish unity and concord amongst men. They must put away the weapons of war, and turn to the instruments of universal reconstruction. Should one king rise up against another, all the other kings must arise to deter him. Arms and armaments will, then, be no more needed beyond that which is necessary to insure the internal security of their respective countries. If they attain unto this all-surpassing blessing, the people of each nation will pursue, with tranquillity and contentment, their own occupations, and the groanings and lamentations of most men would be silenced."

Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 30

For while the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah will last for at least one thousand years, His cycle will extend still farther to at least 500,000.

From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 14, 1935: Baha'i News. No. 102. August 1936, pp. 2-3 Lights of Guidance, p. 475

[4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

V.4 In the sequence of the seven religions in order, this is the specific reference to Jesus and Christianity. Those who oppose Baha'u'llah in His Return are seen as having 'the mark of the beast' and often sit in judgment upon the thrones of authority. As explained previously this mark of the beast is symbolic of their character of opposition. Eventually, the Millennium of Peace or what Baha'is call the Lesser Peace, will prevail until the Kingdom of God on Earth is established.

John saw thrones, and those that sat upon them. Thrones are the administrative centers such as the hierarchy of each religion and those who sit upon them have the authority to interpret meanings of Scripture for their flock to follow. Although this is necessary, mistakes are possible when the ministers and priests of any religion administer the religious laws and practices. In the Christian religion, many followers went against the teachings of the Pope and were admonished for it, as history shows. Some lives were lost and many suffered in other ways. This is not true just of Christianity, but also of other religions and many beheadings are taking place to this day.

The 'Word of God' mentioned in this verse stands for all the Holy Writings of all religions, as there is only one God. Every religious system is meant to bring guidance, spirituality and wisdom with laws during its dispensation, until the next prophet appears. We can acknowledge this, as it is happening now; world wide - causing confusion: that is until people wake up to accept God's message for today.

Not one single Manifestation of Holiness hath appeared but He was afflicted by the denials, the repudiation, and the vehement opposition of the people around Him. Thus it hath been revealed:

[Qur'an 36:30] "O the misery of men! No Messenger cometh unto them but they laugh Him to scorn."

Again He saith:

[Qur'an 40:5] "Each nation hath plotted darkly against their Messenger to lay violent hold on Him, and disputed with vain words to invalidate the truth."

Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 4

[7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

V.7 While the Cycle of Fulfillment begun by the Bab and Baha'u'llah will last for over 500,000 years the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah will end sometime after a thousand years and another Manifestation will appear to bring new laws and new teachings to fit the changing times and conditions of mankind.

All things in the world eventually decay and have to be renewed or replaced and this applies also to institutions and religion. It will also apply to the Baha'i Faith. When religion loses its spiritual vitality that is when the old Satan (materialism, immorality, religious intolerance, war) reappears.

Each Prophet of God foretells of the One to come after Him and each has given signs of His coming, however we usually do not recognize these signs unless we search, keep an open mind and ask for guidance.

'Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly a lying impostor.'

The meaning of this is that any individual who, before the expiry of a full thousand years -- years known and clearly established by common usage and requiring no interpretation -- should lay claim to a Revelation direct from God, even though he should reveal certain signs, that man is assuredly false and an impostor.

Baha'u'llah, quoted and explained by 'Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 67

[8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

V.8 In a thousand years the satanic attitudes will again deceive the nations. At that time the number of people in the world will be a multitude 'as the sand of the sea'.

John compares the time of the future Manifestation to the time of Gog, the king of Magog, which is told about in Ezekiel Chpt 38 and 39 (which also describes the time of the lesser Great Destruction that is to occur after a thousand years and at the end of the Baha'i Dispensation).

For the Baha'i Dispensation:

The Universal House of Justice, which the Guardian said would be regarded by posterity as "the last refuge of a tottering civilization," is now,...the sole infallibly guided institution in the world to which all must turn, and on it rests the responsibility for ensuring the unity and progress of the Cause of God in accordance with the revealed Word.

The Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance, Messages 1963-1968, p. 90

[9] And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

V.9 Those of satanic spirit will go out into the breadth of the earth, to circle the camp of the saints and their beloved city, however God will intervene.

There are many physical things that we might speculate about that time as regards the fire from heaven, since already today we have such things as satellites, and there are even intimations in the Writings that there may be space travel by that time, but the important thing is to look for the spiritual meanings.

Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction.

Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14

[10] And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

V.10 This time refers to the beginning of the Golden Age, a thousand years after Armageddon. It may be the time of another Manifestation, but what concerns us here is the interim between Armageddon and the Golden Age during which the beast, the Red Dragon, and the False Prophet (science separated from religion) - and also religion separated from science (fanaticism) shall have again been released to hold sway.