Apocalypse Unsealed: chapter 13
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Chapter Thirteen
THE RISE OF THE CALIPHATE
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.
The sand of the sea is the peoples and nations that comprised the
land of the beast, the Bani-Umayyad dynasty. The seven heads are
the seven dominions,; the ten horns are the ten names of rulers
enumerated in Chapter 12. The beast has on his heads the name of
blasphemy: The Caliph, 'O Ká^^îIè.
"The Caliph" means literally "The Successor" and refers to the
Successorship to Muhammad. The title of Caliph was blasphemously
usurped by the Bani-Umayya. The office combined both the
temporal and "spiritual" authority in early Islam.
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.
The terms leopard, bear, and lion refer to the prophecy in
Daniel, Chapter 7. In that prophecy the leopard represents the
Empire of Alexander the great; the bear represents the Empire of
Media-Persia; the lion represents the Empire of Babylonia._/1
The Bani-Ummayad dynasty ruled an Empire reminiscent of the
Empire of Alexander (the leopard) in its extent and prosperity.
the strength (feet) of the beast was situated in Media-Persia
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(the bear), but it had its throne (mouth) within the confines of
ancient Babylonia (the lion).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to
death; and his deadly wound was headed: and all the
world wondered after the beast.
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?
The Bani-Umayya were overthrown by the 'Abbasids in 749 AD. The
destruction of the Bani-Umayya seemed total. However, one of the
Bani-Umayya, 'Abd al-Rahman, known as "The Falcon of the
Quraysh," managed to escape to Andalusia (Spain) where he set up
another Umayyad dynasty that lasted for 300 years. Thus
Andalusia was the wounded head that healed.
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.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,
to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them
that dwell in heaven.
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.
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.
The Bani-Umayya were noted for their hypocrisy, economic and
social injustice, and their luxurious lives dedicated to the
pleasures of the flesh. Although the Bani-Umayya were overthrown
by the 'Abbasids in 749 AD, the empire founded by the Bani-Umayya
persisted under the 'Abbasids and later under the
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Turks for the entire Dispensation of Muhammad, 1260 years (42
months).
The Bani-Umayya suppressed the descendants of Muhammad and the
Imams (saints) and dominated a vast assemblage of peoples
covering most of the civilized world known to the resident of the
Middle East.
The "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" symbolizes the
principle of Sacrifice that has existed since the beginning of
time, necessary for the renewal of the Ages and the manifestation
of a higher reality. There is also an astrological analogy.
Because of the Precession of the Equinoxes, the constellation of
Aries the ram or Lamb always lags behind the sign of Aries.
Thus, symbolically, the Lamb has always been "sacrificed" or
"slain" to permit a new constellation to appear at the Vernal
equinox.
In the Baha'i Dispensation, the names of the Book of Life are
written by the Center of the Covenant, 'Abdu'l-Baha, the "Most
Great Branch" from the "pre-existent root." <G #4, G #8, 13:8>
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into
captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be
killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the
faith of the saints.
In these verses John learns the Law of Divine retribution that
will cause the destruction of the beast. Because of their
iniquity, the Bani-Umayya decayed in spirituality and power and
eventually met the same fate that they had meted out to others.
Except for 'Abd al-Rahman, the Bani-Umayya were hunted down and
destroyed. Even the corpses of the dead Bani-Umayya Caliphs,
except for the pious 'Umar II, were exhumed and desecrated.
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.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first
beast before him, and causeth the earth and them
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which dwell therein to worship the first beast,
whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh
fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight
of men.
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 the sword, and did live.
The second beast was the 'Abbasid dynasty. The 'Abbasid dynasty
came to power by conquest on the ruins (earth) of the
Bani-Umayyad Empire. Its rulers gradually became Turkish
beginning about 840 AD. The second
beast* had two names (horns) of *The term "beast is more
leadershipo--"The Caliph" and "The correctly translated as
Sultan."_/2 "living creature." The
term in Greek does not
At its apex, the second beast necessarily imply a
exercised all the power of the malevolent entity. Thus,
Bani-Umayya and revived the dying for example, the four
Empire that had been "mortally beasts of Chapter 4 are
wounded" yet had lived on in Spain. paragons of virtue. The
Again the nations of Europe, Africa, caliphate, like the papacy
and the Middle East admired the and other religious
Muslim State. The second beast hierarchies, has had its
also displayed remarkable technical full share of both good
and scientific skills. Very early and bad masters.
they learned the use of gunpowder
and Greek fire._/3 Strange devices were used in war, such as
burning javelins and globes that were propelled over long
distances._/4
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of
the beast, that the image of the beast should both
speak,
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and cause that as many as would not worship the
image of the beast should be killed.
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:
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.
The second beast, the 'Abbasid dynsaty, was able to revive the
image of the first beast, the Bani-Umayyad Empire, so that it
seemed to be alive again. The second beast enforced the new
regime with great severity, ruthlessly murdering even those who
had helped the 'Abbasids to gain power.
The marks_/5 or stigmata were:
"right hand"*--the land and *The right hand is the
business tax (kharaj), and "working" hand.
"forehead"--the head tax (jizya)
paid by non-Muslims, marking them as inferior and symbolizing in
concrete form their subjection to the Muslim State. Many
non-Muslims fled to avoid these taxes. Trading was forbidden
unless one had paid the tax (had the mark) or was "muslim" (name
of the beast), or was a member of the ruling class (number of his
name).
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.
In the sense that 666 symbolizes blasphemy, deception or
hypocrisy, the number can be applied to many personages in
history. But 'Abdu'l-Baha has explained <13:18 #1, #2; 21:15 #1>
that 666 applies to the first Umayyad Caliph who came to power in
the year 666 of the Christian era.
Mu'awiyah, the first Umayyad Caliph, came to power during the
year 661-662 AD. But most authorities, in agreement with the
Gospel of Matthew, place the birth of Jesus sometime prior
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to the death of Herod the Great, who died during the year 4-5 BC.
It is reasonable to believe, therefore, that the span of time
from the Birth of Jesus until the first Umayyad Caliph was very
close to 666 solar years.
Most serious attempts to discover the name of the besat of the
Apocalypse have started from the premise that 666 is the
gematrical value of the name. Since Mu'awiyah committed an act
of blasphemy by assuming the title of Caliph, it should not be
surprising if his assumed title The Caliph has the value 666._/6
Notes to Chapter Thirteen
1. Reference 12, Chapter 18. The history of Islam can be found
in numerous references, e.g., References 36 and 37.
2. "Sultan" means "Sovereign." The sultanate was introduced by
the Turks. The last 'Abbasid Caliph was asassinated in 1258 AD.
He had nominal successors in Egypt who were overcome by the Turks
in the sixteenth century. The title of "Caliph" was retained by
the Sultans until March 3, 1924. The Apocalypse says that the
second beast was spiritually terminated with the Advent of the
Bab. Three years after the martyrdom of the Bab, the Turkish
Empire became known as the "Sick Man of the East." The last of
the Turkish dynasties, the Ottoman, was terminated twenty-seven
days before the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
In the Qur'an 27:82 is found this remarkable prophecy of
Muhammad:
We will bring forth to them a beast from the earth.
It will speak to them, for mankind would not be
convinced of our signs.
3. The secret of Greek fire is now lost.
4. See the writings of Ebn Fadhi and Ben Abdalla. The material
brilliance of the 'Abbasid period is comemmorated in the fable
_Arabian Nights_.
5. See Ezekiel 9:4; Deuteronomy 11:18.
6. This is probably the most famous riddle in history. Countless
attempts have been made to assign the number 666 to favored
villains over the past nineteen centuries. One early attempt wsa
to give the number to "Nero Caesar," but the literal value of his
name (in Hebrew!) is only 616, fifty short of the required value.
Other
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attempts have been made to equate 666 to the gematrical value of
the nations of the Pope, Luther, Napoleon, the Kaiser, and
HItler.
Most of these attempted solutions are too contrived to be
considered seriously, since they employ such strategies as
incorrect spelling, abbreviations, and obscure notarikon. (See
Note 6 of Part One.) As an example of past efforts, the
cabalists of the Vatican (Ref. 9, p. 161) have pointed out that
_MáOæîçIs_ "Maometis" has the value 666. This is a possible,
though somewhat contrived spelling of Mahomet, a corrupted form
of Muhammad derived from the Turkish spelling.
A satisfactory and a very ingenious solution is given by John
Michell (Reference 9), who points out that the last sentence in
verse 18 --KáI 'o ápIéæos ávTov XðZ'--And his number is Sin
hundred threescore and six--has the value 2368. This is
identical to the value of _'IHåovs XpIåTos_, Jesus Christ.
Although it is valid in gematria to compute the value of a phrase
or sentence, its significance is dubious unless the phrase is a
name, a title, or expresses some important concept. But Michell
offers further evidence for his solution by pointing out that the
phrase _'H îIKêN TovéHPIov_ the image of the beast, has the same
value as _o vIos áNéPêãov_ The Son of Man, 2260.
It is because gematria is so flexible that it is often possible
to devise some ingenious method of attaching 666 to a person's
name. The equivalence of "Jesus Christ" with the last sentence
of Chapter 13 is probably a warning to the cabalists of all ages
to disregard gematria in the solution of the riddle. Michel's
solution also suggests a profound sense of humor in Jesus, a
humor that tests our wisdom at several points in the Apocalypse.
Nevertheless, the confirmed cabalist may ask us to offer a
gematrical solution to the riddle as a reassurance of the
correctness of 'Abdu'l-Baha's explanation.
In order to solve the riddle, it is worthwhile to consider the
number 666 from the viewpoint of the ancient numerologist. In
spite of the historical prejudice that has grown up around the
number, the number 666, the "trinity of sixes," was a number held
in high esteem among the ancients. The number 6 of which it is
composed, was the symbolic number of beauty, harmony and
mediation. Six is not only the triangular value of the Triad
(1+2+3), but was considered to be the first perfect number. A
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perfect number is one which is the product of its divisors (i.e.,
1x2x3) as well as the sum of its divisors (i.e., 1+2+3).
Furthermore:
6 was connsidered the number of the cosmos (Koåæos=600->6).
6 is the archetypal value of Jesus ('IHåovs=888->6).
The Messeengers of God each had 6 wings (Chapter 4, Note 9).
The archetypal value of 666 is 9, the "Trinity of Trinities."
666 is just one-half the literal value of "Alpha and Omega"
(_á^íá_ + ê = 1332). (See Chapter 1, Note 19.)
666 is the triangular value of 36 (See Part One, Note 17 and
Chapter 15, Note 9.)
66 is the literal value of 'Allah by the abjad (Arabic gematria).
God created the world in 6 "days." (Genesis 1:31).
The sum 6+6+6 is 18, the number of Names of YHWH in each division
of the Schemhamphoras. (Chapter 7, Note 10)
The product of 6x6x6 is 216 (oue-tenth of a Platonic month),
one-haof of 432 (the literal value of "new name"), one fourth of
864 (the literal value of "Jerusalem"), etc..
It is also interesting that the Babylonians reckoned in units of
6, 60, and 600. Remnants of this system survive in the letters
of the Roman numeral system: I, V, X, L, C, and D. The sum of
these numerals is 666. More significantly, 666 has a special
meaning, being the number of the sun. Ancient numerologists had
discovered several magic squares. A magic square is a square
array of numbers, the sum of all columns, rows, and diagonals
being equal. The ancients assigned the names of planets to seven
of these squares. The sun was assigned to the magic square in
figure 22. (Ref. 46, p. 110ff; Chapter 15, Note 9)
The reader can determine for himself that every row, column, and
diagonal has the sum 111, and that the sum of all its numbers has
the value 666. The interested reader will also see that the
square contains the first 36 numbers (1 to 36) and that the
dimensions of the square are 6 by 6.
Early Christians were well aware (Ref. 9, Chapter 13) of the
solar property of 666, and anti-papists often equated 666 with
the Roman Church, since the sun is a symbol of authority, and the
Church represented the authority within Christendom.
The fallacy in these and similar attempts is clear from the
words in Revelations 13:18 where we are told that it is the
number of a
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+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | | | | | |
| 6 | 32 | 3 | 34 | 35 | 1 |
| | | | | | |
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | | | | | |
| 7 | 11 | 27 | 28 | 8 | 30 |
| | | | | | |
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | | | | | |
| 19 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 23 | 24 |
| | | | | | |
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | | | | | |
| 18 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 26 | 12 |
| | | | | | |
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | | | | | |
| 36 | 5 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 31 |
| | | | | | |
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | | | | | |
| 11 | 27 | 11 | 27 | 11 | 27 |
| | | | | | |
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
666, THE MAGIC SQUARE OF THE SUN
Figure 22
man. Nevertheeless, the sacred nature of 666 is a clue as to the
name itself. From the fact that 13:1 explains that the beast
committed blasphemy by assuming the name or title, we can narrow
down the list of names or titles that are sacred and are
blasphemous if falsely assumed. One place to look for such names
is in the Apocalypse itself.
There are possibly twenty-nine names and titles in the
Apocalypse. None of them have the value 666. Quite obviously
the solution must be sought elsewhere.
A powerful clue is in the form of the number 666 itself. Its
form is highly suggestive of the successorship, since 600 is the
decadal successor of 60, and 60 is the decadal successor of 6.
The suggested solution, The Successor, will be investigated to
see if its gematrical value might be made equal to 666.
From the outset we are confronted by the usual difficulties in
transliteration. It is often impossible to transliterate a word
between two languages as different as Arabic, a Semitic language,
and Koine Greek, an Indo-European language. Indeed, this may be
the implication of verse 9:11 in which "Destroyer" is translated
into both the Hebrew and the Greek. Furthermore, direct
transliterations, even if possible, would probably result in
words that
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would be unrecognizable to the literate Greek of the first
century. The Hebrew Ye-rushalaim becomes transcribed as
Hierousalem in Greek and as Je-ru' sa-lem in English. The Hebrew
Yeshu'a, a contraction of Yehoshu'a, becomes Iesous in Greek,
Iesus in Latin, and Je'sus in English.
Transliterations form Koine into Arabic also receive mutations.
The Greek word _îváNâî^Iov_ euangelion, the evangel or gospel,
becomes Injil in the Arabic of Muhammad's time. Indeed, there
appears to be no known translation of the Apocalypse into Arabic
until late medieval times.
About the best that can be hoped for is to derive a spelling of
"The Caliph" that is recognizable to a modern Greek who is
literate in Koine. Both _'O Kî^^áIí_ (The) Calleff and _'O
Kî^^áIí_ (The) Cal'lif meet this requirement. Both spellings
also produce the value 666.
The solution 'O Ká^^îIí is certainly no less plausible than the
other known solutions, such as, for example, Muhammad (Arabic) ->
Mahomet (Turkish) -> MáoæîTIs Maometis. The solution meets the
other requirements. It is not ambiguous or contrived. Besides
having the value 666, it is the number of a man, is sacred, and
shares a solar property as the Commander of the Faithful.
Furthermore, its assumption by the best of the Apocalypse was an
act of blasphemy. The fact that 6 is the number of mediation is
also consistent with the solution, since it could signify the act
of mediation; that is, 666 could symbolize the Mediator (Six) to
'Allah (Sixty-Six). Thus the sacred number 666 can only be
conferred upon the Prophet by 'Allah, or by Muhammad upon His
true Successor.
There are other curious coincidences that are worth noting.
Muslim writings sometimes refer to "the beast" as "the spy" or
"the sensual." These expressions
may have been produced by attempts [@ is used here to
to vocalize the Greek number Xð@ indicate the Greek number
666 into Arabic. (Ref. 63) The value Stigma (see Part
appellations are descriptive of One, page 12).]
the 'Abbasid and Umayyad
dynasties. Furthermore, we recall that 6 was also the number of
beauty. The Greek word for beauty was _Ká^^îos, highly
suggestive of _Ká^^îIí_.
The solution _'O Ká^^îIí_ will now be investigated to see if it
is simply a fortuitous combination of letters. Anyone who has
attempted to discover the name will attest to the difficulty of
the
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task. A little mathematics shows why. The odds against a
properly spelled name or title in Greek having the value 666 are
about 2000 to 1. (The values of the names and titles in the
Apocalypse are normally distributed with a mean of 998 and a
standard deviation of 708.) Even considering alternative
spellings of the same word, the odds are changed only slightly.
(Alternative spellings can occur for borrowed words such s Jesus,
Moses, Abaddon, Caliph, etc..) [For example, if a name has two
alternate spellings, then the odds would increase from only from
2000 to 1 up to 2000 to 3.] Of those names and titles with the
value 666, certainly no more than a small percentage, say 10 or
15%, could be considered blasphemous. This implies that only one
name or title in about 20,000 will have valid spelling, will have
the value 666 and could be considered blasphemous.
These words constitute a very small percentage of the total Greek
lexicon, and alternate legitimate spellings of the same word will
not alter significantly the odds of finding such a name.
But there are other specifications given for the beast, for
example: (See Chapter 17)
7 heads
1 wounded, yet heals
5 are conquered
1 is (sovereign)
1 is not yet (in existence)
10 horns
And so on.
In the pst 1900 years of history there have been perhaps a dozen
entities that hav had the villanous roles and stature to qualify
as candidates for the beast. It is obvious that the odds against
any of those candidates, except the correct one, meeting all of
the specifications, and having a name or title with the value 666
are astronomical.